Rentals
Love
Films to fall in love with. Films to break your heart.
When did you last kiss in a cinema? When did you last cry? Could you still believe in romance? Or is it just a fairy tale, a movie you once saw? Cinema's most seductive illusion is to immerse us in the intensity and passion of other people's lives and loves. Our season celebrates the broad sweep of love in film from the swooning silent era to the present day.
My Favourite CakeMy Favourite Cake
Romance202497 minsDirector: Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha
Life begins at 70 for Mahin, who decides to shake her life up in this charming, quietly subversive tale from Iran.
Chuck Chuck BabyChuck Chuck Baby
Drama2022102 minsDirector: Janis Pugh
A chicken factory worker rekindles a childhood romance in this joyous musical-drama set in North Wales.
Girls Will Be GirlsGirls Will Be Girls
Drama2024119 minsDirector: Shuchi Talati
Teenage romance simmers in a strict Himalayan boarding school in this sublime coming-of-age tale. Winner of the 2024 Sundance audience prize.
BallywalterBallywalter
Comedy202090 minsDirector: Prasanna Puwanarajah
Seána Kerslake is superb as caustic cab driver, Eileen, who makes an unlikely connection with regular passenger and local comedian, Shane (Patrick Kielty), in Prasanna Puwanarajah’s charming debut.
Golden DeliciousGolden Delicious
Romance2022120 minsDirector: Jason Karman
An Asian Canadian teenager grapples with his identity when he falls for the boy next door in this sweet rites-of-passage drama.
Lie with MeLie with Me
Drama202298 minsDirector: Olivier Peyon
Olivier Peyon’s captivating drama finds an author experiencing powerful emotions as he looks back to his first, youthful love affair.
FemmeFemme
Thriller202399 mins
The lines of seduction, revenge and power are blurred in this tense and stylish thriller about desire and self-loathing, starring Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay.
SublimeSublime
Drama2022100 minsDirector: Mariano Biasin
A pitch-perfect drama of two adolescent rockers who share a love of making music, but whose passions and hormones collide.
The Lost BoysThe Lost Boys
Romance202383 minsDirector: Zeno Graton
Two young men find love in a hopeless place – a youth correctional facility – in Zeno Graton’s powerful and politically resonant feature debut.
The Blue CaftanThe Blue Caftan
Drama2022123 minsDirector: Maryam Touzani
A married tailor falls for his younger apprentice in Maryam Touzani’s richly textured and sweepingly beautiful exploration of love, desire and tradition.
Return to DustReturn to Dust
Romance2022134 minsDirector: Li Ruijun
Banned in China shortly after its release, Li Ruijun’s Golden Bear-nominated film is a profound and tender love story between two outcasts.
What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
Drama2021151 minsDirector: Alexandre Koberidze
When Lisa and Georgi fall in love their future is threatened by the Evil Eye, which unaccountably changes their appearance overnight in Alexandre Koberidze’s work of cinematic magic and 2021 FIPRESCI winner at Berlin.
Paris, 13th DistrictParis, 13th District
Comedy2021105 minsDirector: Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiard ventures into new territory with a vibrant take on love and Paris, as four characters cross amorous paths in the modern city.
SummerlandSummerland
Drama2020100 minsDirector: Jessica Swale
Gemma Arterton stars in acclaimed theatre director Jessica Swale’s moving Second World War drama, as a woman rediscovering her ability to love.
Both Sides of the BladeBoth Sides of the Blade
Drama2021117 minsDirector: Claire Denis
Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin, Claire Denis pairs Juliette Binoche with Vincent Lindon as long-term lovers whose domestic bliss is ripped apart when a figure from their past returns.
ToveTove
Drama2020103 minsDirector: Zaida Bergroth
A lyrical and romantic biopic of the beloved creator of the Moomins featuring an incredible central performance by Alma Pöysti.
First LoveFirst Love
Comedy2019108 minsDirector: Takashi Miike
A terminally-ill boxer, a runaway call girl, a double-crossing drugs heist and a gang war; Takashi Miike doesn’t do things by halves.
I Am LoveI Am Love
Drama2009114 minsDirector: Luca Guadagnino
Tilda Swinton and Luca Guadagnino’s sumptuous, operatic vision of an aristocratic family disrupted by unstoppable forces of passion.
