Finals are drawing near, so let’s feel some good vibes by revisiting a few of the best romantic films of the modern era. And how better to express love for love films than via cheesy love letters?
5. The Big Sick (dir. Michael Showalter, 2017)
My passion for you, my newest love, burns no less strong than that for your older contemporaries. I am enraptured by your aching autobiographical account; your fearless heartfelt musings that bring a laugh to my mouth and a tear to my eye.
Thank you for teaching me humility and how to move on from a past relationship gracefully. Our time together was enlightening and informative.
P.S. I forever respect your ability to get a truly great performance out of Ray Romano. That must have taken some doing.
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (dir. Michel Gondry, 2004)
Our relationship is best characterized by a smouldering flame; a tiny light illuminating the darkness, clinging to life after being doused by tears of sorrow. Your award-winning prose delights and frustrates me with its profundity, shattering my heart into pieces like a stone thrown through a frozen windowpane.
Never before have I met one who pontificates on love, loss and regret as skillfully as you. Watching your small but dedicated following blossom into universal acclaim has made me indescribably proud, as does the manner in which you effortlessly weave fantastical sci-fi elements into a plot that remains grounded in relatable emotional agony.
Please continue to elucidate others on your deep themes and ethical implications, you understated heartbreaker.
3. Frances Ha (dir. Noah Baumbach, 2013)
Your monochrome beauty never fails to catch my breath in my throat and my heart in my chest. You are elegant in your mundanity; a clear predecessor to your scribe and star Greta Gerwig’s recent smash hit Lady Bird. Spending time with you is like peering through a peephole into an ordinary yet deeply meaningful life; rich in detail and emotional weight.
I cherish even the moments in which we simply sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company and marvelling at the aesthetic perfection of a world put into sharp perspective.
2. (500) Days of Summer (dir. Marc Webb, 2009)
My sweet love, you have taught me more about myself than any film of your ilk. Introspection is far easier when one is provided with a mirror in which their flaws are reflected, and darling, you are one painful, relatable mirror. Your brilliant ‘expectations vs. reality’ sequence instills me with awe and crushing sadness in equal measure; truly, you are a master of evoking disparate yet powerful emotion.
It pains me that others don’t appreciate you as I do. Perhaps your harsh commentary on toxic masculine culture and affinity for a nonlinear narrative structure makes it difficult for some to see your true beauty and unparalleled wit. Know this, however: you are one-of-a-kind, and nothing can replace you in my heart.
1. Her (dir. Spike Jonze, 2013)
My pride, my joy, my love of loves; you are forever in my thoughts, forever on my mind, forever in my heart. Yours is a simple tale of man, machine and a connection that transcends the physical realm, simple in its presentation yet boundlessly deep in its emotional complexity and allegorical meaning. Your moniker is amazingly appropriate: simple in meaning, plain at first glance, but obscuring a vast array of interpretable significance.
Though your final moments are so crushingly melancholic as to bring me to tears, I look back on the time we spent together with naught but fondness, and eagerly await an opportunity for us to meet again. I want to share your beauty with everyone; to shout your achievements from the highest rooftops for all the world to hear. Beyond compare. I love Her.