3 Classic Romance Movies Trilogies to Marathon - Lifestyle Asia

The rainy season is here and it isn’t going away any time soon. However, we think there’s a silver lining to the dark days and heavy traffic—it’s a good opportunity for a movie marathon at home, to get wrapped up in your blanket like a burrito with the AC blasting cold to give you that extra cuddle weather feels. We recommend three romantic (and incredibly classy) film trilogies that you will enjoy on days in. Take note, these aren’t the usual trilogies. If you’re looking for comic book films, might we suggest look elsewhere?

Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Moulin Rouge! (2001)

The Red Carpet Trilogy

Visionary director Baz Luhrmann has a very particular style. Good music, opulent set design, gorgeous costumes, star-crossed romance, fast paced editing—everything you want and more can be found in a movie by the Australian auteur. His first three major films, in which he dubbed as “The Red Carpet Trilogy” are the quintessential Luhrmann MUST-WATCH PICTURES. So different, and yet so the same, we suggest you stay away if you’ve got a weak heart (trust us, you’ll get emotional). But if you enjoy a good cry, by all means, get to this trilogy quickly! Strictly Ballroom (1992), the romantic comedy about a forbidden ballroom dancing partnership starts the series off with a bang. It is followed by Romeo + Juliet (1996), the modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s classic tale, starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Lurhmann’s unique style becomes more evident here. He cleverly changes the location from old Verona to the gang war lands of Miami. The color and entire production value is a sight for sore eyes. Lastly, the director’s trilogy ends with his magnum opus, the 2001 movie musical Moulin Rouge! The Oscar-winning film reinvigorated the genre and remains to be iconic till this day. 

RELATED READS: Moulin Rouge! is Coming to Broadway and It’s Expected to Be “Spectacular Spectacular”!

Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunrise (1995)

The Before Trilogy

Richard Linklater should win an Academy Award for the Most Patient Director of All Time. His “Before Trilogy” is a triumph in storytelling, beginning the story in 1995 for the first film, and ending it with a third film in 2013. The original movie, Before Sunrise follows Jesse (Ethan Hawke), an American college student, who meets a French girl named Celine (Julie Delpy) on a train on route to Vienna. They spend the entire evening together, before they part ways and promise to meet again one day. Fast forward, almost a decade later, the lovers meet at Paris for another romance (don’t worry I won’t spoil anything) in 2004’s Before Sunset. The last film is a culmination of their relationship. Before Midnight (this time set in sunny Greece) was released in 2013, with the two leads aging right before our eyes on the silver screen. It is a truly magical viewing experience!

RELATED READS: 10 Movies That Make You Want to Pack Your Bags and Move to France

I Am Love (2009)
I Am Love (2009)

The Desire Trilogy

Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino has always been popular amongst film fans, since he first released I Am Love (2009). Lately, he’s received worldwide acclaimed with the coming of age romance film Call Me by Your Named (2017). What many don’t know is that the two films actually belong in one film universe, which he dubbed “The Desire Trilogy”. It opens with I Am Love (2009), a film starring Tilda Swinton, as the family matriarch of a very wealthy Italian clan. When she begins a relationship with a young chef, she puts the family in jeopardy. Guadagnino followed the critical hit with the lesser-received A Bigger Splash (2015). Despite lukewarm reviews, the film is still very good. A remake of the 1960s Alain Delon picture Le Piscine, the film centers around a rockstar (Tilda Swinton) and her filmmaker boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts) whose perfect vacation in the Mediterranean is rocked by one of the singer’s old flames (played by Ralph Fiennes). To conclude the three heartbreaking tales is the gay romance-drama Call Me by Your Name. Based on the book by Andre Aciman, it follows the story of Elio (Timothée Chalamet) who falls in love with his professor father’s much older student (Armie Hammer) one summer in Italy in 1983.

RELATED READS: 20 Good Movies That Best Portray Lives of Luxury (For Better or for Worse)

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