Directed by Northern Irish filmmakers and married couple Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, Ordinary Love is a heart-wrenching yet realistic drama that quite effectively portrays a rather ordinary couple dealing with an extraordinary situation and is anchored by the brilliant acting performances of acclaimed British actors Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville. The story is a fairly simple and straightforward one about a loving couple living in Northern Ireland who have been married for several decades and whose relationship is strained after the wife is diagnosed with breast cancer and has to go through brutal chemotherapy. Played by Oscar nominee Liam Neeson in a dramatic turn from recently starring in action movies, Tom has a beautiful relationship with his wife Joan, played by Oscar nominee Lesley Manville in a terrifically nuanced performance, but their quiet retired lives are upended after a scary medical diagnosis. As is the case in real life, Joan facing a breast cancer fight involving very painful chemotherapy treatments does not just afflict her but has a profound impact on her husband Tom who struggles with caring for his greatly suffering wife. The movie feels so heartbreakingly authentic because of the magnificent chemistry between the extremely talented actors who can easily be mistaken as an actual lifelong couple. Furthermore, the filmmakers make the excellent decision to depict rather precisely the medical tests and procedures that Joan must undergo as someone with breast cancer; it allows the audience to truly understand what a couple has to go through when one of them has cancer. Showing how difficult it can be for a very sick person to relate to their loved ones who is not actually going through the difficult treatments, Joan strikes up a friendship with a fellow cancer patient going through chemotherapy named Peter, played by Irish actor David Wilmot. Peter and Joan can candidly talk about their cancer more in depth and personally than they would otherwise be able to with their romantic partners. Overall, I found it to be a beautifully acted and detailed film that provides great insight into how cancer affects not just the patient but also the spouse or lover and how ordinary love is tested when faced with a great difficulty.

Written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Céline Sciamma and nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a beautifully shot and deeply emotional romantic drama that is remarkable for the acting performances given by the two French actresses. Set in 18th century France, the film has a rather straightforward and patiently evolving plot that explores the burgeoning and extremely forbidden love between the two female protagonists who first meet under unusual circumstances. The painter Marianne, played by Noémie Merlant, is commissioned by a female aristocrat to travel to her barebones chateau on a remote island off the coast of Brittany, France to paint a wedding portrait of her beautiful daughter Héloïse, played by Adèle Haenel. Héloïse is to be married off to a man of nobility in Milan, Italy who she has never met and is very much opposed to getting married, especially to somebody who lives so far away. In hopes of calling off the wedding, she refuses to pose for a portrait that would be sent to her future husband for his approval, and, therefore, her mother eventually decides to hire Marianne to secretly paint a portrait of her daughter. The lonely and quite depressed Héloïse believes that Marianne is there to serve as a paid companion, and they go on long walks across the windswept desolate island that give Marianne the opportunity to memorize Héloïse’s features in order to paint Héloïse in secret. Eventually, the two sumptuously dressed women, who are mostly by themselves besides the quiet and friendly maid Sophie, played by Luàna Bajrami, begin to form a strong bond of friendship that over time evolves into a very intimate and romantic relationship. Strictly forbidden by society, they must keep their profound love for one another a secret, especially from the aristocratic mother who is desperate to marry Héloïse off to a wealthy aristocrat. The filmmaker does a terrific job of showing how relationships develop in real life by having the film take a slow pace that allows the viewer to observe the subtle changes in the two women as they come to strike a strong bond. Towards the end of the movie, the audience feels a certain degree of heartbrokenness as it becomes evident that their truly deep romance must inevitably come to an end as their time together dwindles and society would never allow them to live together as lovers. Overall, I found it to be a exquisitely crafted and slow, for better or worse, film that is helmed by a very talented filmmaker who is able to create a evocative setting in which forbidden love between two wonderfully acted characters could realistically develop.

Written and directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig best known for 2017’s Lady Bird, Little Women is a beautiful retelling of the classic 1868 novel of the same name written by Louisa May Alcott and stands out as one of the best seven film adaptations that have been made as a result of the updated and creative storytelling and the spectacular cast. Primarily set in Concord, Massachusetts, the familiar plot follows the four March daughters as they come of age and grapple with their future prospects as wives and independent women, and the story switches back-and-forth between the time of the American Civil War and a few years later as they enter adulthood. Gerwig makes the unique yet extremely effective decision to have the story told through a series of flashbacks from the perspective of the protagonists as grown women that helps the audience better understand how the women view their lives and childhood. Jo, played by Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, is the leader of the sisters and has a lifelong dream of becoming a writer and is depicted pursuing publication of her stories and later a book in New York City. Amy, played by Florence Pugh, is more traditional with the acceptance of eventual marriage but also wants to become a painter where she pursues it in Paris accompanying her rich aunt, played by Meryl Streep. Meg, played by Emma Watson, dreams of becoming a actress as evidenced by performing plays with her sisters in their childhood home attic, and the youngest Beth, played by Eliza Scanlen, loves to play the piano but her life is often beset by sickness. Their love lives also become fairly complex, especially with the wealthy neighbor’s grandson Laurie, played by Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, who falls in love with Jo but is often rebuffed by her the result of her desire to be an independent woman. The movie is rounded out by other acclaimed actors, including Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, James Norton, and Bob Odenkirk, who flesh out the very well-known characters in a realistic and human way. Although it seems like another Little Women adaptation is unnecessary, Greta Gerwig is able to create something terrifically brand-new by bringing a modern twist with a greater emphasis on the March sisters’ individuality. Overall, I found it to be a brilliant and gorgeously shot film that was somehow able to bring the beloved Little Women story to a whole new level even after the successful 1994 version with Winona Ryder.

Written and directed by critically acclaimed Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra best known for 2013’s The Lunchbox, Photograph is a charming and insightful romantic movie that follows the usual patterns of a Hollywood romantic comedy but goes beyond the genre by incorporating subtle messages about Indian society, particularly the color and caste systems. With predominantly Hindi dialogue, the film explores an unexpected relationship between two very different people from separate parts of society in Mumbai, an unusual bond started with a chance encounter at the tourist landmark Gateway of India. Rafi, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, lives in poverty and works as a street photographer taking pictures of tourists in order to repay his family debts back home in his native village. As is the case in most of Indian families, he is constantly urged to settle down and marry an Indian woman. To appease his very insistent grandmother, he eventually decides to pretend that he is in a romantic relationship with a younger shy woman that he took a picture of at the Gateway of India. Over time, he is able to convince the young woman named Miloni, played by Sanya Malhotra, to play along and meet his grandmother who has just arrived from her small village to see this supposed girlfriend of her grandson. Miloni comes from a middle-class background and is currently studying to become an accountant at the insistence of her parents who she still lives with at home. Similar to Rafi, she is a fairly quiet person who is looking for a way out of her rather mundane life. The best part of the movie is the rather funny and persistent performance given by Rafi’s strong-willed yet sweet grandmother who is played by Farrukh Jaffra. Despite the two main characters’ diverging class status and family background, they begin to become fond of one another and spent time alone together outside of trying to convince his grandmother of their potential marriage. Overall, I found it to be a bittersweet romance that, although at times can be slow, is very touching and has a lot to say about the contemporary issues facing Indian society and culture as a whole, all the while relying on beautiful cinematography to capture the essence of Mumbai.