The Addams Family to St Elmo's Fire: 12 of the best alternative romantic films - as chosen by BBC journalists

3 hours ago

BBC Features team

Alamy A still from The Addams Family (Credit: Alamy)

Never mind Brief Encounter and The Notebook; here are some less obvious choices for Valentine's Day viewing.

Up (2009)

Sure, Carl and Ellie's entire love story takes place in the first 10 minutes, but it packs enough emotional wallop to make Pixar's Up one of the most romantic films of all time. The distractable Boy Scout and the talking dogs deliver kid-friendly action and comedy for the remaining 80-something minutes. But adults watching know that it's the couple's shared dreams cut short that give the film its thrust, and, through dialogue-less colour and sound, demonstrate that love is real and unstoppable. Unconvinced? Without re-watching a frame, listen to Michael Giacchino's Oscar-winning waltz, Married Life. When the swelling strings give way to spare and solemn piano notes, see if you aren't transported to that floating house, untethered as Carl is by the loss of his one true love. (Laura Norkin)

St Elmo's Fire (1985)

I adore John Hughes' coming-of-age film for many reasons – not the least of which are its irrepressible synth soundtrack and a pink 80s apartment that looks like the cover of Duran Duran's Rio exploded. I first saw it when I was too young to understand that its romantic relationships were all toxic, and was captivated by Kevin's (Andrew McCarthy) unrequited love for Leslie (Ally Sheedy). I didn't get that Leslie was using Kevin to soothe her ego; that his confession of love was doomed. All my impressionable teen self saw was a yearning, hungry kiss shared after years of longing. That desperate kiss became my youthful ideal, slipping into my subconscious to alert me when a partner was or wasn't "the one". And misguided as poor Kevin might have been, unrequited love might just be the purest form of romance; spared the harsh realities of true intimacy, it forever remains a dream. (Eva Sandoval)

Thirst (2009)

Oldboy director Park Chan-Wook's Korean gothic noir is a study of two people's romantic, vampiric obsession with bodies (each other's, and other people's). Sang-Hyun (Song Kang-ho) is a devout Catholic priest who receives an anonymous blood transfusion during a vaccine trial, and subsequently finds himself immortal, super-strong, and with an unquenchable lust for blood. But it's not just blood he's hungry for: "I thirst after all sinful pleasures," he says. He meets Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), the downtrodden housewife of a childhood friend, and a stolen look across a game of mahjong escalates into a steamy affair. Sensing an escape from the shackles of her domesticity, Tae-ju convinces Sang-hyun to turn her into a vampire, and the second half of the film becomes a Hitchcockian dance macabre as Tae-ju embraces her newfound freedom and feeds her bloodlust. A truly demented study of a couple's obsession with unearthly (and earthly) pleasures. (Rob Freeman)

Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)

If you've already binged Heated Rivalry too many times and are looking for the next "rivals-turned-lovers" queer romance, the right answer is Red, White and Royal Blue. Adapted from Casey McQuiston's novel, the film tells the age-old story of a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine) falling in love with the son (Taylor Zakhar Perez) of the US president. Their clandestine romance blooms with longing glances at a prime minister's dinner, and stolen kisses on the White House lawn when their Secret Service and MI5 bodyguards aren't looking. The film requires an immense suspension of disbelief – Uma Thurman plays the first female Democratic president with a very questionable Texan accent, and the handling of international politics is laughable. But the two leads' chemistry and transatlantic misunderstandings make it an incredibly enjoyable two hours of heartwarming escapism. Who wouldn’t want to hear the impossibly good-looking American lead, mid-bisexual awakening, say that their first kiss "made him understand the difference between rugby and football"? (Jesse Mico)

Sanctuary (2022)

Most of this psychological thriller is set in one hotel room, where a wealthy young man named Hal (Christopher Abbott) tries to end his relationship with a dominatrix named Rebecca (Margaret Qualley). There isn't much exposition or explanation, but that's part of what makes the viewing experience – and the fight for power between the two main characters – great fun. Are they joking? Is this a dream? Is this a tiff between a client and his for-hire lover, or are they actually in love? Can it be both? Where does the line begin and end between "play" and "real life"? Qualley and Abbott, and the purely electric sexual tension between them, take you on a ride for 96 minutes. (Ondine Jean-Baptiste)

The Addams Family (1991)

Most romantic films are about two people falling in love. There aren't many that about two people who are still madly in love after years of marriage. One rare and glorious example is Barry Sonnenfeld's The Addams Family. Morticia, played to purring perfection by Anjelica Huston, and Gomez, played by the dashing Raul Julia, are the picture of nuptial bliss, despite sharing their house with two psychopathic children and Morticia's "elderly and mentally disabled" mother. They still waltz together every day, and they have no qualms about public displays of affection – or, for that matter, public displays of fiery passion. True, their fondness for torture and misery may seem creepy, kooky, and altogether ooky. But isn't it inspiring that these two soulmates have found each other? "Unhappy, darling?" asks the smitten Gomez, in a joke taken directly from one of Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. "Oh yes," murmurs Morticia. "Yes, completely!" #relationshipgoals (Nicholas Barber)

