Filmmaking changed dramatically with the new millennium, and audiences were ready to see romances that broke with convention in more ways than one. Alternative style had broken into the mainstream, and moviegoers were looking for something new.
The burgeoning digital age and growing globalization made films from around the world more accessible to American audiences, solidifying their place in award ceremonies and cultural consciousness. The 2000s were full of torrid and steamy onscreen affairs, and a few have cemented their place as modern classics.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) – 3.97/5
Stream on HBO Max
Adam Sandler shows off his dramatic acting chops as Barry, a small business owner with a bad temper who falls on hard times and falls in love hard.
Sandler recently earned some critical acclaim for his performance in the 2019 crime-thriller Uncut Gems. Punch-Drunk Love was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, whose most recent romance film Licorice Pizza received backlash for its controversially light-hearted portrayal of an age gap relationship. This 2002 collaboration between two certified masters of their craft is a must-see for fans of either or both.
The Piano Teacher (2001) – 4.00/5
Stream on HBO Max
From the twisted mind of Funny Games (1997) comes this horrifying affair between a teacher and her adult music student. It starts off unsettling and leaves a pit in the stomach.
For anyone who might find these topics too close to home, this would be a good film to skip. For those who are able to bear the discomfort of it, this film offers one of the most heart-wrenching insights into the terrors of femininity and the disturbing proximity between desires fulfilled and deepest fears coming true.
Brokeback Mountain (2005) – 4.07/5
Available to rent on iTunes and YouTube
This tragic love story between two cowboys in an unforgiving world is made all the more heartwrenching by stellar performances from two of the era’s biggest heartthrobs, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Brokeback Mountain tells the tale of a romance that breaks with convention in a rigid social world haunted by the specter of Protestant values. It was one of the earliest LGBTQ+ romance films released by mainstream Hollywood and is fondly remembered as an early onscreen portrayal of a gay relationship in a toxic masculine community.
Amélie (2001) – 4.09
Amélie tells the tale of the silent yet charming titular main character and her Parisian antics. In helping others find love and happiness, she happens upon a handsome stranger in the street and the two fall in love.
This charming French film is a nod to new-wave director Jaques Demy and is equal parts lovely and quirky. A true love letter to the cinema of his own country, director Jean-Pierre Jeneut truly does his most captivating work in this timeless 2001 film.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001) – 4.10/5
Stream on AMC+
This road trip love triangle created by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón centers around two young men who spend a restless summer traveling the country with a beautiful older woman.
The film focuses heavily on the growing pains of young love when met with the daunting aimlessness of adulthood. Fans of the love story in Licorice Pizza (2022) that prefer a more beachy, rugged aesthetic and a slower pace should put this film at the top of their watchlist.
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – 4.12/5
Stream on HBO Max
Based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen, this steamy romance led by Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen is undoubtedly one of the best period dramas of the 2000s.
This film enlightens the story’s insight into class and gender struggles and gives it proper justice through a contemporary lens. The costuming and set design was spared no expense, making this one of the more elaborate and immersive period pieces that Hollywood has ever produced.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) – 4.21/5
Stream on Peacock
Charlie Kaufman’s stunning sci-fi romance Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind explores the possibility of erasing the bittersweet memories of an ex-lover forever. The film features unforgettable lead performances from Kate Winslett and Jim Carrey.
This film manages to explore the tropes of every drama it touches without falling into cliche. It even defies the romanticization of the protagonist’s love interest by laying her faults and boundaries flat on the table. This film explores the complicated attachment and objection that humans feel towards their lived experience of love gone by.
Before Sunset (2004) – 4.30/5
Available to rent on Amazon Prime and YouTube
The second in Richard Linklater’s romantic trilogy, Before Sunset finds star-crossed lovers Jesse and Celine (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) years after their one-night encounter on a train. This time, they only have one afternoon to reconcile with differences formed in a decade spent apart.
Each one of the entries to this series is more heartbreaking than the last, and this installment is no exception. Perhaps one of the most torrid points in the relationship is that which is not seen through the rose-colored glasses of a hopeful future or a distant memory, but instead, the one that finds itself smack in the middle of either and both at once.
In The Mood For Love (2000) 4.36/5
Stream on HBO Max
In the Mood for Love is a film about an illicit affair by renowned Taiwanese director Wong Kar-wai. This romance bubbles under the surface of its two restrained main characters.
The epitome of a saucy slow-burn, this film is ripe with tension and symbolic imagery. It is a must-see for fans of meditative cinema, for nearly wordless scenes that put an audience in an equally wordless trance.
Yi Yi (2000) – 4.44/5
Stream on the Criterion Channel
This three-hour film follows the waxing and waning relationships of a Japanese family. The heartwarming journey begins with a wedding and ends with a funeral, following love across multiple generations.
Yi Yi has a child-like innocence that makes it cozy in its feel-good moments and potently gut-wrenching in its subdued dramatic moments. With lovable characters and breathtaking cinematography, this film has charmed international audiences for over twenty years.
