10 Great Films About Forbidden Love
7. The English Patient (1996)
Based on Michael Ondaatje's award-winning novel of the same name, The English Patient is a tale of forbidden love, war, memory and regret. Ralph Fiennes stars as László Almásy, a severely burned cartographer being cared for by a nurse, Hana (Juliettte Binoche), in a war torn monastery.
During his pain-ridden final days, the titular English Patient tells his tale to Hana and monastery newcomers Kip (Naveen Andrews) and Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe). In his tale, he talks about an affair he had with a married woman called Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas) and how they tried to make their relationship work despite the road blocks in their path.
The English Patient is a deeply moving tale of forbidden love and grief. Unlike most others on this list, it doesn't have a particularly happy ending, but remains all the same a staggering achievement worthy of its massive critical praise and Best Picture Oscar win.
The acting, set design and themes of loss, memory and retribution are all sublimely well-handled, and The English Patient is certainly one of the most powerful films of the '90s because of them.