Mothering SundayMothering Sunday
Drama2021104 minsDirector: Eva Husson
In this beautiful adaptation of Graham Swift’s novel, starring Josh O’Connor and Odessa Young, a writer has a creative awakening steeped in books, love and loss.
Far from the Madding CrowdFar from the Madding Crowd
Period drama1968165 minsDirector: John Schlesinger
Terence Stamp and Julie Christie star in the classic adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s tale of tragedy and passion.
The Big SickThe Big Sick
Comedy2017120 minsDirector: Michael Showalter
The hilarious, breakout indie comedy about a Pakistan-born comedian and his culture-clash relationship with an American grad student.
CarolCarol
Drama2015119 minsDirector: Todd Haynes
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara illuminate Todd Haynes’ intoxicating adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s beloved novel.
BrooklynBrooklyn
Romance2015112 minsDirector: John Crowley
Saoirse Ronan shines as a woman who journeys from post-war small-town Ireland to New York, in Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel.
The Girl KingThe Girl King
Historical drama2015106 minsDirector: Mika Kaurismäki
Lush retelling of the story of lesbian monarch Queen Christina of Sweden, combining period drama with a deeply personal love story.
AvivaAviva
Romance2020116 minsDirector: Boaz Yakin
Incorporating expressive and exultant dance sequences, Aviva is a restless modern love story that explores the complexities of gender dynamics.
Like You Mean ItLike You Mean It
Drama201690 minsDirector: Philipp Karner
Writer-director Philipp Garner also stars in this refreshing gay drama, a portrait of a couple trying to make it work in the film world of Los Angeles.
Everlasting LoveEverlasting Love
Drama201469 minsDirector: Marçal Forés
A thrilling and disturbing exploration of the perils of illicit sexual encounters, beginning when a teacher initiates a tryst with one of his pupils.
Love Is AllLove Is All
Documentary201474 minsDirector: Kim Longinotto
A hundred years of love and courtship on the silver screen, with music created by celebrated Sheffield singer-songwriter-producer Richard Hawley.
Stories of Our LivesStories of Our Lives
Documentary201461 minsDirector: Jim Chuchu
Five stories of forbidden desire, courageously collected to tell the hidden truths of LGBT life in Kenya.
The Raging MoonThe Raging Moon
Drama1971112 minsDirector: Bryan Forbes
Sensitive and ground-breaking romance between couple who are both wheelchair users, played by Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman.
SpringSpring
Horror2015110 minsDirector: Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
An American tourist in Italy falls for a stunning local woman with a dangerous secret, in this startling horror-romance.
Another SkyAnother Sky
Romance195586 minsDirector: Gavin Lambert
Two cultures collide in a beautifully photographed love story - an ode to Morocco, its music, its people and way of life.
BlushBlush
Drama201585 minsDirector: Michal Vinik
An assured and authentic lesbian coming-of-age drama, boasting a mesmerising and heartfelt lead performance.
MonstersMonsters
Science Fiction201094 minsDirector: Gareth Edwards
Gareth Edwards reimagined the monster movie with his highly impressive DIY sci-fi, in which an indie romance blossoms amid the trailing tentacles of an alien invasion.
AmmoniteAmmonite
Biopic2021118 minsDirector: Francis Lee
Francis Lee follows up God’s Own Country with a film that is every bit as immersive, tactile and emotionally powerful, aided by the devastatingly good Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.
Goodbye First LoveGoodbye First Love
Drama2011106 minsDirector: Mia Hansen-Løve
The pangs and pains of young love are artfully and respectfully rendered in this subtle and sensitive drama from Mia Hansen-Løve (Eden).
The Invisible WomanThe Invisible Woman
Biopic2014111 minsDirector: Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this adaptation of Claire Tomalin’s book about the long-standing affair between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan.
Blue is the Warmest ColourBlue is the Warmest Colour
Romance2013180 minsDirector: Abdel Kechiche
The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d'Or-winning romance.
Kiss MeKiss Me
Romance2011107 minsDirector: Alexandre-Therese Keining
Mia is engaged to marry a man, but finds herself falling for Frida, who happens to be her new stepmother's daughter.
