It doesn’t need to be Valentine's Day for us to watch some romantic films, but if any of y’all are on the hunt to watch something to give y’all the feels and frustrations that come along with romantic love, we got you covered!
Need more suggestions? Take a look at our list from last year.
*images are from the films & production companies associated.
BLIND DETECTIVE (2013)
DIR. Johnnie To | WATCH ON Netflix
Blind Detective was sold in the West as one of Johnnie To's hard-boiled crime thrillers and in the Chinese-speaking world as a zany throwback to his early-aughts rom-coms with Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng. The crazy thing is, both of these are perfectly accurate representations. The even crazier thing is... it kinda works? Lau (as the eponymous private eye) and Cheng (as the cop employing him to help with her caseload) effortlessly revive their old chemistry, and the central mystery is enjoyably twisty (and surprisingly grisly to boot). To's swing-for-the-fences verve partially compensates for the unfortunate Mr. Magoo-isms, and if you need an appetizer before V-Day dinner, Blind Detective supplies enough food porn to merit a warning label.
Josh Martin, Film Programmer
FAN GIRL (2020)
Dir. Antoinette Jadaone | Watch on Netflix
This one is for the thrillseekers. Obsession can often be misinterpreted as love, and that is exactly what happens in 2021 AAAFF alum Fan Girl. Jane (Charlie Dizon) is Paul’s (Paul Avelino) number one fan, so much so that after a performance at the mall, she decides to follow him to his home. As you can imagine, the night is filled with absolute chaos.
Neha Aziz, Community Programs Director & Film Programmer
FIRE ISLAND (2022)
Dir. Andrew Ahn | Watch on Hulu
A modern, queer retelling of the beloved classic Pride and Prejudice, set on (as the title suggests) New York’s Fire Island. Between the film’s idyllic beachside setting, quippy dialogue, and exploration of the timeless (yet ever-timely) subject of romance complicated by social stratification, it’s impossible to have a bad time watching this movie. Bonus: you might just learn some queer history, too!
Liz Spieckerman, Public Relations Coord.
HAPPY OLD YEAR (2019)
Dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit | Watch on Netflix
It's not ideal couples viewing, but Happy Old Year is a fine choice for singletons spending the holiday chewing over old memories and thoughts of what might have been. Writer-director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Heart Attack, Fast & Feel Love) has few peers when it comes to depicting Gen-Y restlessness, here exemplified by overseas returnee Jean (a never-better Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying of Bad Genius) and her quixotic attempt to give the family home a European-style "minimalist" makeover. But Jean's application of the KonMari method instead inspires her to rekindle auld acquaintance—most significantly with the dreamy ex (Sunny Suwanmethanont) she unceremoniously ghosted after moving to Sweden. Nawapol tenderly evokes the echoes of the past imbued in the most unassuming objects—those seeking to understand the generational fascination with the analog and the obsolete would do well to start here—and offers up a lesson on remembering and letting go worthy of prime Wong Kar-wai.
Josh Martin, Film Programmer
KITA KITA (2017)
Dir. Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo | Watch on AMAZON & PINOY BOX OFFICE
Filipino rom-coms often have three conditions—unrequited love, a completely nonsensical major plot element (think allergies to wifi or feigning amnesia), and unearned and sudden tragedy. Kita Kita may or may not have all of these things in varying degrees (NO SPOILERS!), but it's one of the best in the genre and my personal favorite. The main characters are compelling, full of energy, and casual. It's funny. It's charming. The pace is fast, but the movie idles in the ordinary in a way no other Fili rom-com does. It builds romance in a relatable way. Western audiences & non-Filipino audiences beware, there are things out of the norm for what we expect from this genre, and maybe many would call it flat-out bad writing, but as a 1.5 gen mixed-race Fil-Am with a 1st gen Filipino mother, this is my best endorsement for this film—my mother bawled her eyes out (like she does with every Fili rom-com) and I did too (for the first time ever watching a Fili rom-com).
Marlon Hedrick, Social Media Coord.
MISSISSIPPI MASALA (1991)
Dir. Mira Nair | Watch on Criterion Channel
We love a good intersectional romance full of rebellion, forbidden love, and hot hot spicy late night phone conversations in the deep South. Mira Nair delivers in this film starring a young Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury. There's no love at first sight in this film but the on-screen chemistry and sexual tension the two ooze is undeniable. Who could blame Mina (Choudhury) for risking family and community after one of the sexiest scantily-clad late night phone calls with Demetrius (Washington)??? No one! A teenage Hanna stumbled upon this gem in DVD form at a Hollywood Video back in the day and has been waiting forever to feature it in an AAAFF blog. The film was restored last year under the direction of Nair and holds up even more beautifully than remembered.
Hanna Huang, Executive Director
SUPERMARKET WOMAN (1996)
Dir. Juzo Itami | Watch on Criterion Channel
This movie is not a rom-com. I repeat: this movie is not a rom-com. BUT WAIT! What if I told you it's the perfect movie to watch with a partner? Feel-good and full of charm and spirit, Juzo Itami (Tampopo) crafts a simple and fun story about a widowed woman who happens to stumble upon an old school friend (also widowed) and decides to help him turn around his ailing supermarket business. They work together, support each other, converse, and provide a sweet example of what platonic intimacy can look like. It's all very, very cute. While romance is indeed not in the air, if you don't feel the urge to tell your partner you love them after watching this film, then you can personally @ me.
P.S. Supermarket Woman stars Itami's wife Nobuko Miyamoto as the leading actress, so that technically categorizes it as a rom-com, right?
Marlon Hedrick, Social Media Coord.
WORST WOMAN (2016)
Dir. Kim jong-kwan | Watch oN TubI (FREE) & AsianCrush
Eun-hee (Han Ye-ri) is having a rough day. Her acting coach (Lee Seung-yeon) is ready to throw in the towel; her conceited soap-opera star boyfriend (Kwon Yul) won't meet in public without a mask to disguise himself from the ajumma out on their constitutionals; and the married man (Lee Hee-joon) she was until recently hooking up with pops up out of nowhere with unfinished business. Amidst all this, there's also a chance encounter with Ryōhei (Iwase Ryō), a Japanese novelist visiting Korea on a disastrous publicity tour. The pleasantly breezy Worst Woman is the sort of high-concept romantic dramedy that Korean filmmakers can seemingly toss off with both hands tied behind their back, but this one is elevated by a pre-Minari Han Ye-ri, in a genuinely unpredictable performance as a woman who turns out to be no more certain of who she is than the men she's deceiving.
Josh Martin, Film Programmer