Top 10 Movie Couples That Were Doomed from the Start

When watching this frenetic jukebox musical filled with color and love, it can be easy to forget the dark story framing it from jump. The film chronicles the tale of writer Christian and performer Satine, who despite all odds fall in love in 1899 Paris. She has been promised to the wealthy and nefarious Duke of Monroth, however. Although Satine chooses love over money and Christian escapes a murderous plot, their time together is cut tragically short due to her untimely death at the hands of a terminal illness. Indeed, the pair are essentially doomed from the start. At least by writing their love story, Christian ensures that it, and Satine, can live on.

It's impossible to deny the chemistry that frequent co-leads Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling share. This is particularly true in “La La Land,” where they play a pair of creative dreamers in Los Angeles. The film calls back to classic musicals of the past, with their characters Seb and Mia falling in love in a series of beautifully choreographed musical numbers. However, the story also aims to be more grounded and realistic in its bittersweet depiction of romance, and problems arise between the couple. Soon, it becomes clear they need to let each other go to achieve their goals. Though we get a gorgeous, heart-wrenching glimpse at what might have been in the end, they do ultimately go their separate ways.

Many romances are doomed by circumstance. Sadly, this tale of two American cowboys falling in love in a world that won’t accept them is a prime example of this. Jack and Ennis, played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, form an intense romantic and sexual bond. Unfortunately, it’s constantly plagued by others’, and their own, toxic masculinity. Despite years apart, and their own marriages to women, they are drawn together again each time they meet, before always being violently torn apart. They never have a chance to get things right, as Jack passes away. It’s particularly tragic when you consider how a better, less homophobic world would have spared them such unbearable heartache.

From an early age Nora, born Na Young, and Hae Sung seem destined to be together. However, Nora’s move from Korea to Canada with her family changes both their lives. When Nora and Hae Sung reconnect online over a decade later, the spark remains. But as is so often the case, the timing and geography are all wrong. Twelve more years later, they reconnect again. Now, Nora is married to Arthur, and she truly does love him. Though she’s pulled towards her childhood love, the writing is on the wall: it’s not meant to be (not in this life, anyway). “Past Lives” upends the conventions surrounding love triangles to poignant effect, while confirming that destiny will forever hold Nora, Hae Sung, and even Arthur together.

Missed opportunities and unfortunate circumstances get in these soulmates’ way. Meeting early on, Benjamin and Daisy grow fond of each other. The only problem is that physically, Benjamin ages in reverse. This keeps them apart most of their lives as she grows older and he becomes younger. They’re only able to find happiness for a brief moment when their ages align, even starting a family. But there’s no way it can last. Benjamin disappears, wandering the world in his youthful twilight years. Their paths cross one other time as lovers, before things take a turn. In the end, she becomes his caregiver until his passing. Their emotional connection is everlasting, which makes the fact that no happy ending can exist for them a true tragedy.

Charlie Kaufman’s existential romantic sci-fi drama asks an important question. Is it better to forget one you onced loved, or to embrace the pain and remember the good times and the bad? Joel and Clementine each opt for a procedure to forget the other, and as his memories are erased we see their highs and lows. Despite the wipe, they’re pulled together again. Still, the revelation of their mutually forgotten past, and how messy things got, gives them pause. In the bittersweet ending, they decide to rekindle things, likely realizing they’ll fall into the same traps. It seems they’re doomed to repeat their breakup, possibly over and over.

Over the years, Shakespeare's play about doomed lovers has been adapted to film countless times, and it never gets less heartbreaking. Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes modernized the tragedy, putting the director’s signature spin on the star-crossed lovers’ story. However, nothing beats the 1968 movie and the powerful performances from Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in the title roles. Members of warring Montagues and Capulets, their loved ones harm each other while they wed in secret. In one of the most tragic and well-known endings of all time, Juliet fakes her death, leading to Romeo taking his own life. She soon follows suit. Only then do their families realize the error of their ways.

Moving into neighboring apartments, Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen often see each other in passing, with director Wong Kar-wai beautifully capturing stolen glances between them. Eventually they form a bond, supported by their shared love of martial arts fiction and a discovery that their spouses are having an affair. What begins as role play wondering what their cheating partners did turns into genuine affection and eventually love. Torn about whether they should act on their feelings, they almost run away together. Sadly, Su’s late arrival keeps them apart. We hope they’ll subsequently find their way to each other, but sadly, the ensuing years are filled with near misses. In the end, their love is nothing more than an unrealized whisper, sealed away.

Some doomed romances come as surprises, but others, including this one, arrive with a ticking clock. Betrothed to a nobleman, Héloïse refuses to sit for the portrait that would seal her marriage. Thus, painter Marianne is brought in to discreetly capture her essence. Héloïse notices Marianne’s stolen glances and gives her some of their own as intense feelings quickly develop between them. After Marianne admits the deception, Héloïse agrees to finally pose for the portrait, sealing her future but giving the women a chance to bond further. Knowing their time together will be short, they engage in a passionate affair that comes to define their lives and haunt them forever.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Jack & Rose, “Titanic” (1997)
A Romance Cut Short by the Titular Ship’s Fate

Batman & Catwoman, “Batman Returns” (1992)
While Their Alter Egos Battle, Bruce & Selina Fall in Love

Dean & Cindy, “Blue Valentine” (2010)
Tracing a Love Story From Its Hopeful Beginning to Its Difficult Ending

Rey & Kylo, “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” (2019)
Bonded Across the Stars by the Force

Ally & Jackson, “A Star Is Born” (2018)
A Story of Music & Love That Ends in Tragedy

A random meeting at a train station grows into something neither party could have anticipated. They aren’t looking for a deep and profound romantic connection, but they find one. Laura and Alec are happily married when they strike up a casual friendship. Inevitably, they realize that they have fallen in love. The story is set in a prim and proper period around the 1940s, and they’re torn between their connection and loyalties to their respective families. In other words, the writing is on the wall — there’s no way this ends well. Sure enough, after finally admitting their feelings, the opportunity for intimacy is stolen from them. They’re even robbed of a chance for one last embrace in a heartbreaking finale.

Which doomed movie couples broke your heart? Write them a love letter in the comments below.