Love is a complex emotion that has puzzled people for centuries. Many areas of art, including cinema, give a special place to the coverage of this topic, one of the brightest examples is the film Love Actually. In this essay, I will explore the concepts of stages of romantic relationships and love languages and use specific examples from the movie Love Actually to demonstrate my understanding of these concepts and how they relate to individual characters and relationships. The film unifies several storylines of characters on the eve of Christmas, each of which is at a different stage of a romantic relationship. The narrative follows the intertwined lives of numerous characters as they experience love in all of its forms, from initial infatuation to long-term relationships, and unrequited, friendly, and lost love.
Love is heterogeneous, and its manifestations, forms and ways of expression are associated with many factors and change over time. The stages of romantic relationships relate to the many periods that partners go through as their relationship develops through time (Abrams). These stages typically include the euphoric stage, early attachment, crisis stage, and deep attachment (Abrams). Their sub-categories are an attraction, dating, romance, commitment, and possibly marriage. In Love Actually, examples of all stages of romantic relationships can be seen. For example, the Prime Minister and his assistant Natalie are at the euphoric stage, and their sub-categories evolve from attraction to dating. Jamie Bennett and Aurelia are in early attachment stage. Alan Rickman’s character and his wife go through a crisis stage, dealing with difficulties and thoughts of betrayal.
Love languages refer to the different ways that people express and receive love. Words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch are the five most common love languages (Chapman). Each person has a primary love language through which they like to receive love and affection from others (Chapman). In Love Actually we see examples of different love languages. For instance, The Prime Minister and Natalie use words of affirmation, as their communication turns out to be unexpectedly open and real from the very moment they met. Mia is in love with her boss Harry, who is married and has doubts about whether to start a relationship with her, fearing for her marriage. Her love language is physical touch, as she tends to show her attention to Harry by hugging him, dancing with him, and trying to touch him when talking casually.
Jamie Bennett and Aurelia speak different languages and do not understand each other at first, but acts of service and quality time allow their love to open up despite the language barrier. Although Mark’s love is unrequited, it still has its own language. He is secretly in love with his best friend’s wife, Juliet, and seeks to hide his feelings, and even avoids her. But when she accidentally finds out about his feelings, it becomes clear that his love language is words of affirmation. For this reason, he tried not to talk to her before, as for him it is an expression of his love. In the famous signing scene, he also uses words to reveal his feelings for her.
The movie Love Actually provides a great example of the concepts of stages of romantic relationships and love languages. It shows how different stages of romantic relationships are portrayed in various characters and how different love languages are portrayed in different characters and relationships. By understanding these concepts, it becomes possible to better appreciate the complexities of love and relationships, and how they evolve and change over time.
Works Cited
Abrams, Allison. “Navigating the 4 Stages of a Relationship.” Verywell Mind, 2023. Web.
Chapman, Gary D. The five love languages: How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate. Lulu Press Inc, 2022.
Love Actually. Directed by Richard Curtis, DNA Films, 2003.