10 Great Films About Forbidden Love
6. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was ahead of its time upon its release in the late 60s, as it portrayed the interracial relationship of Joey Drayton (Katherine Houghton) and John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) in a positive and accepting light.
In the film, Joey brings John to meet her parents (Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn), who are both understanding of the relationship despite the societal views of the time, but worry that their future will be too difficult to maintain because of the pressures put on them by American society.
This tension is ramped up and expectations are subverted when John's parents (Roy E. Glenn and Beah Richards) arrive and are equally pessimistic about the union.
An intelligent and deeply heartfelt film that asks some big questions - whilst supplying some affecting answers - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a stark movie with minimal sets, placing all its focus on the characters as they hash out their differences and discuss the problems of modern social norms.
Right up until its pitch-perfect conclusion, it's a film that defies expectations and still packs a punch all these years later.