People’s connections to one another can be very deep and unexplainable. The relationships we form with others may not always make sense to those outside of it, but they give meaning to our lives and make them worth living. Naturally, movies being about life are about relationships and our connections to each other expressed in vivid detail. A talented filmmaker can make an audience understand and feel as though they are part of the relationships they see on the screen, experiencing all the emotions associated with the connection. We can form friendships, fall in love, reconnect with our family, and forgive those who have wronged us, all by going to the movies.
Many films also delve into some of the most peculiar relationships, fraught with complexity and imperfection. These relationships are some of the most puzzling and occasionally seem problematic in nature, but the films give us a deep insight into how beautiful they can actually be. Here are ten movies that center on those strange relationships.
Paddleton (2019)
Most relationships are best categorized as avoidance of loneliness, and that isn’t a bad thing. That’s the exact point of Alexandre Lehmann’sPaddleton, expressed through two lonely weirdos who live a humble but happy life together as great friends. The movie shows their close bond with daily rituals of doing puzzles, watching kung fu movies, and playing their made-up game of Paddleton. Their relationship is tested when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides he would rather opt for medically approved suicide than suffer, much to his friend’s dismay.
The film is as funny as it is moving, showing a pure and perfect platonic relationship between these two men who understand each other in a way no one else has. It shows how beauty can be found in all people and lifestyles, and that should always be celebrated. A movie that will make you feel validated and appreciate the people who care for you in that special way only they can.
Badlands (1973)
A common story trope is the young lovers against the world, but few stories show it quite as Terrance Malick does in his phenomenal debut,Badlands. The film is a strange Bonnie and Clyde type of story inspired by the notorious Charles Starkweather killing spree, with the film taking a very non-romantic approach to these young criminals' escapades.
The primary perspective of the film is Sissy Spacek’s character Holly Sargis, a young and impressionable girl who becomes entangled with an aimless young drifter Kit Carruthers, played by Charlie Sheen. The relationship seems to be born from boredom that’s confused with love, but it still feels innocent enough in the early goings of the film. This shifts as Sheen’s Kit kills Holly’s father for keeping them apart, which changes the relationship to a strangely forced necessity as they travel together as fugitives, with Kit killing all along the way. Watching the two struggle to continue on in a romance that faded far too long ago along, Malick’s trademark style takes it to another level that makes this a unique film worthy of its immense praise.
Related:Terrence Malick Movies From Badlands to A Hidden Life, Ranked
Frances Ha (2012)
When we think of true love, we think of a deeply romantic bond between lovers meant for each other by a cosmic force bringing them together. We forget that true love can be Platonic as well, and that’s what Noah Baumbach shows us inFrances Ha. It’s a very simple story about a girl namedFrances struggling with a quarter-life crisisafter her closest friend moves out and begins moving forward in life without her.
The film gives a relatable look into that liminal experience of being in your late twenties with no real direction, but it’s anchored on the relationship of the two friends. They have a special bond that persists even as they drift apart. There is a particularly beautiful moment when Frances talks to a stranger at a party about her desire to find her person, not as a romantic thing, but as a special bond between two people. Frances' desire is paid off at the film’s conclusion in a special moment that shows true love without romance, just sincere care for another person.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Everyone knows a couple that doesn’t seem quite right where them staying together seems unhealthy, yet they’re also inseparable from one another. One such complex relationship is present inJohn Cassavetes' beloved filmA Woman Under the Influence, an anxious portrait of a troubled married couple who love one another deeply, yet they struggle to make sense of their partner’s actions. The two lovers are brilliantly played by Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk who give their performances an unsettling amount of realism, creating an overwhelming chaos that puts viewers on edge.
Every moment could turn into an ugly fight between the husband and wife that could end just as quickly. you’re able to still feel the love these people have for one another and the frustration they feel in being unable to express it properly, which makes their interactions so caustic. A surprisingly stressful watch with an unmatched realism rarely achieved by even the greatest actors.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Relationships can form beyond human-to-human connections in ways that seem bizarre from afar. One of the boldest concepts of a movie that works surprisingly well is Craig Gillespie’sLars and the Real Girl, a film with Ryan Gosling playing an extremely shy man who has an endearing relationship with a sex doll. The movie is an innocent story, with Lars' interactions with the doll being a very sweet delusion that he brings everyone else he knows into.
