Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and a good way to celebrate it is to watch a documentary on love. Sharing this experience with your partner would be memorable. However, it is also nice for single people to spend their Valentine’s Day in the comfort of their homes.
Throughout the history of humankind, there have been several epic love stories. However, the projects mentioned below are mostly based on common men and women who proved that love is not a privilege but a necessity for humans. So, here are some to binge-watch on this special day dedicated to love.
The Loving Story
Directed by Nancy Buirski, the 2011 documentary The Loving Story looks at the story of Richard and Mildred Loving. They were an interracial couple living in Virginia and legally married out of state. However, their union was called a criminal offense, and they were persecuted back home.
Richard and Mildred Loving’s marriage brought changes to the law through a landmark civil rights case. Furthermore, their story was even dramatized in the 2016 film Loving. However, this documentary is certainly something worth a viewer’s time.
As per Icarus Films, the synopsis reads, “Married in Washington, D.C. on June 2, 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter returned home to Virginia where their marriage was declared illegal-he was white, and she was black and Native American. At the time, anti-miscegenation laws were upheld in 16 states. The Lovings refused to leave one another and, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, took their case to the courts.”
It continues, “Their case made it all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Whose decision-under Chief Justice Earl Warren-finally struck down state laws against interracial marriage throughout the country. THE LOVING STORY takes us behind the scenes of the legal challenges and the emotional turmoil that they entailed. Documenting a seminal moment in American history and reflecting a timely message of marriage equality in a personal, human love story.”
Sherman’s March
The 1985 documentary titled Sherman’s March showcases the director’s quest for love. As the director, producer, and writer of this documentary, Ross McElwee’s goal was to create a project called Union General Sherman’s March to the Sea towards the end of the American Civil War. However, McElwee experiences a bad break up. As it is, this documentary is emotionally touching, wholesome, and hilarious.
According to IMDb, the synopsis of Sherman’s March reads, “Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee sets out to make a movie about Union General Sherman’s March to the Sea towards the end of the American Civil War but keeps getting sidetracked by his own love life.”
At the 1987 Sundance Film Festival, this project received the Grand Jury prize in the documentary category.
Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story
Released in 2018, Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story is a fascinating documentary. It delves into the subject of cross-cultural marriage. Moreover, the documentary sees many women leaving their home countries to find husbands and provide for their families.
According to TIEFF, the synopsis of the project reads, “An epic drama on cross-cultural marriages between Thai women and Danish fishermen, co-directed by Janus Metz (Armadillo, True Detective, Borg Vs Mc Enroe). Over a decade the directors follow four couples as they struggle to find a way out of poverty and loneliness and see their children grow up to heap the seeds or pay the price of their mothers choices. A different kind of love story.”
Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story is 90 minutes long. Janus Metz and Sine Plambech directed this documentary.
