With Valentine’s Day making its way here this upcoming weekend, the passionate presence of love begins to infiltrate its way into our surroundings. From boxes of chocolate and cheesy rom-coms to something as simple as the color red, couples, yearners and hopeless romantics are preparing to watch familiar favorites this season of love.

But for those looking to diversify their cinematic tastes or try something new, below are some exciting portrayals of romance ever portrayed through the medium of sight and sound that you may not have seen.

Honorable Mention: “Moulin Rouge!” (2001)

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return” is the closing line of Nat King Cole’s song “Nature Boy,” written by songwriter Eden Ahbez. It’s also remixed as a core, recurring theme in 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!”—a romantic musical film that remixes many iconic pop songs as glamorous musical numbers, “Nature Boy” also being one of them. 

Featuring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman in some of their finest performances, I hesitate to include this film in this list simply for how iconic it became when it was released in 2001. However, with it being such a product of its time, it’s become an increasingly niche film amongst cinephiles and fans of musical theatre.

Nevertheless, boasting catchy musical numbers and featuring electrifying performances from its cast, the film is an unapologetically passionate celebration of love and is a fun watch for this Valentine’s Day.

“Down with Love” (2003)

Yet another film starring McGregor in this list, “Down with Love,” pairs him with Renée Zellweger in this campy, pastiche-riddled rom-com with an unapologetically glamorous 1960s aesthetic. The film follows McGregor as a playboy writer who attempts to undermine a feminist author’s writings by scheming a plan to get her to fall in love with him. While the film embraces exhausted male-centric tropes and clichés from romantic comedies, especially those from the 1960s, it completely subverts viewer expectations and flips the genre over its head.

The result is a postmodernist response to Betty Friedan and “The Feminine Mystic” through the lens of a 2000s America succeeding the second-wave feminist movement. Reckoning these ideas with the contrasting perspectives of classic Hollywood rom-coms celebrating traditional and heteronormative romance. All the while still looking to celebrate the concept of love—aiming to offer a more modern and liberal perspective on relationships.

But above all, “Down with Love” is an incredibly fun, zany rom-com complete with iconic and hilarious bits that is a must-watch for fans of the genre.

“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964)

Serving as key inspiration for the unforgettably bittersweet “La La Land,” director Jacques Demy’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is among the most stylish of the notable French New Wave film movement. Stylized in nature with its vibrant, colorful visuals and unique “sung-through” musical structure, the film is painfully realistic—contrasting the naive imagination of young love with a more mature and melancholic view of romance.

For those looking to be devastated as they were with “La La Land,” “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is a far more tragic and mature take on love guaranteed to linger in viewers’ minds long after the credits roll.

“Saving Face” (2004)

With how oversaturated the rom-com genre has become, the idealistic nature of love stories can start to stray away from fun, heartfelt storytelling into cheesy oversentimentality. While the “cheese” is not necessarily a bad thing, it can undermine the value of love often celebrated in this genre, with an iconic meme from “The Lego Batman Movie” even mocking the famous “You had me at hello” scene from “Jerry Maguire.”

Director Alice Wu’s 2004 romantic dramedy “Saving Face” is tasked with the challenge of both embracing its rom-com roots while still maintaining the heart to produce something earnest一and it succeeds. It’s a film that fuses comedy and emotion exceptionally well, with its Chinese American protagonist finding herself in various screwball situations involving her unexpectedly pregnant, widowed mother and low-key, nontraditional relationship with her girlfriend. And as hilarious as these moments are, the film maintains a good balance to recognize the emotional stakes tied to the characters’ desire to be loved and accepted.

“Saving Face” challenges traditional values to celebrate the love we experience as people, regardless of whether or not it follows these expectations. It’s as fun as it is heartfelt and tender. And it’s a film that consistently feels honest and real through the comically awkward and heartrendingly human scenarios these characters find themselves in.

“A Matter of Life and Death” (1946)

Oftentimes, people use the phrase “I would die for you” as an exclamation of love. But British filmmaking duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger seem to be arguing for the opposite in their 1946 romantic fantasy, “A Matter of Life and Death.”

After bailing out of his damaged plane and unexpectedly surviving, a British pilot meets and falls in love with the American radio operator he was on line with before the crash. But their love is ultimately threatened when otherworldly forces from the afterlife arrive to bring him over.

Complete with amorously poetic dialogue, outstanding production design and visual effects that rival the modern blockbuster, and above all, passionate yearning, the film is an absolute must-watch—specially for those feeling a bit lovesick this Valentine’s Day.

“Shanghai Blues” (1984)

A forgotten Hong Kong classic from renowned director Tsui Hark, “Shanghai Blues” is a celebration of the past and its love, which motivates us in the present. Fate brings together a pair of unlikely and lost lovers—both of whom don’t recognize each other—which sparks the film’s many ridiculous, screwball-hijinks. Including romantic misunderstandings, captivating love triangles, and visually elaborate comedic set pieces. 

Like the “funny friend” in the group, “Shanghai Blues” is a fun movie that hides much of its melancholy underneath its playful nature. It’s a simple, charming flick embracing classic Hollywood tropes and striking production design to craft a melancholic world longing for a bygone era but laughing along as it goes.

“Punch-Drunk Love” (2002)

With director Paul-Thomas Anderson’s loud action comedy thriller “One Battle After Another” earning 13 nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards, among his less appreciated films is one that’s contrastingly reserved, awkward and intimate. “Punch-Drunk Love” notably launched iconic comedian Adam Sandler as a serious actor—though this idea alone undermines the film’s sense of humor

Unlike Sandler’s goofy style of comedy, the film is playful and charmingly romantic. While occasionally explosive and unexpectedly tense at times, “Punch-Drunk Love” celebrates the unconventional yet earnest efforts for connection we may experience in our searches for love. This can be quite admirable and inspiring for those longing for connection during this Valentine’s Day season.

“Before Sunrise” (1995)

Arguably the most romantic movie of all time, “Before Sunrise” doesn’t opt for grand gestures of love or visual spectacles to elicit its intimate sensations. Instead, the film takes a more minimalistic approach in its storytelling by following an evening in Vienna between two strangers who meet on a train in Europe.

What follows are thoughtful conversations between the two leads (played stellarly by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) as they navigate through the “City of Dreams” and develop a profound connection between one another. It’s a warm, thought-provoking film perfect for couples looking to have a more laid-back Valentine’s Day or for those looking to reminisce over a bygone love.