'Blue Valentine' to 'Marriage Story': 5 films showing toxic relationships
Not all love stories have a fairytale ending. Some are sour and can also leave scars on the lives of the people involved. The concept of love has been defined as finding your soulmate, however, reality can be far more different than what the reel world has to show. Here are five Hollywood films that delve into the darker sides of love affairs.
'Blue Valentine'
The 2010 drama directed by Derek Cianfrance shows the highs and lows of a turbulent relationship between a volatile blue-collar worker (played by Ryan Gosling) and a nurse (played by Michelle Williams). The intimate yet heartbreaking film, Blue Valentine, is said to be revolving around a destructive relationship. The makers have beautifully presented the reality of a toxic relationship.
'Passengers'
Starring Chris Pratt in the lead role, this 2016 sci-fi romance film, shows him as an ethically dubious man. Also starring Jennifer Lawrence, it revolves around a man waking up from hypersleep on a space flight. He then wakes up the woman only to throw her into a co-dependent relationship on a space flight. The film is anything but romantic.
'Gaslight'
Recently, "gaslight" was declared as the Oxford dictionary's word of the year. This film, titled Gaslight, shows exactly how your partner can gaslight you in a relationship. It shows how a husband gaslights his wife into believing that she is going crazy. The film stars Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman in the lead roles, playing man and wife.
'Marriage Story'
The 2019's Oscar-nominated drama (Laura Dern picked up Oscar for Supporting Actress though) shows some gut-wrenching disputes between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver's characters. Helmed by Noah Baumbach, the film is another successful take on movies showing toxic relationships. Driver's dialogue, "Every day I wake up and I hope you're dead," proves how well the makers have been able to cover the topic.
'Fatal Attraction'
Starring Glenn Close as Alex Forrest and Michael Douglas as Dan Gallagher, Fatal Attraction, an erotic thriller, is another fine example of a film based on toxic relationships. Even though the film may come off as one which shows problematic stereotypes but it still does show the viewers a gripping portrayal of what a truly troubled and toxic relationship looks like.
