Relationships are the most complicated experiences we have with each other as humans. They test our growth, love, and loyalty in more ways than most. This weekend’s watchlist dives into extremely complex relationships and the chaos that often ensues.
From bitter arguments, infidelity, misunderstandings, and even unspoken resentments, these stories showcase and confront the raw reality some couples face from all walks of life. Quiet domestic unravellings, critical acclaim and success in lucrative careers, and dissatisfied melancholy from the lower-class are all depicted in these films. Beyond the tension and dysfunction, they reveal the desire for connection, fears of loneliness, struggles with complacency, and trauma we often unknowingly carry within. It reminds audiences that vulnerability and imperfection often go hand in hand.
You might not be able to watch all in one weekend, but these stories highlight the unfiltered reality of intimate relationships that could all use a little therapy.
Blue Valentine
Dean and Cindy’s marriage unravels as the film shifts between the loving early days of their romance to the painful present. The story captures the vulnerability and utter heartbreak of two people who can’t bridge the growing gap between them.
Director: Derek Cianfrance / Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Kramer vs. Kramer
When Joanna Kramer leaves her husband, he is forced to juggle his career while raising their only son on his own. When Joanna abruptly returns to claim custody, a bitter battle ensues that tests the meaning of family. The film captures the emotional toll of a marriage’s collapse and the intense fight to protect what matters most.
Director: Robert Benton / Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep
Malcom & Marie
When filmmaker Malcolm and his girlfriend Marie return home from a premiere, simmering tensions in their relationship rise to the brink. What started as a simple argument spirals into a downward spiral of heightened emotions, resentment, and testaments of love and vulnerability.
Director: Sam Levinson / Starring: Zendaya, John David Washington
Revolutionary Road
Set in 1950s suburbia, Frank and April appear to be the perfect domestic couple, but beneath the surface is a growing dissatisfaction, complacency, and unfulfilled dreams between the two. Their marriage spirals into conflict, resentment, and tragedy.
Director: Sam Mendes / Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Fair Play
A young couple working together at a high-powered hedge fund is pushed to the breaking point when an unexpected promotion shifts a balance of power between them. When jealousy collides with intimacy, their bond unravels into resentment and betrayal.
Director: Chloe Domont / Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich
Closer
Dan is unsatisfied in his relationship with Alice, and begins to flirt with a photographer who is also in a relationship. The two couples relationship’s intersect in unexpected and painful ways. The film explores love’s beautiful highs and devastating lows through intimacy, honesty, and infidelity.
Director: Mike Nichols / Starring: Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Jude Law
A Marriage Story
Charlie and Nicole struggle through a painful divorce that follows them from New York to Los Angeles. Through the divorce they are pushed to personal extremes resulting in a custody battle, heartbreak, resentment, and irreconcilable differences.
Director: Noah Baumbach / Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver
Why Did I Get Married?
During an annual couples’ retreat, four married pairs confront long-buried secrets, betrayals, and insecurities within their relationships.
Director: Tyler Perry / Starring: Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Jill Scott, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Richard T. Jones, Tasha Smith, Michael Jai White, Denise Boutte, Keesha Sharp
The Break-Up
After a tumultuous argument, Gary and Brooke decide to end their relationship. Neither is willing to move out of the condo, sparking a hilarious, petty, and tense battle of hostile roommates.
Director: Peyton Reed / Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
An adaptation of Edward Albee’s 1962 play of the same name, during a late evening, long-married couple George and Martha invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey, into their home. What follows throughout the night is a series of bitter games, emotional manipulation, and heartbreaking confessions.
Director: Mike Nichols / Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