Something Must BreakSomething Must Break
Drama201485 minsDirector: Ester Martin Bergsmark
A striking 21st-century love story about the passionate relationship between a transgendered teen and a straight man.
The World UnseenThe World Unseen
Drama200990 minsDirector: Shamim Sarif
Sweeping romantic drama about two Indian women who fall for each other in the hostile environment of apartheid South Africa.
Holding the ManHolding the Man
Biopic2015128 minsDirector: Neil Armfield
A sweepingly romantic adaptation of Timothy Conigrave’s best-selling memoir, an impassioned love letter to his partner, John Caleo.
The Light between OceansThe Light between Oceans
Drama2016132 minsDirector: Derek Cianfrance
Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander star in Derek Cianfrance’s sweeping romance about a lighthouse keeper, his wife, and the baby they rescue from a drifting boat.
Still the WaterStill the Water
Romance2014119 minsDirector: Naomi Kawase
Naomi Kawase’s visually ravishing, beautifully composed film tells the story of two youths growing up and falling in love on a Japanese island.
Dance Pretty LadyDance Pretty Lady
Drama193163 minsDirector: Anthony Asquith
Passion, tights and tutus are front and centre in this touching tale of a ballerina being romanced by a sculptor in Edwardian London.
The Low DownThe Low Down
Comedy200196 minsDirector: Jamie Thraves
Aidan Gillen plays an aimless twenty-something who refuses to grow up, even after he starts dating a responsible estate agent, in Jamie Thraves’ slacker romance.
Man UpMan Up
Comedy201588 minsDirector: Ben Palmer
Simon Pegg’s date is hijacked by Lake Bell in this effervescent urban comedy, a fresh twist on the British rom-com.
SubmarineSubmarine
Comedy201197 minsDirector: Richard Ayoade
Richard Ayoade’s sweet and quirky directorial debut about a Swansea teen’s travails with his distant girlfriend and warring parents.
Boy Meets BoyBoy Meets Boy
Drama202170 minsDirector: Daniel Sánchez López
Two young men fall for each other over the course of a single day in this disarmingly tender debut from director Daniel Sánchez López.
Salmon Fishing in the YemenSalmon Fishing in the Yemen
Comedy2012111 minsDirector: Lasse Hallström
Two London office workers find love on a Yemeni Sheikh's ambitious fishing scheme. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt star.
OrlandoOrlando
Fantasy199393 minsDirector: Sally Potter
Tilda Swinton stars in Sally Potter's dazzling interpretation of Virginia Woolf's novel.
And Then We DancedAnd Then We Danced
Drama2019113 minsDirector: Levan Akin
Merab’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of a new dancer in this impassioned Cannes-nominated love story.
CicadaCicada
Romance202097 minsDirector: Matt Fifer and Kieran Mulcare
As a young man embarks on a new relationship, he is forced to face the traumas of his past in this remarkable debut feature.
The Strong OnesThe Strong Ones
Drama201999 minsDirector: Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo
A quiet, tender romance blossoms in this story of love and courage between two men in search of freedom.
The Deep Blue SeaThe Deep Blue Sea
Drama201199 minsDirector: Terence Davies
Buried passions boil over in a buttoned-up postwar Britain in Terence Davies acclaimed adaptation of Rattigan's play, starring Rachel Weisz.
Love Is StrangeLove Is Strange
Drama201495 minsDirector: Ira Sachs
Ira Sachs’s refined Manhattan-set drama sees Alfred Molina’s Ben and John Lithgow’s George in the latter days of a tender, loving 39-year relationship.
I Can't Think StraightI Can't Think Straight
Drama200979 minsDirector: Shamim Sarif
The story of an affair between a Palestinian woman and her British Indian friend, from the same team behind The World Unseen.
BabyteethBabyteeth
Drama2019118 minsDirector: Shannon Murphy
Seriously ill Milla (Eliza Scanlen) clashes with her parents, who disapprove when she brings home her sketchy new boyfriend Toby, in this tragicomic debut from Shannon Murphy.
SightseersSightseers
Comedy201288 minsDirector: Ben Wheatley
Young lovers Chris and Tina turn their first holiday together into a rural killing spree in Ben Wheatley's priceless black comedy.
