Valentine’s Day is usually known and referred to as a day to celebrate romantic love. Despite the focus on romance in the media, other types of love are just as important and worthy to celebrate. Whether it’s female friendships or familial love, these are just as valid to celebrate. Below are five films that celebrate non-romantic love and showcase strong relationships.
“Thelma & Louise” (1991)
Ridley Scott’s “Thelma & Louise” is a road-trip thriller that follows two best friends, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon). The women come from very different backgrounds, with one major thing in common: their disrespectful and absent partners. Thelma and Louise embark on a fishing trip to get away from them. When a horrific assault occurs on Thelma, the two women become runaways from the law.
The film is exciting and action-packed but shows a much deeper story than the one on the surface. Above all, “Thelma & Louise” is about female friendships and the love that the two women share for one another.
“Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)
“Little Miss Sunshine” is a dramedy following the Hoover family on their journey to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant for the youngest member of the family, Olive (Abigail Breslin). The film shows this dysfunctional family trying to co-exist with one another while also dealing with the disparities in their own lives and their failed dreams.
The family finds themselves in unbelievable situations that unexpectedly bring them closer than they ever have been. “Little Miss Sunshine” shows how love can be complicated especially when dealing with family, but it is always there.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022)
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is a sci-fi drama and comedy dealing with family issues, self-acceptance and the immigrant experience. The film focuses on Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) and her dissatisfaction with her life and her family. Her laundromat is failing and being targeted by the IRS, her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), is attempting to serve her divorce papers and she has an extremely tense relationship with her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu).
Evelyn goes on a cosmic journey, entering a multi-verse and battling Joy, who is the “evil force” threatening Evelyn. Through all of this, audiences see Evelyn realize that every moment is meaningful. She returns with a newfound love for life, wanting to do the mundane everyday tasks she had seen as stressful.
“Dead Poets Society” (1989)
“Dead Poets Society” follows a group of teenage boys and their teacher, Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) at an all-boys preparatory school. Focused largely on business and science, Mr. Keating opens the boys up to literature and urges them to embrace passion, helping them find their true paths in life.
The relationship between Mr. Keating and the boys shows that guidance and parental love doesn’t just come from parents. In every scene, there is a lesson taught about all different topics from love to poetry. “Dead Poets Society” highlights self-discovery, self-love and young people’s hopefulness.
“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” (2021)
Photo Courtesy / YouTube A24“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” is an A24 film discussing themes of community, family and loneliness. The film follows Marcel (Jenny Slate), a shell who can talk. Marcel and his Grandmother, Nana Connie (Isabella Rossellini), have been left behind after his family disappeared, leaving them all alone in the Airbnb. Dean (Dean Fleischer Camp), a struggling filmmaker, stays at the home where he meets Marcel and begins making a documentary about him. Through the making of the documentary, Marcel and Dean become unlikely friends, working together to find Marcel’s family.
The film highlights the profound love that Marcel feels for his community and the loneliness he feels without them. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” shows the strength of close bonds both in friendship and family.
