The best romance movies of the 2020s range from tender second chances to stories of desire tangled with grief, danger or growing up. This ranking is subjective: it weighs emotional impact, craft, rewatchability and how central the relationship is, rather than treating any one critic score as definitive. Eligibility is based on a film’s first public release year, including a festival premiere, so later releases in other countries do not shift it into a different decade.
The 20 best romance movies of the 2020s
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Past Lives (2023)
Celine Song’s quietly piercing romance follows Nora and Hae Sung, childhood friends in Korea who reconnect years later in New York. Its power comes from what the characters cannot know or undo: the life each might have lived with the other. Rotten Tomatoes placed it first on its 2023 best-romance list, and it later won best feature and best director at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Those honors add context, not proof of a single correct ranking.
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All of Us Strangers (2023)
Andrew Haigh’s romantic drama begins when screenwriter Adam meets his neighbor Harry, then opens into a dreamlike story about intimacy, memory and family. Its emotional intensity makes it a strong pick for viewers who want romance that reaches beyond a conventional love story.
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Rye Lane (2023)
This lively South London rom-com follows Yas and Dom through a chance meeting, a day of wandering and the messy aftermath of their previous relationships. Its playful visual style and easy chemistry make it one of the decade’s most rewatchable choices.
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Decision to Leave (2022)
Park Chan-wook turns a detective’s investigation into an elegant, unsettling romance. The attraction between a married detective and the woman he is questioning grows through glances, translation and uncertainty, making this an ideal choice for viewers who like their love stories shaded by mystery.
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Girl Picture (2022)
Alli Haapasalo’s Finnish coming-of-age film follows three teenage girls as they navigate friendship, desire and the early stages of love. Its attention to the characters’ distinct experiences gives it a refreshing, generous perspective on young romance. Rotten Tomatoes named it the critics’ winner in its 2022 romance guide.
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The Worst Person in the World (2021)
Joachim Trier’s Norwegian film follows Julie through love, work and the uncertainty of becoming an adult. It is a romance about changing desires as much as choosing a partner, with humor that keeps its melancholy from becoming heavy.
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West Side Story (2021)
Steven Spielberg’s musical reimagining brings Tony and Maria’s love story into a vivid, divided New York neighborhood. The romance is inseparable from the conflict surrounding them, while the songs and choreography give the film an expansive, theatrical sweep.
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Emma. (2020)
Autumn de Wilde’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel is a bright, precise period rom-com about a clever matchmaker who misreads her own heart. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Emma is funny and imperfect, and the film’s visual wit makes the social maneuvering feel freshly entertaining.
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Bones and All (2022)
Luca Guadagnino’s road romance follows Maren and Lee, young outsiders drawn together while confronting a dangerous appetite. It is a deliberately unsettling choice: affection and tenderness coexist with horror, so it suits viewers who want romance far from the usual comfort-watch mood.
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Challengers (2024)
In Luca Guadagnino’s tense sports drama, a love triangle stretches across years and around the tennis court. Desire, rivalry and ambition are all in play; romance here is less a safe haven than a force that keeps changing the match.
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The Half of It (2020)
Alice Wu’s coming-of-age romance centers on Ellie, a sharp student who helps a classmate write to the girl they both like. The familiar love-triangle setup develops into a thoughtful story about friendship, identity and learning to say what you mean.
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Fire Island (2022)
Andrew Ahn’s contemporary romantic comedy relocates the social world of Pride and Prejudice to a group of gay friends on a summer getaway. Its sharp humor and attention to friendship give the matchmaking and romantic mishaps a lively ensemble feel.
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West Side Story (2021)
A musical romance can be both sweeping and tragic, and Spielberg’s adaptation delivers on that scale. The central relationship has to contend with a neighborhood split by violence, giving the film’s songs and dance a dramatic urgency.
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The Photograph (2020)
Stella Meghie’s romance connects a museum curator and a journalist through a photograph and a family story. Its unhurried pace and warm performances make it a good choice for viewers looking for an adult love story rather than a high-concept twist.
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Sylvie’s Love (2020)
Eugene Ashe’s period romance traces a relationship shaped by music, ambition and timing. Its polished mid-century setting and patient approach suit viewers who prefer a sweeping, nostalgic love story.
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Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
Cooper Raiff’s intimate drama follows a young man working as a party starter who becomes close to a woman and her daughter. The connection is tender but complicated, and the film is most affecting when it treats care and companionship as part of romance.
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Licorice Pizza (2021)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s offbeat coming-of-age film follows the shifting bond between Alana and Gary in 1970s California. Its eccentric episodes and loose rhythm make it a more divisive pick than a conventional rom-com, but its central relationship gives the wandering story its pull.
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Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Rose Glass’s crime thriller follows gym worker Lou and bodybuilder Jackie as their intense attraction collides with violence and family trouble. It belongs on a romance list for readers who want desire at full volume, not a reassuring courtship.
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Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
This romantic comedy imagines a secret relationship between the U.S. president’s son and a British prince. It embraces the fantasy and public spectacle of its premise, making it an easy pick for viewers after a glossy, upbeat romance.
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We Live in Time (2024)
John Crowley’s romantic drama follows Almut and Tobias through the ordinary and life-changing moments of their shared life. Its interest is less in the mechanics of meeting than in how a relationship accumulates meaning over time.
How to choose your next romance
These films are easier to compare by the experience they offer than by a single ranking number. For a witty, bright date-night pick, start with Rye Lane or Emma.; for a gentle coming-of-age story, try The Half of It or Girl Picture. Past Lives and All of Us Strangers lean bittersweet, while Bones and All and Love Lies Bleeding bring romance into darker genre territory. For a musical scale, choose West Side Story.
Why romance rankings differ
There is no universal scoreboard for the best romance movies. Rotten Tomatoes’ 2020 list reflects adjusted scores as of February 28, 2021; its 2022 guide reflects adjusted Tomatometer scores as of December 31, 2022. Flickchart maintains a separate decade romance chart, and other editors make their own selections. Those lists are useful ways to discover films, but their orders reflect different methods and dates. This ranking instead prioritizes emotional impact, craft, rewatchability and the importance of the relationship to the film.
Release-year rules also matter. A film can premiere at a festival in one year and reach U.S. theaters later; Rotten Tomatoes notes that Portrait of a Lady on Fire was a 2019 film that qualified for its 2020 list after a limited U.S. release that year. This list uses first public release, including festival premieres, to keep its decade boundary consistent.
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