Back where they left off

In a love affair that started in the Vienna of 1995's Before Sunrise, almost by chance and after almost a decade, Céline and Jesse run into each other for the second time in the Paris of 2004 in its sequel, Before Sunset. The two characters that fell in love overnight in their early twenties have now grown into colder, more mature versions of their old selves with time - and then, suddenly, upon meeting each other and recognizing the same spark that never vanished between the two, something happens: they recognize each other from their lost dreams and unfulfilled life expectations. A film many have considered over-talkative and even pretentious, I see as anything but: it is, in all its glory, the grandest portrayal of honest, real and idealistic love ever put on film.

My favourite musical and one of the films that changed my life, Moulin Rouge! exudes greatness in every scene: its over the top scenarios, its hipness, its crazy camera moves, the massive contrasts between one scene's intense drama and the next scene's fresh comedy: Moulin Rouge! is positively perfect. One of the better acted and most impassioned stories in film history, it's a modernized version of Alexandre Dumas fils's The Lady of the Camelias that works so well as its own cinematic pace that everyone tends to ignore its literary past. In all, Satine and Christian's story is one of the most touching ever filmed.

The Fountain, the film most often deemed "pretentious" of the entire decade, works in so many levels and so differently for each viewer that it's impossible to fully describe. A love story told un-chronologically through [im]mortality and history, there are countless ways to interpret its love story, within each viewer's own concept of love: either idealistic or more real. In any case, it's a beautiful, beautiful love story with more than stylized settings and one of the most breath-taking scores ever created... one that encompasses the story perfectly throughout and makes the climax reach a point of unmistakable beauty never before seen on film.

By far and away the most magical adaptation of Jane Austen's great novel, Pride & Prejudice separates itself from its literary parent to become a fully grown cinematic gem. Beautiful, funny and endearing, it's surrounded by a veil of innocence and sweetness that, while somewhat differs from the novel, is great in its own right. Much more "hip" than either of its two other more famous versions, its vitality opens the door, once again, to one of the best stories ever told - but with such a calm, light and hopelessly romantic aura one can't help but feeling in love with the world after watching it.

A decidedly less than common story in every possible aspect, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is probably the love story that best describes the actual relationship of the 21st century. Clementine and Joel are, at the end, so incredibly interconnected with each other that not only they can actually communicate through the vague memory of one another... but they recognize each other from what is practically a completely different life. Two lovers doomed to forget, and doomed to remember, and doomed to repeat the cycle once and again, hopelessly intertwined with each other. A perfect, perfect movie.

I don't care if it's clichéd and I don't care if it's a massive rip-off of that it intends to honour: that's exactly what it aimed to be. My second favourite Ewan McGregor film, Down with Love, is not only a positively adorable homage to the old Rock Hudson/Doris Day screwball comedies, but an incredibly fun flick with many great moments and an endless amount of brilliant quotes ("Catcher Block? The lady's man, man's man, man about town?") and a really cute and fun love story taken from that brighter place that only movies can take you to.

Admitting my love for Ewan McGregor's film choices, the least dark Tim Burton film, Big Fish, is one of the loveliest and most idealistically romantic films I've seen. Beautiful and enchanting, it's the story of a man meant for bigger things... and his life changes and has a purpose in the moment he sets eyes on his future wife. A beautiful, deep and downright adorable story, full of touching performances (Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor's Edward Bloom in particular) Besides, it's too fun not to love it.

Continuing down the "adorable" path, there's no way to skip the single cutest movie of the century. Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain exudes a quirky magic that's all of its own and seldom ever approached. Having herself given up on relationships for the simpler joys of life and nevertheless a romantic at heart, Amélie sets out to spread joy in the world... and ultimately finding her own mysterious angle of love.


Unconventional out of being so entirely conventional, the heroine of Bridget Jones's Diary is, really, every woman. Fighting her way through a big city and a small-minded family, Bridget, an ordinary woman with all the decision-making abilities and complexes that doom our entire sex, Bridget stands undecided through most of the movie, between the right and slightly boring Mark Darcy and the more fun and sexy Daniel Cleaver... being, as it is, an update of Pride and Prejudice, neither is really what they seem... but they do create some positively wonderful situations.

The Love Story of my generation, The Notebook is also a beautiful, passionate and sadly romantic film of young lovers. Switching the preppy Ryan O'Neal from the 1970 film to a rich kid type by the brilliant Rachel McAdams... a sort of reversal. Still, The Notebook is a much, much more powerful and relatable story and, while flawed as many, it's still beautiful and has turned into this really iconic sort of cult film over the last three years - I still haven't met the first girl of my age who doesn't adore it to pieces. And, truth be told: it does so deserve to be adored!

And so, finally, after months of vague neglect and mildly distant posting, the "film romance through the decades" series is finally over, and truth be told, I had a blast writing it. The downside is I saw so very many after posting each decade I feel quite guilty for leaving them out...