He sees her as a real person he met naturally on the internet, showing her respect and kindness that makes the audience start to see her in the same light. All of it makes for a heartwarming movie that will shock viewers by making them care so deeply for this shy man and his sex doll.
Related:These Are the 6 Most Underrated Ryan Gosling Movies, Ranked
La Notte (1961)
Just as meaningful bonds can form naturally, they can fall apart just as easily. This tragic situation is presented in the form of a once-loving married couple who have now become distant inMichelangelo Antonioni’sLa Notte. The film paints all the details of this lost love in the course of a 24-hour day, with the two characters showing every futile action they perform to reconnect. We also see the ways they try and separate through attempts at infidelity, yet those also fail due to their bond to one another.
They’re trapped in a loop of misery with forced attempts at love for a marriage that has already died. Antonioni crafts the entire film masterfully as the viewers also feel the desire for this marriage to revive, making every small connection a euphoric triumph, but we all know it won’t work. A wonderful work of art that conveys the unanswerable mystery of a love that has died.
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (2019)
There have never been truer friends in all cinema than Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time… In Hollywood. The bond between the insecure actor and his stunt double is the most endearing the writer/director has ever crafted. When Rick has lost faith in himself, Cliff is there to remind him how great he truly is, with Rick returning the favor by always fighting for Cliff’s place on a set despite the rumors that surround him.
They always try to help and support one another because they’re friends, and their bond comes through in their actions on behalf of the other. This comes to a head in the film’s thrilling conclusion, and Cliff saves Rick and his family from a terrible fate, proving the love they have for one another. It’s a friendship that makesthe already incredible filmall the better, giving the audience people to love and root for.
Jules and Jim (1962)
As people grow closer as friends, other feelings can grow as well that complicate the relationships. The most celebrated depiction of a complicated friendship isthe French New WaveclassicJules and Jim, directed by François Truffaut. It tells the story of close friends Jules and Jim as they become entangled in a love triangle with their mutual friend Catherine. It’s a very strange friendship the three have, but it’s clear in the early goings of the film that the three of them have a great deal of fun together, bringing out each other’s impulsivities and playfulness. This changes once Jules win’s Catherine’s hand in marriage and Jim is separated from them due to the Great War.
When he reconnects, it becomes complicated when he discovers Catherine reciprocates his feelings for her, and he is now trapped in a situation of choosing between his love and his closest friend. It makes for a very unique film that is sad at times and fun at others, with bold filmmaking techniques that make this a timeless masterpiece.
Honey Boy (2019)
The most complicated relationship we all experience is the connection of a parent and child. One of the moving portraits of this relationship is Alma Har’el’sHoney Boy, the fictionalized account of Shia LaBeouf’s upbringing with his father. DespiteLaBeouf’s confession to the embellishments of the story, it still makes for incredible cinema by showing an uncompromising view of an abusive father-son relationship that still masterfully shows the love that is still present there.
It can be hard to watch the two struggle and fight in situations that no child should have to suffer through at such a young age, but there are still very touching moments that show how the two care for one another and just fail to express it in a healthy way. It makes for a challenging viewing experience that fills viewers with many complicated emotions, but ultimately, the love between a parent and child.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s work shows he is a master of crafting strange relationships that challenge viewers' perception of what love really means. One of his most masterful depictions of a complicated love is the impossibly elegantPhantom Thread.The film tells the story of Reynolds Woodcock, a celebrated dressmaker who is very particular and impossible to please, causing him to shift constantly abandon his muses-turned-lovers once he has grown tired of them. He finds a new muse while traveling the countryside in Alma, a humble waitress that is the perfect model for his dresses.
It all begins very subtle and romantic with the two showing great adoration for each other, but this shifts as Reynolds' typical attitude begins rearing its ugly head again, threatening the relationship. Alma proves she will not give up on them so easily in a shocking reveal that is both twisted and beautiful. An excellent film from one of the modern masters that never ceases to enthrall delighted viewers.
