6 movies about love and romance – with a twist

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us – a day dedicated to the lofty ideals of romance, its rose-tinted commercial excesses and the cheesiness of grand moonlit gestures. Whether it’s just a great excuse to double up on heart-themed emojis or dive headlong into being in love with love, it’s always a great excuse to watch a movie.

Once you’ve had your fill of cute cards, bouquets, rose petals and candle-lit dinners, what better way to say “I love you” than by cuddling up on the couch and trying to figure out how many choccies are considered an elegant sufficiency. If you’re trying to cut back on gooey heart-shaped chocolate box romance or want to watch something a little less predictable, here’s a selection of romantic flicks with a fresh twist.

Mark, Mary and Some Other People

Some folks have one Valentine, others have a whole medley. Mark, Mary and Some Other People is a marriage portrait about a young couple who want to see other people as part of an “ethical non-monogamy” arrangement. Meeting over a pregnancy test in a bathroom, Mark and Mary’s modern marriage is tested when they try to create a set of rules for their extramarital dating app conquests.

Charming and cute, Ben Rosenfield and Hayley Law co-star in this bawdy romcom about the clash between seemingly outmoded traditions and new romantic configurations. Driven by heartfelt drama, offbeat comedy and amazing chemistry, Helen Marks crafts a charismatic and funny chronicle of a millennial era marriage. Mark, Mary and Some Other People remains a colourful, retro and provocative romcom about love, loyalty and hedonistic mindsets.

Moonshot

Being the assistant to a robot barista may have its perks, but when your application to go to a terraformed Mars gets rejected 37 times, you start to lose hope. Not so for college student Walt, an eternal optimist whose mission to get to the Red Planet kicks into overdrive when his new love decides to become a full-fledged Martian. He joins forces with a smart friend, Sophie, in a bid to make both of their dreams come true.

This sweet sci-fi romcom unfolds in a world influenced by an Elon Musk type where space travel and interplanetary life is normal. Upbeat, fun-loving and led by the irrepressibly charming Cole Sprouse, it’s no surprise that his tech billionaire role model, Leon Kovi, is played by Zac Braff. Starring opposite Lana Condor, the two discover the space to connect.

Voyagers

When cryogenic chambers aren’t an option, there’s a chance you may need to live a lifetime on a spaceship to get your progeny onto an inhabitable planet. Voyagers follows a group of people who have been raised in isolated conditions in order to serve as crew on such a deep space mission. When they discover they’ve been ingesting a suppressant to numb their true nature, innate human urges amplify and rise to the surface.

Essentially Lord of the Flies in space, Christopher and Sela find kinship and love in their newfound mission to overthrow Zac, a tyrannical rebel leader who rules by fear. Starring Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp, Fionn Whitehead and Colin Farrell, this electric and thought-provoking sci-fi adventure thriller wrestles with the beauty and ugliness of the human condition.

Passengers

James Cameron’s film Titanic gave us a taste of what it was like to be aboard an unsinkable 52 000-tonne hotel as a windswept romance played out against pure opulence and looming disaster. In a similar vein comes Passengers, a futuristic sci-fi romance thriller about an unexpected relationship on a 5 000-person transporter taking a 120-year voyage to Homestead II.

Starring Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) and Jennifer Lawrence (Mother!), an engineer and aspiring writer discover they’ve got 90 years of space travel ahead of them with keys to the floating “hotel”. As Jim and Aurora’s missions align, so do their affections as the two come to terms with their early awakening and doomed romance. An entertaining, sleek and thought-provoking film from Morten Tyldum, it’s compelled by its charming and stellar co-leads.

Long Weekend

When we meet the boy or girl of our dreams, the promise of requited love can often seem like a mirage. This is the case in Long Weekend, a romance comedy drama about an unexpected relationship between a struggling writer and an enigmatic woman. Down on his luck, Bart falls for the free-spirited Vienna, who seems too good to be true.

Taking on a Before Sunrise quality, Long Weekend stars Finn Wittrock and Zoe Chao as star-crossed lovers whose whirlwind romance flits too close to the uncomfortable truth. A charming, funny and life-affirming adventure of highs and lows, this indie film see-saws on the cusp of psychological drama as a will they/won’t they transforms into a are they/aren’t they situation.

About Time

Love is messy – so naturally there are moments we wish we could go back and change. A family secret transforms Tim’s ordinary life with the power of the do-over. Zipping back in time to craft the perfect romance, the young man makes it his life’s mission to win Mary’s heart over and over again. At first a lark, Tim’s time-hopping ability proves to be much more difficult than anticipated as the real consequences of a life lived many times over come into play.

About Time emanates from the mind of Richard Curtis, who offers a science-fiction slant to this entertaining, heartwarming and funny romantic comedy drama. Starring Domhnall Gleeson (Brooklyn), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight) and Bill Nighy (Sometimes Always Never), this delightful, good-natured and life-affirming film captures the clumsiness and giddiness of awkward first dates to life, love and everything else.