Uncle DavidUncle David
Comedy200995 minsDirector: Gary Reich, Mike Nicholls and 1 more
Celebrated cabaret artist David Hoyle’s debut film is a typically acerbic drama about the disturbing relationship between an uncle and his nephew.
On ApprovalOn Approval
Comedy194479 minsDirector: Clive Brook
Splendid lead performances and a well-crafted, witty script make this adaptation of the Frederick Lonsdale play a delight.
Only Lovers Left AliveOnly Lovers Left Alive
Romance2014123 minsDirector: Jim Jarmusch
Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton star as ageless, blood-drinking lovers in Jim Jarmusch’s clever, funny and sexy vampire tale.
Spring MeetingSpring Meeting
Comedy194194 minsDirector: Walter C. Mycroft and Norman Lee
A penniless woman’s attempts at matchmaking her way to riches go awry when her son falls for the wrong daughter of a nobleman.
The Lonely Passion of Judith HearneThe Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Drama1989116 minsDirector: Jack Clayton
Maggie Smith is astonishing in one of her greatest roles as a spinster who falls for Bob Hoskins’ brash businessman.
TrishnaTrishna
Drama2012114 minsDirector: Michael Winterbottom
Tragedy befalls a young Indian woman when she falls in love with a rich British man in Michael Winterbottom's sharp Thomas Hardy update.
The Chambermaid LynnThe Chambermaid Lynn
201490 minsDirector: Ingo Haeb
An obsessive-compulsive hotel cleaner (Vicky Krieps) who harbours a fetishistic fascination with her hotel's guests meets an enigmatic dominatrix who changes her world.
American TranslationAmerican Translation
Drama2010115 minsDirector: Pascal Ascandes Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr
A sexually ambiguous Frenchman tours his native countryside with his naive American lover in pursuit of the ultimate thrill.
A Romance of SevilleA Romance of Seville
Romance193161 minsSilentDirector: Norman Walker
This florid Iberian romance centres on the daring exploits of Ramon as he takes on a group of bandits to win the admiration of true love Pepita, and escape his stultifying arranged marriage.
BlackBlack
Drama201590 minsDirector: Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi
Star-crossed lovers from rival street gangs conduct an illicit affair in this pulsating urban romance.
The Night Has EyesThe Night Has Eyes
Horror194279 minsDirector: Leslie Arliss
James Mason stars in this gothic tale of dangerous desire set on the Yorkshire Moors.
The Lovers & the DespotThe Lovers & the Despot
Documentary201698 minsDirector: Ross Adam and Rob Cannan
Discover one of cinema’s strangest stories: a film director and his star are kidnapped by Kim Jong-il to make movies in the world’s weirdest state.
The MaskThe Mask
Melodrama195328 minsDirector: Don Chaffey
This Gothic-tinged short melodrama packs a cocktail of infidelity, deformity and jealousy into its tale of love gone sour.
Touched with FireTouched with Fire
Drama2015106 minsDirector: Paul Dalio
Two young poets with bipolar begin a highly passionate, volatile relationship that threatens both their futures.
The Man in GreyThe Man in Grey
Melodrama1943116 minsDirector: Leslie Arliss
James Mason, Margaret Lockwood and Stewart Granger star in the first of the fantastically successful Gainsborough melodramas.
Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet
Drama1954145 minsDirector: Renato Castellani
Laurence Harvey and Susan Shentall are the star-crossed lovers in the ravishingly filmed 1954 adaptation.
Intimate RelationsIntimate Relations
Drama199799 minsDirector: Philip Goodhew
Julie Walters and Rupert Graves are at the centre of a sordid love triangle in this pulpy melodrama about seedy shenanigans in 1950s suburbia.
Explore further
The Power of Love
Love can be heaven, love can be hell and in the romantic epic it's invariably both. Tempestuous relationships create the perfect conditions for high drama. But some of the most memorable love stories are intimate stories that define an intense emotional terrain.
Fools For Love
The course of true love never did run smoothly, and the dating game makes fools of us all, but good humour wins the day in the romantic comedy.
Fatal Attractions
Amour fou is one of film's most darkly alluring themes, and lust, seduction and betrayal can be a deadly game. Intemperate passions bring out our most animal instincts, and poor decision-making can lead to the bloody consequences - as any gun-toting lovers on the run will testify.
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