Everyone loves a traditional tearjerker, the hunt for unrequited love, or even a classic heartwarming Disney movie. Well, it’s no surprise that French is known as the language of love, or langage de l’amour, given the plethora of romantic French films available, ranging from classic feel-good novels to heartbreaking dramatic tragedies. Either way, love is in the air when hopeless romantics get their hands on it. Get out the popcorn, because here are some of the most romantic French movies ever made.
Updated October 11, 2022: If you’re a fan of the romance genre, you’ll be happy to hear that this article has been updated with additional content and French movies.
10/10 The Fairy (La Fairy)
This 2011 romantic comedy is a heartfelt and classic romance, beautifully directed by the team of Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy, and won several awards at the 2nd Magritte Awards. The fairy is a perfect example of how it doesn’t take a lot of dialogue to lure an audience with romance. The childish and whimsical film with little to almost no dialogue draws us to the heart with the love story between a man and a magical woman.
When hotel night clerk Dom is visited by a fairy, who arrives without luggage or even shoes on her feet, he is told that she can grant him three wishes. After two of his wishes are granted, the fairy disappears; Dom realizes he has fallen in love with her and searches everywhere to find her. This film is fun, quirky, lighthearted, magical and a classic romance for fans of the genre.
9/10 Girl on the bridge (La Fille sur le pont)
Directed by Partrice Leconte, this 1999 classic black-and-white romance film follows the story of Adéle who, just as she is about to commit suicide, is approached by Gabor, who intervenes by offering her a job. Gabor is a professional knife thrower who persuades her to work and travel with him. As they travel through Europe and become more and more successful, the audience sees a beautiful and almost telepathic relationship and a spark of love develop between them.
Girl on the bridge is brilliant in taking a subject as serious as suicide and turning it into a playful and romantic story, but it does so with a dangerous act like throwing a knife, which perfectly illustrates how the film is essentially a story of happiness , love, and a gamble (the three of which are always intertwined), and is enchanting from start to finish.
8/10 Love me if you dare
Guillaume Canet and the great Marion Cotillard star in 2003’s lively romantic drama Love me if you dare, in which the duo portrays childhood best friends Julien and Sophie, who continue to participate in a fearless game of daring and jokes they started when they were younger, constantly trying to outsmart the other. Describing the couple’s friendship and romance from schoolchildren to adults (as well as their ever-evolving and increasingly dangerous challenges), Yann Samuell’s photo shows Julien and Sophie’s unwavering bond, despite life’s ups and downs. They try to deny their affection for each other during the dramedy, but eventually recognize that they just can’t fight the love that has developed between them.
Love me if you dare features a unique conclusion consisting of two alternate endings for the thrill-seeking couple (made all the more gripping by the use of “La Vie en Rose,” which is ironic given that this would be the title of the Oscar-winning film by Cotillard) and offers both an emotionally moving yet cynically modern perspective on love and romance.
7/10 Jules and Jim (Jules and Jim)
François Truffaut’s masterful film, the romantic drama from 1962 Jules and Jim, is a classic love triangle drama. Set around World War I, it follows the friendship of best friends Jules and Jim, but everyone loves a little drama, so it gets tough when they fall in love with the same free-spirited beautiful woman, Catherine. When movie buffs are looking for something to keep them on the edge of their seats, Jules and Jim is a perfect, dynamic choice. The film is not only romantic, but also tragic, tense and ultimately leads to a drama. It even ranks 46th in Empire‘The 100 best films of world cinema’.
6/10 Blue is the warmest color (La Vie d’Adéle)
Based on the graphic (in more ways than one) novel by Julie Maroh, the romantic drama of Abdellatif Kechiche Blue is the warmest color made history in 2013 as the first Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, which was awarded not only to the director, but also to both the lead actresses. This just goes to show how incredibly strong the performances by Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos were, and how they led this incredibly erotic film to introduce the LGBTQ+ experience to many for the first time.
The film follows Adéle, a literature student, in search of her sexual identity. When she meets Emma, we see a budding romance develop between them as Adéle comes to terms with her sexuality. What makes this such a great romantic film is that we can follow their lives together throughout the entire movie – the good, the bad, and the ugly are all explored without any reliance on traditional plot mechanics or narrative devices, and the result is an epic coming-of-age story that explores the struggle of identity.
5/10 Portrait of a Burning Lady (Portrait de la jeaune fille en feu)
A more recent LGBTQ+ novel is the 2019 historical romantic drama, Portrait of a lady on fire, written and directed by Céline Sciamma. Set in the 18th century, the story follows the lesbian affair between the aristocratic Héloïse and the painter Marianne, who is hired to paint her portrait. After their relationship breaks down, the film adapts to show the current Marianne, telling her art students their beautiful and tragic love story, filled with incredible costume design and cinematography. The film won a Queer Palm awardbecame the first film directed by a woman to win the award, and was nominated for many others, including a Golden Globe.
4/10 The Story of Adéle H. (L’Histoire d’Adéle H.)
Also directed by François Truffaut, The Story of Adele H. was released in 1975 and follows the life of Adéle Hugo, daughter of the famous writer Victor Hugo. The story is based on Adéle’s diary entries, in which she documents the history of her doomed love; we follow her story as we watch her unrequited love for a British military officer grow stronger and more intense, driving her to obsession and madness. The film, while hopelessly romantic, belongs on the dark side of Truffaut’s workbut it is still poignant, tragic and a representation of the dangers of love.
3/10 Amelie (Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain)
Audrey Tautou skyrocketed to international fame when she appeared as the titular character in the award-winning 2001 romantic comedy amelie, she portrays the delightfully charming Parisian waitress as she tries to enrich the lives of those closest to her, while realizing that she must embark on her own quest for love. The eccentric and good-hearted heroine meets the quirky young man Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz), and the two realize they share a deep bond that just can’t be ignored.
Amelie is a whimsical and engaging rom-com beautifully brought to life by acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s unique style, earning the film five Academy Award nominations, including Best Foreign Language Film. It remains a beloved cinema acclaimed for its stunning aesthetics, engaging characters and dreamy atmosphere that die-hard romantics can’t get enough of.
2/10 A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et une Femme)
Directed by Claude Lelouch, this 1966 film follows the love story of a young widow and widower, who meet by chance at their children’s boarding school. Despite the fate that brings them together and their beautifully blossoming romance, their love is plagued by the memories of their dead husbands, causing a psychological problem in their relationship and raising the stakes on whether they can make it work.
A man and a woman evoked the spirit of the mid-1960s and became one of the most famous French films ever made, and is best known for its beautiful black and white cinematography and how it occasionally bursts into color with beautiful music. The film became the sixth highest-grossing film of its year (a rarity among foreign films in America) and won multiple awards (including two Oscars), and even resulted in a sequel (A man and a woman: 20 years later) in 1986.
1/10 Amour
In what is arguably the darkest romantic film ever is Michael Haneke’s critically acclaimed, award-winning film Amour tells the story of Georges and Anne, who have been married for most of their adult lives and still live peacefully in perfect harmony. Their love turns grim when Anne suffers a stroke that leaves her completely immobilized, and the stress of their love puts their marriage to the test. it’s later (spoilers ahead), when we witness Georges smothering Anne with a pillow, we realize how unbearable it has become for him to see his wife suffer without being able to offer her relief or comfort her.
Exploring the deepest and darkest meaning of ’till death do us part’, the film delves relentlessly into the challenges of love and marriage, and possibly even the extreme effort one goes to for love. Dark, gritty, but extremely moving, it arguably could be classified as the ultimate romantic film, French or otherwise.