10 romance movies with extremely dark turns

Romantic Movies They are not always necessarily such light-hearted affairs, with many films centered on love quickly taking turns to the dark and depressing. In the modern era, romantic comedies are the most commonly associated type of film with romantic love. Still Since William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Pairing love with tragedy was a common practice in storytelling. Many films revolving around romantic relationships can become quite morose as they progress in a number of different ways.

There are several different avenues romantic movies can take to become more uncomfortable. In many cases, romance films with sudden genre shifts will combine the typical niceties of passionate love with sad or even downright horrifying events, creating a strange blend of different types of movies. More rarely, a given romance film will wait until the last minute to make a big story reveal that re-frames everything in a decidedly macabre context, twisting a heartwarming story into something darker.

10

Not faithful

Rides the fine line between love and hate

Eroticism and thrillers go hand-in-hand, as proven relentlessly by films like Not faithful. True to its name, the story of the movie centers on A seemingly happily married couple, Edward and Connie Sumner, whose relationship is thrown into disaster When Connie engages in a scandalous affair with a stranger after a chance encounter.

It’s not long before Edward discovers her infidelity, leading to some violent developments. in truth, Not faithful is not a typical romance film of its very premise, with both Edward and Paul going on their own romantic arcs with Connie.

While the taboo thrill of Connie’s infidelity drives the drama, the unbelievable escalation of the narrative once Edward finds out is shocking to say the least, resulting in A thriller that is, at its heart, quite romantic. The lower end of Not faithful Drives home the painful message that even the briefest of lapses in judgment can completely destroy someone’s life, not to mention their relationship.

9

A star is born

A disheartening dissection of love and show business

The film that proved Lady Gaga’s acting prowess, A star is born is the latest in a long line of drama films of the same name stretching back to the original movie, released all the way back in 1937. Recycling the same plot, A star is born Positioned Bradley Cooper as Jack Maine, an established musician, against Gaga’s ally, an aspiring artist yet to be discovered. Although both characters have their demons, the two find mentorship and romantic love One in the other on their journey as performers.

Things take a bleak turn as Jack’s underlying struggles with alcohol abuse worsen as Ally eclipses him in popularity, wonderfully portrayed by Lady Gaga’s very real talent as a pop star sensation. When things reach a boiling point with Jack, Ally remains hopelessly loyal to him, sacrificing everything to keep him from succumbing to his internal struggles. But sunny A star is born start The film will likely leave viewers wallowing in tears as the end credits roll.

8

Bones and all

A twisted tale of young love

Sitting at the woefully under-explored intersection of horror and romance, Bones and all Examines what passionate love is like from the perspective of two slasher villains. Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet star against each other as a pair of cannibals. While Russell’s Maren feels shame for her dark urges, hoping to find a way to overcome them, Chalamet’s Lee encourages her to embrace her hunger for human flesh, showing her the ropes of an experienced assassin. The two then embark on a road trip across the country in search of Maren’s birth mother.

Bones and all Do not keep his horrible nature a secret, with the film taking place openly in a world in which cannibals, which are called “Ester”, are apparently much more common, and can identify one another by smell alone. The film is mixed in gore and puppy love the whole way through, making for a weird mix of emotional drama. As disgusting as Lee and Maren’s journey becomes, their relationship is oddly sweet, even if it is steeped in atrocities.

7

Remember me

Has one of the most shocking endings in cinema history

In stark contrast to bones and all, The dark parts of Remember me Not rearing their heads until the literal last minute of its runtime. Starring Robert Pattinson, the film divides most of its story between a coming-of-age story and an adorable romance. Robert Pattinson stars as a college student who begins a relationship with a young woman as a way to get back at her father, a police detective who arrested him after a late-night brawl. But before long, the relationship becomes more serious due to the couple’s similar journeys with grief and trauma.

In a shocking twist, one of the The last scenes of Remember me Slowly pulls out to reveal Taylor standing in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th2001, shortly after dying in the famous terrorist attacks. The weird ending that nearly ruins the movie results in a tonal whiplash, plunging the otherwise endearing story of young love back into tragedy. If it wasn’t for the shocking ending, Remember me Would be a hopeful, if not lighthearted, love story.

6

Something wild

From romcom to thriller in no time flat

While it’s easy enough to screw up a romantic drama with a downer ending, turning a straightforward romantic comedy on its head is a much more difficult task. but somehow, Something wild Manages to make it work, presenting A happy odd couple romance story that quickly devolves into a stalker thriller. The fun begins when investment baker Charlie falls for the free-spirited Lulu, breaking away from his regimented lifestyle with her whimsy and joy.

