Movies based on books:
1. Atonement
Gabrielle recommends: This movie, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, is based on Ian McEwan’s book by the same title. It starts with a misunderstanding that separates the two young lovebirds. A teenage girl, in a fit of jealously, accuses Robbie (McAvoy) of a crime he didn’t do. This has dramatic consequences which include him going to war and not seeing Cecilia (Knightley) for long years. They reunite at one time, but life has other plans.
2. Carol
Gabriela recommends: The critically-acclaimed film Carol, directed by Todd Haynes, is based on Patricia Highsmith’s “The Price of Salt.” During Christmastime 1952, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), a young clerk, is working in Frankenberg’s department store in New York, where she meets Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), a married woman looking for a gift for her daughter. Despite not needing to, Carol and Therese continue to meet and develop a friendship. As their connection deepens, Carol’s marriage crumbles, and so does Therese’s relationship with her boyfriend Richard. To free themselves from the confines of their lives, they embark on a journey across the US, and they discover themselves.
Romantic comedies:
1. Don’t Blame the Kid
Gabrielle recommends: After a drunken night, a young woman finds out she’s pregnant and decides to confront the father who is much, much younger than her. Starring Karla Souza from How To Get Away With Murder, this hispanic comedy has plot twists, romance, and a happy ending. Entertaining from start to finish, this movie will be a perfect companion to wine or beer this Valentine’s Day.
2. But I’m a Cheerleader
Gabriela recommends: Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is the typical American high school student; she’s a cheerleader and even has a steady boyfriend. One day, she’s surprised to find her parents believe she’s gay, and send her to True Directions, a camp meant to cure her of her homosexuality. There, she meets out lesbian Graham (Clea DuVall), and begins a journey of self-discovery, realizing she might not be as straight as she previously thought.
3. Leap Year
Gabrielle recommends: This is one of the two movies that have somewhat convinced me that my ideal man is way over there in Ireland. The film’s main characters are Anna Brady (Amy Adams) and her byfriend Jeremy Sloane (Matthew Goode). Anna planned to travel to Dublin and propose to her boyfriend on February 29th, as part of an Irish tradition she had heard about. Due to some complications she has to ask the help of a rude Irish man who helps her on the road to Dublin. As they go along, it seems that all things Irish have their charms.
Foreign Romance:
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The Handmaiden
Gabriela recommends: Albeit not for the faint of heart, Park Chan-Wook crafts an elaborate and erotic tale of love and betrayal in The Handmaiden. The film is set in 1930s Korea and Japan, and follows the story of a pickpocket called Sook-Hee (Tae-ri Kim) hired by Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) to become the handmaiden of a mysterious Japanese woman called Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim). Sook-Hee and the Count both plot ways to rob Lady Hideko of her inheritance. However, things change as Sook-Hee and Lady Hideko develop a strong friendship.
Musicals:
1. The Last Five Years (musical/independent)
Gabrielle recommends: Starring Jeremy Jordan as Jamie and Anna Kendrick as Cathy, the musical tells the story of their romance. However, it does not take place in chronological order: all of Cathy’s songs begin after they have separated and move backwards in time to the beginning of their courtship, while Jamie’s songs start when they have first met and proceeds through their crumbling marriage. The ending of the movie will leave you in tears, yet you will love the movie as a whole!
Coming of Age:
1. Listen To Your Heart
Gabrielle recommends: A singer and songwriter falls in love with a deaf girl whose mother overprotects her to the point that it’s almost mean. She falls for him even though she has never heard his voice or music; just felt it. The girl is torn between staying in the life she knows with her mother or to follow her heart.
2. The Way He Looks
Gabriela recommends: The Way He Looks, a Brazilian coming-of-age film released in 2014, follows Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo), a blind high school student who struggles with an overprotective family. In school, he is constantly bullied, and his only friend is a girl named Giovana (Tess Amorim). One day, a new student, Gabriel (Fabio Audi), arrives, and is assigned as Leonardo’s partner for a school project. A relationship quickly develops between the two and Leonardo is forced to question his sexuality and the people that surround him.
Tearjerkers:
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One Day
Gabrielle recommends: The movie follows the story of Dexter (Jim Sturgess) and Emma (Anne Hathaway). It all started on graduation where they spent the night as friends. They become close friends and after years of found feelings and rollercoaster events, they have their happy ending. Or do they? Nevertheless, this proves that love is perseverant and sometimes very good at hiding.
2. Blue is the Warmest Color
Gabriela recommends: The film follows the story of Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a young French girl beginning to explore her sexuality. Though she dates men, she seems to find no satisfaction, until she meets a lesbian named Emma. The two develop a friendship, but it quickly deepens into something more.
Other recommendations:
1. Love, Rosie
Gabrielle recommends: This film stars Lily Collins and Sam Claflin from Me Before You. It’s also based on the book Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern. When both of them were in school, they made plans to go to college together, as close friends as they were. Alex (Claflin) discovers he has feelings for her, yet Rosie (Collins) does not. She ends up in bed with one of the popular guys, but the condom comes off inside her. Love, Rosie tells their tale of love and friendship and how life changes every, but how regardless, they always find each other some way. Even when it seems like Rosie won’t get her happy ending, it finds her in the most unexpected of ways.
2. P.S. I Love You
Gabrielle recommends: Starring Gerard Butler as Gerry and Hillary Swank as Holly, this movie is my go-to film when I’m in the mood of romance and maybe a good cry with my bottle of wine. It was with Butler’s character that I knew I had to go to Ireland and perhaps I’d find a love as beautiful as Holly (Swank) did. P.S. I Love You is a tale of love, pain and moving on and you will find yourself lost in the tale. P.S: it has a plot twist.
3. Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight
Gabriela recommends: Before Sunrise, Richard Linklater’s first installment of the trilogy, came out in 1995. The film follows the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke), an American, and Céline (Julie Delpy), who meet on a train and spend the day together getting to know each other. The film develops as the two talk and express their views of the world, each believing that they’ll never see each other again after the night ends. Linklater’s trilogy spans 18 years, both in the characters’ lives as well as in real life. They offer an honest, refreshing view of relationships, the way they grow and degrade, and the ways in which they can survive.
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