Love might mean a lot of things to a lot of different people, but the beauty of capturing it in movies and television means that it can be explored in a myriad of ways depending on the muse of their creators. By the very capricious nature of romance, there is the unexpected and the exciting in even the most mundane courtships, and the promise of seeing the world through lovers' eyes is one of the reasons people fall in love.

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Truly unconventional love stories offer a perspective on life that cannot be replicated, but the uniqueness of being in love is also so wonderfully universal, that even if they're as distinct as those listed here, they'll be timeless.

City Lights (1931)

Charlie Chaplin laughing with a woman in City Lights.

Roger Ebert once said "If only one of Charles Chaplin's films could be preserved," it should be City Lights for coming the closest to capturing "all the different notes of his genius." The movie features Chaplin's most famous character, the lovable Tramp falling in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the rough-and-tumble city streets.

Learning that she's about to be evicted from her home, Tramp desperately tries to find ways to make enough money to help her. Unfortunately, every attempt ends in humiliation and failure, until he accidentally saves a millionaire's life and is handsomely rewarded for the heroic act. In one moment of fate, he can change his beloved's life forever, even though she loved him despite being penniless and without ever seeing his face.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Though it's difficult to believe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will soon be two decades old, the fascinating romance at its heart continues to sustain its popularity. The story focuses on two ex-lovers, each of whom undergoes a serious procedure in order to erase all memory of their previous relationship.

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Despite the best efforts of Clementine (Kate Winslet) and Joel (Jim Carrey), they cannot seem to escape one another, with their bond transcending time and logic. The movie explores what it means to be someone's "soulmate," and how that meaning changes with loss, through incredible visuals from former music video wizard Michel Gondry.

Harold And Maude (1971)

Harold and Maude stand together looking surprised

Originally quite controversial when it debuted in 1971, Harold and Maude tells the story of a wealthy, bored young man named Harold (Bud Cort) and a free-spirited woman named Maude (Ruth Gordon) who fall in love despite a sixty-year age difference. Harold's obsession with suicide and Maude's habit of crashing funerals inspire them to go on further adventures that challenge death.

Though Harold's parents want to see him with a more suitable partner, and Maude is criticized for being a "cradle robber," the pair's unlikely romance is just the thing to make them — and audiences everywhere — feel alive.

Hannibal (2013 - 2015)

Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter

Despite its visceral imagery, compelling characters, and intricate storylines, the psychological thriller Hannibal only lasted three seasons on NBC before being canceled. Though it never got a coveted fourth season, fans still cannot get enough of the intriguing relationship between Dr. Lecter and FBI profiler Will Graham.

Lecter is assigned to Graham as his psychologist in an effort to help him process the gruesome murder cases he's tasked to solve. As Graham becomes more obsessed with finding the killer, he's distinctly aware he may be sitting across from him.

Their cat-and-mouse game, in which their fascination with one another becomes a palpable passion, made for one of television's most striking and twisted takes on the star-crossed lovers trope.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

My Beautiful Laundrette Daniel Day Lewis

When Omar (Gordon Warnecke), a young Pakistani man, is attacked by a group of racist thugs, he tries to defuse the situation by appealing to their leader, who happens to be his former lover, Johnny (Daniel-Day Lewis). After the incident, Johnny starts to come around the laundromat Omar was given by his uncle, and the two go into business together.

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Juggling a variety of touchy subjects, My Beautiful Laundrette nevertheless explores them with unflinching grace. It examines the racism, homophobia, and class consciousness of the seedy side of London in the '80s with a deft touch, and the material is only elevated by the commanding performances of the leads, who convince us that a racist skinhead and a person of color could fall for one another.

The Lady Eve (1941)

The Lady Eve

When con artist Jean (Barbara Stanwyck) sets her sights on millionaire Charles (Henry Fonda), she plans on taking him for all of his fortune. Unfortunately for her plan, she starts falling in love with him. After he suspects she might be trying to scam him, he breaks things off. Consumed by love and revenge, Jean concocts a new scheme to win him back.

Posing as the charming and affluent Lady Eve Sidwich, she makes herself irresistible to Charlie, and he can't help but fall under her spell for a second time. While on the surface the movie might appear to be a battle of the sexes, it becomes so much more than that with its clever banter and the charisma of its two leads, both of whom exhibit venom but secretly revere one another.

Blade Runner (1982)

Rachael and Deckard in Blade Runner

In a world where androids can be made to look exactly like humans, it's difficult for Detective Deckard (Harrison Ford) to spot the real thing. When a series of military-grade replicants revolt and return to Earth from the colonies, Deckard has to utilize a special test to get them to reveal their programming. While testing it on Rachael, a replicant who doesn't know what she is, Deckard discovers he's capable of falling in love with one.

Blade Runner is at all times an action-packed film noir, but at its center is an exploration of what it means to be human, one Deckard can't undergo when he's only fighting the replicants. He has to learn to love them, too, as they learn to love humanity and want to remain a part of it. But just like their limited life spans, love is fleeting.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Before Sunrise

When an American tourist (Ethan Hawke) is on his way to Vienna, he meets Céline (Julie Delpy) who's traveling to Paris, and their conversations inspire him to ask if she'll get off the train with him instead. She abandons her trip to Paris in favor of wandering the streets with him until dawn, when his flight will separate them — possibly forever.

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The first in the "Before" trilogy, Before Sunrise explores the reckless abandon of young love and has become an indie classic since its release in the mid-'90s. It was followed by Before Sunset (2004), which explores the lives of the two characters ten years after that fateful night, and finally, Before Midnight (2013), when the lovers reexamine their lives together in middle-age.

She's Gotta Have It (1986)

She's Gotta Have It

In Spike Lee's black-and-white classic She's Gotta Have It, savvy Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) is pursued by three different men, each possessing traits different from the other. There's the polite Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks), the vain model Greer Childs (John Canada Terrell), and the fast-talking Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee). Nola doesn't feel like she needs to commit to any of them, but they feel differently.

Eventually, Nola must choose between her personal freedom or a life of monogamy, and while she gives the latter a try, after a time pledges herself to the former. She equates monogamy to "slavery" and decides to live her life as she sees fit.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Edward Scissorhands awkwardly hugs Kim

After the death of his creator, a scared young humanoid (Johnny Depp) lives alone in an empty manor until a curious neighbor invites him to live with her. Despite possessing scissors for hands and being barely able to speak, he nevertheless tries to integrate himself into his new family's life.

Eventually, he falls in love with his adopted mother's daughter (Winona Ryder), a pretty cheerleader who's never been exposed to anyone like him. While she initially expresses disgust in his romantic gestures, she soon realizes it's she — and not he — who's ugly for judging his appearance. A little Phantom of the Opera meets Frankenstein by way of Beauty and the Beast makes Edward Scissorhands a quirky fairytale that has been popular for over thirty years.

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