Things go wrong when Lulu’s ex, the dangerously unstable Ray (aptly played by Ray Liotta), barges back into her new relationship. Before long, Ray is forcing both Lulu and Charlie to commit criminal acts with him, drastically changing the tone of the narrative. As tension boiled over, that was A screwball romcom becomes a tense fight for survival As Ray presents more and more danger to the newly formed couple.

5

Miracle Mile

Takes his simple love story to apocalyptic territory

Miracle Mile Starts innocently enough, with a meet-cute in the La Brea tar pits between twins Harry and Julie offering prospects of a new relationship. As the two agree to meet again, their plans are interrupted when Harry hears something he’s not supposed to on a payphone.

A frightened voice identifying itself as Chip warns Harry that an all-out nuclear war is imminent before apparently shooting, plunging The love protagonist in a state of terror. Indeed, it is not long before word comes of the impending disaster, and Miracle Mile Set on a fast track to become a post-apocalyptic film.

Harry and Julie’s desperate bid to escape to safety together Turns that could have been An easy romance in a desperate bid for survival. The incredibly depressing ending makes Miracle MileIt’s beginning and end the two terminal points of a long sliding scale from hopeful heat-flatters to world-ending doom and gloom.

4

Life is beautiful

One of the most powerful Holocaust films ever made

A period film set in the precipice of World War II, The Dark Places Life is beautiful Fast heads in shouldn’t be a shock at all, but that doesn’t make them any less painful when the film eventually gets to them. Starting in Tuscany, Life is beautiful Begins as A broken romance between a Jewish waiter and a school teacher. Despite coming from different worlds, they manage to make a relationship work, and even have a child together.

Fast forward a few years, and the beginning of the Holocaust sees the beloved Guido and his son, Giosuè, interned in a concentration camp. Guido does his best to assuage his son’s fears by making the atrocities of the war into a game that he and his son participate in, but he can only keep the horrors from his child’s perception for so long. Ending with one of the most tear-worthy beats ever put to Screen, Life is beautiful Proves the thesis statement of its title with high highs and low lows.

3

Colossal

A quirky monster movie romance that gets dark quickly

Combining the thrills of a typical giant monster movie with an authentic romance doesn’t seem like a formula that would work, yet Colossal Manages to balance the two concepts quite deftly. The film revolves around a failed writer who returns to her hometown, standing on the brink of a big romance with her childhood friend.

Complicating matters is the fact that Both are somehow able to conjure huge creatures that follow their movementsA lizard and a robot, in South Korea while standing in a certain spot in a local playground at a specific time of day. subverting expectations once again, Colossal Goes into shockingly dark territory when the initially lovable Oscar becomes controlling and threatening, abusing the power of his kaiju for selfish means.

Before long, the struggle between giant fighters turns into a metaphor for breaching the atmosphere of a toxic relationship, making for A fascinating unique experience. It seems unlikely that romance, giant monsters and serious themes of abuse could go together so well, however Colossal Stand tall, make it all work somehow.

2

He loves me…he doesn’t love me

Changes genres along with the perspectives of his characters

Also known by his native French title, À la Folie… Pas du Tout, This foreign language film gives a new meaning to limerence and obsessive romance. The story goes first A young art student named Angélique, who naively engages in an affair With the charming and successful cardiologist, Dr. Loïc Le Garrec.

When he seems unable or unwilling to finally return her affection, Angélique becomes morose, resorting to violent ends in the wake of her spurned adoration. A simple tragic romance takes a turn for the horrifying when the film replays the same events halfway through, this time from Loic’s perspective.

It turns out that the two never actually slept together, with Angélique’s unreliable narrative early on merely representative of her delusions. What seemed like a heartening romance drama from the earliest scenes quickly becomes something more sinister than Loïc discovers the depths of his psychosis from his secret admirer.

1

Stranger than fiction

A contemplative romance that breaks the fourth wall

One of the more cerebral films of Will Ferrell’s typically comedic filmography, Stranger than fiction Combines heard explorations of drama with novel magical realism. The film positions Ferrell as a Type A IRS agent who lives his life planned to the last meticulous detail, thriving in routine. But, when The story of a famous author begins to overtake his thoughtsHe finds himself in a whirlwind romance with a baker, for whom he is in the process of auditioning.

Things go wrong when Ferrell’s character learns that his “author” has a habit of killing off her protagonists, starting a nerve-wracking countdown. In the end, the hapless IRS agent has to choose between a noble sacrifice and his own life, throwing the story into an anxiety-ridden moral conundrum. Even if Stranger than fiction Finally has a happy ending, it’s quite uncomfortable and dark for a typical romance MovieRegardless of its fantasy elements.