La ardilla roja / The Red Squirrel (1993)

This Spanish gem treats love not as an idealised sentiment but as a chaotic, transformative force striking without warning. The film opens with a heartbroken Jota (Nancho Novo) about to throw himself off a bridge when Sofía (Emma Suárez) suddenly hurtles past him on a motorcycle, flying into the void. That instant – two strangers crossing paths at the brink of nothingness – changes everything and pulls the audience into a cyclone of danger and electric love. Sofía is left amnesiac by the accident, which allows Jota to rename her Lisa and pretend to be her boyfriend. They begin to flee from the world, their escape leading them to a summer camp. But their connection intensifies under the imminent threat of Sofía's violent, obsessive ex-boyfriend. Through dreamlike imagery and top-notch performances, director Julio Medem delivers a timeless romantic thriller in which passion and panic coexist, making love feel like a constant, exhilarating leap into the unknown. (Natalia Guerrero)

Julie & Julia (2009)

Nora Ephron wrote When Harry Met Sally and she wrote and directed Sleepless in Seattle, so you might not think of this as her most romantic film. But Julie & Julia is a buttery, unconventional love story. On the surface, it's a time-lapsed fantasia of beautiful food, but beneath all the basting montages is a swooning ode to parasocial love: it illuminates how a role model can rescue you when you feel adrift. As Julie Powell (Amy Adams) works her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, her imagined bond with the book's author, Julia Child (Meryl Streep), becomes a lifeline, even when the real Child disapproves. There's something achingly romantic in that yearning: the idea that you can discern your purpose by loving another person's work from afar. The film suggests that connection, even asymmetrical connection, can make existence more delicious. (Riley Farrell)

WALL-E (2008)

The eponymous robot in WALL-E isn't in the best of shapes when we first meet him, which is one of the many delightful things about Pixar's Oscar-winning cartoon. Stranded on a post-apocalyptic Earth that has been ruined by human overconsumption, he diligently cleans up humanity's mess while salving his loneliness by rewatching the 1969 musical Hello, Dolly!. His only friend appears to be a kind of pet cockroach, until another robot, EVE, makes her entrance and a will-they-won't-they romance begins. They're the perfect cinematic odd couple, with WALL-E looking like something out of Soviet-era Russia, and EVE very much the type of 21st-Century creation that Steve Jobs might have dreamed up. But in true Hollywood fashion, this doesn't stop the little-robot-who-could from trying. He pursues EVE across the galaxy to cement their love, which for WALL-E seems to mean the rather charming act of just holding hands. (Cal Byrne)

Human Traffic (1999)

A surreal, low-budget rave comedy may not immediately scream romance. But inside Human Traffic – written and directed by Justin Kerrigan and set in Cardiff – is a sweet love story between two friends. Jip (John Simm) opens the film with a direct address to camera, outlining his own difficulties – his dead-end job, complicated home life and "sexual anxiety" – and introduces his four friends, all of whom have their own reasons for living for the weekend. One of those is Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington), who has split up with her boyfriend and doesn't have a ticket for that evening's rave. Over the course of the night's drug-fuelled hedonism, the two come together – and realise that it's only ever been each other. Kerrigan's film can be seen as a love letter to so much: to youth, friendship, late-90s rave culture. But the grounded romance between Jip and Lulu stands out, and sticks with you long after the party's over. (Amy Charles)

Sing Street (2016)

Oh, the things people would do to have a song written about them – even if it is written by a teenage boy like Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). He's going through a rotten time in 1980s recession-hit Dublin: his parents are divorcing and money is tight. He waves goodbye to his private-school education and says hello to a rougher inner-city Catholic school, where the principal shoves his head in a sink for wearing brown shoes. To adjust to his new reality, Conor forms a rock band with some schoolmates, while also seeking to win the heart of the mysterious wannabe-model Raphina (Lucy Boynton), who is fighting battles of her own. Lo and behold, his perseverance eventually pays off – because what's more romantic than honouring someone in your art, and sharing a dream? Written and directed by John Carney, Sing Street is a charming coming-of-age story brimming with teenage love and friendship, hope, and importantly, feel-good music. It will leave you warm and fuzzy inside. (Molly Gorman)

The Blond One / Un Rubio (2019)

Marco Berger is the Argentinian master of erotic tension – and The Blond One is his most impossibly romantic film. It's set in an old house in a working-class suburb of Buenos Aires. When his brother moves out, Juan (Alfonso Barón) needs to rent out his old room to help pay the rent. His shy factory colleague Gabriel (Gaston Re) moves in. After work every day, Juan flaunts his body – and various girlfriends – often while staring provocatively at Gabriel, who sits quietly, reading books and listening to music. Gabriel, who has a daughter and a girlfriend of his own, doesn’t know how to interpret Juan's cocksure gaze, especially when Juan's laddish mates are around, blocking any opportunity for romance. But when the men are alone, the sexual tension gives way to deep emotion, identity exploration, and the most complex and conflicted feelings. (Javier Hirschfeld)

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