12 Movies That Illustrate Love

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means that love and romance are on our minds. But it’s important to note that love isn’t just the domain of proms, candlelit dinners and weekends away from the kids. In fact, the guy for whom Valentine’s Day was named is said to have written the first Valentine’s note not to a romantic interest, but to a girl whom he cured of blindness. It’s said he was executed soon after.

The Greeks actually said there were four different kinds of loves—types that C.S. Lewis reintroduced to Christians with his aptly named book, The Four Loves. With that in mind, we thought it might be fun to showcase a handful of wholly subjective, occasionally overlapping films that illustrate these four loves, and movies that are accessible for a variety of audiences. But—of course—check out our reviews first. Most of these have content concerns, and some are considerable.

Philia (Love Among Friends)

Kids: Wonder (2017, PG)

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman suffers from a rare medical issue that has forced him to undergo 27 surgeries to allow him to see, hear and smell. He looks very different from the other kids in school, but he makes one very close friend—a boy named Jack Will. Their relationship has some serious bumps, of course, but it’s a beautiful depiction of what friendship looks like and what it can mean. (This is a tear-jerker of a movie, by the way. If you’re looking for something that feels more like a lighter kid movie, check out Big Hero 6. Wonder is available for rent through several outlets.)

Teens: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014, PG-13)

What happens when some of the most broken people in the galaxy join forces to fight a cosmic threat? Well, maybe something like this film. Peter Quill and his team of vagabonds fight like crazy—not just with the bad guys, but with each other, too. Thankfully, over time, these squabbling superheroes form something almost akin to family. And for those in the know, when a sentient tree-thing tells his pals that “we are Groot,” it might just draw a tear from the eye. (Available on Disney+.)

Adults: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, PG)

OK, so this is a good movie for teens, too—as long as they don’t mind watching a flick made 30-something years before they were born]. Captain Kirk and Mister Spock have been compatriots on the Starship Enterprise for literally decades. But in the movie’s climax, we’re witness to one of the most touching expressions of friendship ever brought to film—made even more poignant, given Spock’s notorious rejection of any emotion. (Available on HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime.)

Eros (Romantic Love)

Kids: Beauty and the Beast (1991, G)

The Beast of this classic Disney film is cursed to live as the hairy monster he is unless, somehow, he can figure out how to love someone and have that someone love him in return. It’s a monumental task—made even more monumental when he locks up his first real candidate in his castle. But slowly, a relationship forms. And the Beast learns what it truly means to love. (Available on Disney+.)

Teens: Loving (2016, PG-13)

This film is based on the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple whose marriage was forbidden by the state of Virginia. They’re both arrested in the late 1950s and are told to stay out of the state for 25 years. But eventually their case is brought to court and to national prominence in a Life magazine profile. While Loving is unquestionably about prejudice and civil rights, it never loses sight of the love story at its core. Mr. and Mrs. Loving certainly never forget. (Available on Netflix.)

Adults: Cyrano (2022, PG-13)

This film landed on our “Best Movies for Adults” list this year. And indeed, this adroit and moving musical checks a lot of boxes—including that of a deeply held and apparently unrequited love. Based on the classic Cyrano de Bergerac play by Edmond Rostand, Cyrano gives us a fresh turn on a love story that has endured for more than 100 years. (Available on Amazon Prime, Sling and Roku.)

Storge (Love of Family)

Kids: Frozen (2013, PG)

We listed a whole bunch of great movies last year that would fit right in this category (in Kennedy Unthank’s “Seven Movies that Illustrate the Importance of Family” blog), so I thought I’d go a slightly different direction and name this Disney blockbuster. The beautiful thing about this film is that, in some ways, it could land in every single one of our categories. Still, the love that Anna and Elsa have for one another is the bedrock of this story—and one that makes it a delightful twist on Disney’s traditional princess story. (Available on Disney+)

Teens: Shazam! (2019, PG-13)

You don’t need to be born into a family to have a great one. That’s what young Billy Batson comes to realize on his long, complicated and problematic quest to find his mother. Eventually, he falls in with a loving foster family and its collection of very, very different kids. Once there, he finds not just a place to stay, but an honest-to-goodness home. Oh, and there’s some superhero stuff in there, too. (Available on HBO Max and Amazon Prime)

Adults: The Impossible (2012, PG-13)

The Bennetts simply wanted to go on a nice family vacation in a faraway land. But when a tsunami struck Thailand on Christmas Eve, their family was literally torn apart, and it becomes the quest of a lifetime in an attempt to find each other again. Despite its PG-13 rating, this is one of the more difficult films on this list, content-wise. But when it comes to an inspiring, tear-jerking tale that shows how disaster can bring out the best in us and show us how important families are, few movies are its equal. (Available on HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime)

Agape (Sacrificial Love)

Kids: The Iron Giant (1999, PG)

This animated film chronicles the rather unusual friendship between a 9-year-old boy and a 50-foot-tall alien robot. In it, the giant—a thing built for destruction—learns through the boy’s tutelage that he doesn’t have to be a weapon of war. You can be (in the movie’s words) who you choose to be. Be warned: This film might be PG, but it’s liable to get even parents’ tear ducts activated. (Available to rent through several outlets)

Teens: Les Misérables (2012, PG-13)

Based on the long-running stage musical which, in turn, was based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel, Les Misérables tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who was saved by an act of grace. He, in turn, showed that grace to Cosette, the daughter of a broken, desperate prostitute. He sacrifices a great deal for Cosette over the musical—and in so doing, becomes a a symbolic Christ figure of sorts. (Available on Netflix)

Adults: Schindler’s List (1993, R)

Oskar Schindler is a businessman. And during the 1930s and ‘40s, the only way to do business in Germany was by being a good Nazi. But as director Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning classic rolls on, Schindler slowly becomes far more concerned with saving people than earning money—and he winds up spending his fortune to save as many people as he can. Yes, this film is rated R. But it’s as powerful a film as you’ll find, and it reminds us that it’s not what we get in this life that matters: It’s what we give. (Available to rent through several outlets)