By Jessica Herndon
Spring has always had a reputation for stirring things up. Longer days, lighter moods, and irresistible possibilities define the season. It’s a time for clearing that clutter, fresh starts, flirtatious energy, and making connections that feel like they might change everything.
In movies, that spark sometimes arrives disguised as a no-strings agreement that suddenly comes with feelings or a relationship meant to be temporary that refuses to stay that way. Call it the spring fling effect, when chemistry blooms into something deeper.
For romantics, skeptics, and anyone simply looking to have a good time, this watchlist celebrates the delicious unpredictability of love that sneaks up on you. From the intoxicating connection at the heart of Before Sunrise (part of a trilogy, including Before Sunset and Before Midnight) to the poetic passion of Love Jones, and the humor and healing of the ultimate rebound film The Incredible Jessica James, these stories remind us that some of the most meaningful relationships begin with ease.
These Sundance Institute–supported movies, along with more on the list below, trace the journey from flirtation to devotion. So press play on this lineup of love stories that prove sometimes the real thing begins as just a fling.
Spoiler alert! There are some plot reveals ahead.
Jesse and Celine
Before Sunrise (1995 Sundance Film Festival); Before Midnight (2013 Sundance Film Festival)
There aren’t many romances that capture the intensity of a fleeting connection turning into something lasting quite like Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy. What begins as a spontaneous day in Vienna between strangers Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) in Before Sunrise, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, gradually unfolds into a layered love story that spans decades. The couple reunites in swoonworthy fashion in Before Sunset, and by the time we arrive at Before Midnight, also a Festival premiere, the spark that once felt like a beautiful accident has deepened into something enduring. Now married with children, Jesse and Celine invite us to fall in love with them all over again. Click here viewing options.
Julien and Nora
Broken English (2007 Sundance Film Festival)
Nora (Parker Posey) is a New Yorker worn down by disappointing romances and feeling the pressure to find “the one” in Zoe Cassavetes’ Broken English. When she meets Julien (Melvil Poupaud), a charming and, in her eyes, disarmingly sincere Frenchman, she slowly gets swept away in their connection. What starts as flirtation gradually shifts into emotional openness, allowing Nora to believe in the possibility of love again. It’s not all smooth sailing, as Julien must head back to France. But their casual, serendipitous meeting blossoms into something real. Click here viewing options.
Elliot and Erika
I Want Your Sex (2026 Sundance Film Festival)
In Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, his 11th premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, desire and ambition collide within Los Angeles’ contemporary art scene. After Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands a coveted job assisting the boundary-pushing artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), their provocative dynamic turns into a wild personal connection that pulls Elliot into a heady space of creative fascination and emotional intrigue. Coming to theaters later this year!
Roger and Nicole
Love, Brooklyn (2025 Sundance Film Festival)
In Rachael Holder’s Love, Brooklyn, romance evolves with a bit of push and pull. André Holland plays Roger, a writer whose evolving connection with Nicole (DeWanda Wise), a single mom balancing motherhood and dating, feels both promising and unstable. Though his lingering ties to an old lover, Casey (Nicole Beharie), complicate his ability to fully commit, his chemistry with Nicole is undeniable. Click here viewing options.
Darius and Nina
Love Jones (1997 Sundance Film Festival)
After Nina (Nia Long) and Darius (Larenz Tate) hook up on their first date, Nina offers a now-classic declaration — and subtle foreshadowing — “This is nothing serious. This is no love thing. Me and Darius, we are just kickin’ it.” Do they fall for each other? Absolutely! Was that the intention? Not necessarily, at least according to Nina, who was determined to play hard to get. In Theodore Witcher’s rich portrait of Black creative life in Chicago, Nina and Darius’s connection deepens into an intensely passionate, complicated bond that neither fully planned for. Click here viewing options.
Edward and Vivian
Pretty Woman (1998 Screenwriters Lab; 1998 Directors Lab)
Most of us know the storyline of this film by heart: an unexpected romance ensues when Edward (Richard Gere), a wealthy corporate raider, hires Vivian (Julia Roberts), a Hollywood prostitute, to be his escort. But many don’t know that filmmaker Jonathan Lawton developed the film in our 1988 Screenwriters Lab and Directors Lab. Originally titled Three Thousand, after the amount of money Vivian was promised for her week with the rich business executive, the Garry Marshall–directed project went on to be released as Pretty Woman in 1990. Click here viewing options.
Johan and William
Sauna (2025 Sundance Film Festival)
Set within Copenhagen’s LGBTQ+ scene, Mathias Broe’s Sauna, the first Danish feature to place a trans actor in a leading role, traces the evolution of a connection that begins as a casual hookup. Johan (Magnus Juhl Andersen), a bathhouse employee accustomed to brief encounters is mesmerized after meeting William (Nina Rask), a transgender man whose ability to express raw emotions tilts Johan’s guarded routine. What starts as an online connection deepens into an intense romance that forces both to confront questions of identity, intimacy, and belonging. Click here viewing options.
Monroe and Minnie
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2012 Screenwriters; 2012 Directors Lab; 2012 Creative Producing Summit; 2015 Sundance Film Festival; winner of the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography)
In 1970s San Francisco, Minnie (Bel Powley), an artistic, idiosyncratic teen, enters into a secret relationship with Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), her mother’s boyfriend. Controversial, yet hilarious, their encounters in Marielle Heller’s first feature film begin as compulsive experimentation. As Minnie falls for Monroe she searches for genuine affection. But when it’s reciprocated, the power dynamic shifts. Click here viewing options.
Holden and Justine
The Good Girl (2002 Sundance Film Festival)
This is a story where one half of the couple falls hard. In Miguel Arteta’s The Good Girl, Jennifer Aniston plays Justine, a small-town married woman suffocated by routine. When she connects with Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), a younger coworker, their affair begins as a thrilling rebellion, a spark that feels safe because it isn’t meant to last. But holding onto the fantasy of something casual gets complicated as Holden’s feelings deepen and he expresses that he wants more. Click here viewing options.
Boone and Jessica
The Incredible Jessica James (2017 Sundance Film Festival)
Sometimes, we just need to rebound with someone who can mirror that energy. In James C. Strouse’s New York–set romantic comedy, Jessica Williams plays the titular character, an aspiring playwright trying to get through life after a breakup. When her friend sets her up on a date with Boone (Chris O’Dowd), who is recovering from a divorce, they fall into a casual rhythm meant to simply help them get over their exes. But their romantic connection is just too real. Click here viewing options.
