Great Movies About Secret Love Affairs
There is nothing quite as tantalizing as seeing a secret love affair dramatized on the big screen. The top love affair movies feature private trysts, broken hearts, and steamy romances. This is a list of the greatest movies about secret love affairs including everything from Brokeback Mountain to The English Patient.
What films will you find on this list of the best secret love affair movies? In The Graduate, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has a fling with an older, married woman, but soon finds himself falling in love with her daughter. Mike Nichols took home an Oscar for directing this critically beloved film. American Beauty is another acclaimed movie about secret love affairs, both real and imaginary. The twisty Closer - also directed by Mike Nichols - is a film about an affair within an affair. Other good movies featured on this list include Unfaithful, The Good Girl, and Notes on a Scandal.
It's up to you to decide which of these affair movies deserves the top spot on this list. Vote your picks up to number one, and add any great films that are missing.
- 1Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Adrian Lyne
In this thrilling tale, a seemingly perfect marriage is shattered when one partner succumbs to temptation and begins an adulterous affair. As the deception deepens, both halves of the couple find themselves caught in a web of lies, jealousy, and desire that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.
- 2Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
A gripping psychological thriller that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish. This steamy story follows a homicide detective as he descends into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with the prime suspect: an alluring femme fatale who may or may not have killed her lover in cold blood.
- 3Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Adrian Lyne
This classic film explores the dark side of infidelity as a casual fling spirals wildly out of control. When a married man has an affair with a woman who turns out to be dangerously obsessed, he must fight to protect his family from her increasingly unhinged behavior.
- 4Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Sam Mendes
A captivating exploration of suburban ennui, discontentment, and hidden desires collide in this unforgettable drama about love and betrayal. With its iconic performances and compelling characters, it's no wonder it continues to resonate with audiences more than two decades after its release.
- 5Nicole Kidman, Ozzy Osbourne, Kylie Minogue
- Released: 2001
- Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
An enchanting musical extravaganza brimming with romance, passion, and show-stopping tunes sets the stage for a forbidden love affair between a cabaret performer and an aspiring writer. In this enchanting world where nothing is what it seems, their clandestine passion could prove costly for them both.
- 6Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini
- Released: 2005
- Directed by: Ang Lee
A tender love story about connection and longing that defies convention in every way. This Academy Award-winning film follows two cowboys who forge an intense bond while working together one summer in 1963, but find themselves unable to escape societal expectations and prejudices as they navigate their hidden relationship throughout the decades.
