As heart-wrenching as they can be, forbidden love movies never fail to pull at our heartstrings and bring tears to our eyes. Though the theme has existed since time immemorial, every retelling somehow reshapes the way we understand love itself.
From clandestine affairs to star-crossed lovers, here are 10 forbidden love movies you must watch if you crave pure yearning.
10. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Though this epic period drama spans decades, at its heart lies a forbidden, unspoken romance. In 1920s Japan, 9-year-old Chiyo Sakamoto finds herself bound to a doomed fate when she is sold by her impoverished family to a geisha house.
She finds comfort in the company of Chairman Ken Iwamura. Determined to become a part of the chairman’s life, she trains hard to become a geisha. After years of rigorous training and the turmoil of World War II, she becomes one of Japan’s most celebrated geishas while also discovering whether her feelings for the chairman are truly unrequited.
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9. Shakespeare In Love (1998)
Legendary playwright Shakespeare is known for creating some of the most revered and tragic love stories of all time, but in this movie, he meets the same fate as the star-crossed lovers he writes about. It depicts a fictional love story from Shakespeare’s youth, when he was still a struggling writer.
He finds a muse in the beautiful Viola de Lesseps, who inspires him to write his most famous play. Viola is a noblewoman who loves the theater, and her greatest desire is to perform on stage during a time when only men are allowed to become actors. In the strict society of the 16th century, Viola and Shakespeare struggle to find a place for their love.
8. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
With its iconic musical numbers and captivating chemistry between Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, ‘Moulin Rouge!‘ remains a classic forbidden romance film. Set in 1899, the story follows a struggling English writer who arrives in Paris’s vibrant nightclub scene.
A doomed love affair begins when he meets the club’s star courtesan, Satine. Trouble arises in the form of a villainous Duke, who is willing to finance Satine’s show only if he is granted exclusive rights to her.
7. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
It brings Shakespeare’s iconic tale into a modern setting, and that fresh approach is what makes this adaptation stand out from the rest. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet are undeniably the most famous forbidden lovers in history, but the film’s modern style and portrayal of pure longing give the story a unique emotional depth.
Hailing from two families that have been feuding for decades, Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight. The famously tragic double suicide becomes even more heartbreaking when Juliet awakens just in time to find Romeo in his final dying moments. Any remaining hope is shattered when she realizes the truth and takes her own life shortly afterward.
6. The Handmaiden (2016)
Set in 1930s Korea during the Japanese occupation, the love story in The Handmaiden challenges the norms of patriarchy, class, and ethnicity. Sookee is hired as a handmaiden for a Japanese heiress, Hideko, and accompanies her on a vast countryside estate.
What makes this film stand out as a slow-burning forbidden romance is its three-part narrative structure, which never gives viewers a chance to fully guess what is actually happening until the very end.
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5. Titanic (1997)
The story of the ill-fated Titanic and the two young lovers aboard it has become a modern classic. After winning a lucky poker game, Jack Dawson, an orphaned and struggling artist, earns a ticket to the voyage. On the same ship is a young aristocrat, Rose Bukater, whose parents are determined to marry her off to the wealthiest suitor.
She is forced into an engagement with billionaire Cal Hockley, and it is then that she meets and falls for Jack. Class and status do not stop the two from sharing the time of their lives together, until the supposedly unsinkable ship ultimately sinks.
4. Atonement (2007)
This one tells the story of Cecilia, the daughter of a wealthy family, and Robbie, the housekeeper’s son. When they fall in love, they are forced to confront their class differences and their families’ disapproval.
But even before that, they struggle to overcome the interference of Cecilia’s younger sister, Briony. Thirteen-year-old Briony misinterprets a series of events, setting into motion consequences that change the course of many lives, especially Cecilia’s and Robbie’s, as they find themselves separated forever.
3. Casablanca (1942)
Set against the war-torn backdrop of Casablanca, this one tells the story of Rick Blaine. When his former lover, Ilsa, arrives at Rick’s nightclub with her husband while seeking refuge from the war, Rick is forced to confront his past.
Old sparks instantly fly. However, acting on them would not only betray Ilsa’s husband but would also force them to face an uncertain future. Can they find a happy ending, or must they sacrifice their love for a greater purpose?
2. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
No forbidden love story can leave you as teary-eyed as ‘Brokeback Mountain‘, Ang Lee’s unforgettable classic. Homophobia was rampant in the American West during the 1960s, and amid that harsh reality, two cowboys, Ennis and Jack, fall in love and form a secret bond hidden from their families and society.
As the season comes to an end, they are forced to part ways with no certainty about their future. Ennis marries his longtime sweetheart, while Jack marries a fellow rider. But love always finds its way back, leaving them emotionally tormented for decades.
1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Set in 18th-century France, ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire‘ follows two young women who know from the very beginning that their relationship is doomed. Yet over the course of a few days, they discover a love and passion that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Young painter Marianne arrives at an isolated cliffside manor after being commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, whose mother is determined to marry her off to a nobleman. Little by little, intimacy blossoms between them as the portrait slowly nears completion.
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