Valentine’s Day can feel like watching someone rip off a bandage from a wound. Besides being slow and painful, it is also an unnecessary reminder of your singleness. It can feel as if someone is standing next to you with a megaphone shouting “Guess what, you are ALONE.” Trust us, no one needs a capitalist hallmark celebration to remind us of that (not like the countless couple reels on Instagram aren’t enough). We understand that it can be frustrating to watch couples all around engage in this grand display of love while your thoughts of “Will I end up alone in life?”, “Maybe I shouldn’t have broken up?”, “Has (that person) texted back yet?” play on loop. Especially when everyone around us seems to either be getting married or taking a vacation with their boo. Keep in mind that there are way too many co-passengers on this ride and it’s best to ride the day out with a binge of alternate Valentine’s Day watchlist that skip the mush.
Our team has specially curated this alternate Valentine’s Day watchlist for all the fellow singles out there.
A mush-free Valentine’s Day watchlist
Gone Girl (2014)
Photo: IMDb
This 2014 psychological thriller follows the story of Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), as the disappearance of Amy puts the spotlight on Nick as the main accused. Female rage, a dying love and marriage are all at the centre of this film. You might be happier to be single after watching this.
Watch it on Netflix.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Photo: IMDb
Director Michel Gondry’s sci-fi romantic drama starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet follows Joel and Clementine’s relationship. When the relationship turns sour, Joel is shocked to find out that his girlfriend has had him erased him from her memories. This forces him to seek medical intervention as well to erase her from memory.
Watch it on Netflix.
Past Lives (2023)
Photo: IMDd
Celine Song’s 2023 tearjerker follows Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends who are wrested apart after Nora’s family emigrates to the US from South Korea. They are reunited almost twenty years later for one fateful week as they navigate notions of love and destiny. A Valentine’s day watchlist must, if you ask us.
Watch it on Apple Tv+
Bones and All (2022)
Photo: IMDb
The film starring Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell explores themes of eating disorders, feminism, sexuality, and depression in 1980s Americana. A young woman on the margins of society and a disenfranchised drifter fall in love, against the backdrop of their pasts involving cannibalism.
Watch it on Prime Video.
Lost In Translation (2003)
Photo: IMDb
A mediation on love, loneliness, friendship and belonging, Sofia Coppola’s directorial film starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson follows a faded movie star and a young woman as they cross paths in Tokyo and form an unlikely bond. Murray portrays an American actor Bob Harris who lands in Tokyo for an ad film and ends up meeting Charlotte portrayed by Johansson, who’s left behind by her photographer husband. Gradually, the two end up discovering a friend in each other.
Rent it on Prime Video.
Her (2013)
Photo: IMDb
Portraying loneliness in a post-digital world, director Spike Jonze’s directorial debut follows Theodore Twombly, an introverted writer, played by Joaquin Phoenix who buys an Artificial Intelligence system to help him write. However, when he discovers the the AI’s ability to learn and adapt, he falls in love with it. Forming an unconventional relationship with a hyper-smart operating system.
Watch it on Prime Video.
Krishna Cottage (2004)
Photo: IMDb
Turns out one can return for love even after death. This cult classic horror film from 2004 sees a group of college students forced to spend a night at a haunted cottage and how that changes their lives. Murders, ghosts and a burning love, this film has it all. Also almost two decades later the song ‘Bepanah pyaar hai aaja’ from the movie is still a certified banger.
Watch on Prime Video.
Wall-E (2008)
Photo: IMDb
Director Andrew Stanton’s sci-fi film follows a love story 800 years in the future between two non-human entities where we see how two robots fall in love amidst the degeneration of the planet. The movie is wholesome but without the mush and also reaffirms ones’ belief in love.
Watch on Disney + Hotstar.
