In general, February 14 doesn’t appeal to a sector of people who consider the holiday a corporate conspiracy bathed in red and pink hearts.
Instead, here is a list of films to pass the time on Valentine’s Day as an agoraphobic shut-in. Break out the comfortable sweats and pile on the high calorie snacks. This cherubic nightmare will be over soon, promise.
Amores Perros
Arguably one of the most important films from Mexico in the past decade, Amores Perros is a barrage of many things. There’s drama, action and love that result from the questionable deeds the protagonists pursue. Three interlocking stories that are affected by a devastating car wreck, the film features man’s best friend in the lives of a slacker in love with his brother’s wife, a unfaithful husband and a wayward family man turned assassin. Convincing performances make even the most unsavory actions of the protagonists relatable and ultimately heartbreaking.
The title sums it up quite nicely, especially in it’s translation: Love’s a Bitch.
Suspicion
Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock made audiences wary of many things in his films such as birds (The Birds, duh), heights (Vertigo) and neighbors (Rear Window). In “Suspicion,” marriage is put under the microscope after the whirlwind romance ends between Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. A young heiress (Fontaine) is swept off her feet by a suave, compulsive gambler (Grant), whose motivations for marrying her are a little more than questionable. Talk of poison, murder and disposable evidence keeps the viewer guessing about the groom’s doting presence on his young bride. Being a newlywed has never looked so terrifying.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
The title of Pedro Almodovar’s comedy says it all as he takes on infidelity, suspected terrorists and accidental sedation. Carmen Maura stars as Pepa, a voice actress who is trying to get in touch with a married ex-boyfriend. Along the course of a few days, Pepa tries to move on while sorting out her sour love life. Despite going through a rough emotional patch, the revolving door of Pepa’s apartment doesn’t allow her to get on with her personal matters.
Pepa’s friend Candela drops in with problems of her own that Pepa tries to fix although the attempt goes awry. The ex-lover’s son and wife also appear at Pepa’s door for different reasons, which leads to complications and unearthed secrets.
Rosemary’s Baby
Marriage is about trust, sharing and caring. Somewhere in the deep recesses of Roman Polanski’s mind, none of this registers in Rosemary’s Baby. Mia Farrow plays the expectant mother who, along with her husband, move into a apartment building. Somehow, no one explains to them that creepy neighbors come along with the square footage.
The suspense builds over the course of the film while Rosemary’s pregnancy progresses as well as the growing paranoia of the baby’s daddy’s identity. Expectant mothers beware.
Shallow Grave
A comedy on the importance on trust, “Shallow Grave” depicts three roommates go from friendly to fatal when they accidentally acquire a fortune.
Upon finding a fourth roommate to share a loft, the three friends find their newest companion dead after a few days. Rather than do the right thing and report the death to authorities, they dispose of the body and keep a brief case full of money. Although two of them are originally not troubled by their new found fortune, they soon find the money they inherited has strings attached. Paranoia abounds as one becomes increasingly disturbed and the other two plot to keep the money.