Please tell me I’m not the only one who badly needs a little (or more like a lot of) romance in their life right now. Summer is here and hot summer nights used to be the time for dancefloor grinding, seaside drinks and getting cozy with a summer fling. Now, we’re enduring this heat in the (dis)comfort of our homes and trying to keep up uninspired chatter on dating apps that will probably lead to nowhere. Or at least, that’s how it’s going for me. Forgive me for the pessimism. I know that there are others out there who are winning the digital love game.
If you caught a case of summertime sadness because of Cupid not coming around, I think I’ve found a bit of a remedy for us. Well, they’re more like scrumptious snacks to tide us over while we’re waiting for that summer loving. Here are videos you can watch when you’re horny for feelings.
Donald Glover’s “Summertime Magic” from “Guava Island”
The 2019 tropical thriller musical called “Guava Island” came from an original story by the artist formerly known as Childish Gambino. One of the movie’s highlights is Donald Glover serenading Rihanna with “Summertime Magic”— like a non-white version of “Lay All Your Love on Me” from “Mama Mia” set in the Caribbean instead of Greece.
If you were impressed with his dance moves on the “This is America” music video, you’ll enjoy watching Donald Glover in an open buttoned shirt and little red shorts using African pop dance moves to woo Riri. On top of the smooth and sexy moves, you’ll love Rihanna’s nose scrunches and small smiles as she tries to hide her kilig.
The “If you look at me” scene on “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” director Céline Sciamma said in an interview with The Independent, “a relationship is about inventing your own language. You’ve got the jokes, you’ve got the songs, you have this anecdote that’s going to make you laugh three years later. It’s this language that you build. That’s what you mourn for when you’re losing someone you love. This language you’re not going to speak with anybody else.” This particular scene is in the same vein of language building. The budding romance between Marianne and Héloïse has them starting to recognize each other’s habits.
This sapphic romance gave a deeper and heartbreaking meaning to the iconic “Titanic” line: Paint me like one of your French girls. The will-they/won’t-they almost-kiss also had us leaning into our screens in anticipation.
Mr. Darcy’s hand flex on “Pride and Prejudice”
When I was younger, I didn’t understand the appeal of Fitzwilliam Darcy. If we were talking about classic brooding men, my picks were Heathcliff and Sydney Carton. But in the movie adaptation for the Jane Austen novel, I realized that this shy, clueless man was hopelessly, silently begging for Lizzie Bennet’s attention. The book was hilarious but Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy convinced me to sympathize with the character.
This carriage scene is one of the most tweeted about love scenes and has netizens going nuts about the level of yearning Mr. Darcy showed in that hand flex after touching hands with Lizzie when he assisted her. Look at the delicious expression of confusion on Lizzie’s face. We love an enemies-to-lovers story!
When Laurie proposed to Jo on “Little Women”
Poor Laurie thought he and Jo were a couple. Turns out Jo just thought they were a couple…of besties! Not so say that you can’t JUST be friends with a person of a different gender. The most loaded moment for me was during that breath Laurie took before Jo started going, “No, no.” I love that look on Timothée Chalamet’s face that says he’s determined to tip the balance of their friendship. Not making a scene about breaking it off with your best friend who’s been in love with you from the moment you two met seem condescending but at the same time keeping your independent female lead firm on her decision is a tricky balance. Director-screenwriter Greta Gerwig was able to pull it off.
Tine and Sarawat cuddling in their shared space on “2gether”
Normalize letting LGBTQ+ couples have similar romantic experiences with straight characters on mainstream media. LGBT+ romances should also portray the cheek kisses, couch cuddles and all the little gestures that make a relationship even sweeter.
On episode 10 of Thai series “2gether,” Tine and Sarawat are now sharing space and we get a glimpse of them being domestic. Wholesome LGBT content is something that we need more of.
So, tell us. Did you grow a heart boner after watching these clips?
Art by Dana Calvo
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