Forbidden Relationship Movies List
Nguyet Mahrenholz
One of the most romanticized and beloved "tropes" in both films and movies is forbidden love. Often seen in literature, with writers like William Shakespeare featuring it in their works, forbidden love tales have been around for the longest time. But what is it exactly that makes these romance stories so appealing? To put it simply, humankind's obsession with wanting what they can't have is the major culprit.
It's not difficult to feel drawn to movies that explore taboo relationships as they can be extremely passionate and exciting, mostly because they defy and break societal norms. Over time, countless great films about these relationships have graced the big screens. From the thought-provoking science fiction Her to the gut-wrenching period drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire, we look back at the best movies about forbidden love.
Directed by Spike Jonze, this highly unconventional sci-fi romantic drama follows Joaquin Phoenix's lonely, newly divorced Theodore, who is left to deal with his soul-crushing heartbreak. When he strikes up a friendship with his new artificially intelligent virtual assistant, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, Theodore finds that his world is changing for the better. This leads him to build a strong connection with A.I. device Samantha, who he later falls for.
With incredible cinematography, production design, and world-building, this thought-provoking, Black Mirror-ish movie is essential viewing in the science fiction genre. At its core, Her is a tragic romance movie that deals with forbidden love, loneliness, alienation, and the quest to find meaning. It also inspires artificial intelligence-related questions that are more relevant than ever these days, making viewers wonder if our current technology will ever get that advanced.
The legacy of James Cameron's Titanic endures unmatched to this day, and for good reason. One of the highest-grossing movies of all time (even when adjusted for inflation), this romantic tragedy is based on the real accounts of the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912, even though the relationship between its lead characters, a seventeen-year-old aristocrat and a poor artist (played by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio) is purely fictional.
While Titanic's storyline features both historical and fictionalized aspects, the result is nothing short of heartbreaking and breathtaking (especially considering all the stunning visuals and Cline Dion's timeless song). Dealing with topics of class conflict, love, death, and grief, Cameron's iconic forbidden love tale between Jack and Rose has managed to touch the hearts of many viewers across the globe.
Although there have been a few adaptations of one of William Shakespeare's most famous works, Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet takes a spot at the top of the list as it is very faithful to its source material. Starring LeonardWhiting and OliviaHussey as the titular characters, the romantic tragedy movie focuses on the feud between the Montague and the Capulet clans, which ultimately originates Romeo and Juliet's forbidden bond.
Told from multiple perspectives, Park Chan-wook's psychological thriller The Handmaiden is among South Korea's best thanks to its gripping story surrounding a young woman (Kim Tae-ri) hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee) who is secretly involved in a plot to double-cross her with unexpected results. It is inspired by the 2002 novel Fingersmith by Welsh writer Sarah Waters. However, Chan-wook took the liberty of changing the setting from Victorian-era Britain to Korea under Japanese colonial rule.
The perfect pick for those enthusiastic about the historical genre, Chan-wook's utterly captivating psychological drama is guaranteed to provide audiences who decide to hit the play button with a great time. Its unexpected plot twists, visually stunning photography, costume design, and slow-burn queer narrative make the forbidden romance movie stand out from other films in the genre.
Although Steven Spielberg's take on the William Shakespeare tale is not unworthy of admiration, Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's take on the film endures the superior one. West Side Story is inspired by Romeo and Juliet and adapted from the 1957 Broadway musical of the same title. Its story follows two youngsters from rival New York City gangs, who fall head over heels for each other. However, tensions between their respective friends arise.
Aside from being the perfect fit for those who are into gripping, melodramatic romantic musicals, the highest-grossing film of 1961 is, at its core, a well-executed piece of filmmaking that will probably fascinate moviegoers who aren't into the genre as well. The forbidden love story of Tony and Maria, brought to life by Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood in this, remains one of the most discussed in both cinema and the stage realm.
Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in two of their most memorable roles, Todd Haynes' Carol is set against the backdrop of New York City and illustrates the lustful, forbidden affair between an aspiring female photographer and an unhappily married older woman going through a turbulent divorce. It is based on the groundbreaking 1952 romance novel The Price of Salt by PatriciaHighsmith.
With six very much deserved Academy Award nominations, Carol is a landmark in LGBTQ+ cinema, often praised for the way it depicts the complexity of lesbian relationships back in the day. Furthermore, the on-screen connection between Blanchett and Mara is likely to pull on audiences' heartstrings, as it is exceptionally believable and emotional, with the stars' fantastic chemistry to blame.
Joe Wright's Atonement is not for the faint of heart. Filled with twists and turns, this soul-wrenching romance film based on the 2001 novel of the same name by IanMcEwan stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy as the leading couple and depicts their tragic story which involves a thirteen-year-old girl (played by a young and talented Saoirse Ronan) who irrevocably changes the course of several lives after accusing her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
With stunning cinematography and a gripping storyline that meditates on the consequences of seemingly small lies, this Best Picture nominee, which took home the Oscar for Best Original Score, keeps audiences invested. Knightley and McAvoy deliver two tour de forces in Atonement, the perfect forbidden romance watch for those who enjoy moving stories and unexpected narratives.
Any forbidden love movies list would not be complete without Ang Lee's Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal-led Brokeback Mountain, a neo-Western film that focuses on the relationship between two American shepherds, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, on the isolated Brokeback Mountain in the American West from 1963 to 1983. As readers would expect, the two develop a physical and emotional relationship.
Equal parts entertaining and heartbreaking, Lee's unforgettable romance movie, adapted by LarryMcMurtry and DianaOssana from a short story by AnnieProulx, takes the genre to another level by providing audiences with a truly moving viewing that will have them reaching for the tissues. Its portrayal of persevering love and desire between two men in a conservative society is unlike any other.
For readers on the lookout for intense films about longing and yearning with a queer couple at its center, Cline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the obvious pick. The 2019 film received many accolades when it came out and cemented itself as one of the most poignant films directed by women. The plot surrounds Adle Haenel's aristocrat Hlose who is supposed to get her wedding portrait done on an isolated island by painter Marianne (NomieMerlant).
Marianne and Hlose's secret love affair was quite scandalous for the era the film is set in (the end of the eighteenth century), which is why (spoiler alert!) their relationship did not quite work out in the end. The intimate forbidden love tale of Portrait of a Lady on Fire is thoroughly compelling, hard to look away from, and is elevated by two powerhouse performances on top of its stunning cinematography, with each shot looking like it came out of a painting.
Wes Anderson's underrated masterpiece, Moonrise Kingdom, tackles the subject of forbidden love in the acclaimed director's signature style. A coming-of-age story, the film follows a 12-year-old orphan boy named Sam (Jared Gilman) who flees from a scouting summer camp in order to start a new life with his pen pal, Suzy (Kara Hayward), who is forbidden from seeing him by her parents. The pair run away together, prompting a search party to go looking for them. A hit with critics, the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony in 2013.
Anderson's distinctive filmmaking style isn't to everyone's tastes, but even the director's harshest critics would find it hard not to fall for this charming tale of young love. Like other films in Anderson's back catalog,Moonrise Kingdom is filled with examples of quirky dialogue delivered in a deadpan tone by an ensemble cast of well-known faces, as they stand symmetrically against a pastel-palleted background. However, where it differs from the director's other works, is its amount of heart. It's a warm hug of a film that, through its exploration of themes such as young love, innocence, and adolescence, feels relatable and familiar. Tales of forbidden love don't always have to be tragic and depressing, which Moonrise Kingdom proves to great effect. Rent on AppleTV+