Best Of 2021: 11 Shows, Films That Gave Us A Realistic Picture Of The Modern Dating World!

Long gone has the time when love was all about roaming in sarso-ka-khet and dancing in beautiful locales of Switzerland in movies and shows. Filmmakers now focus on the more realistic aspect of love and romance.

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Relationships and friendships are messy, and what we see in movies and series is a lot closer to reality. In 2021, we saw messy love, dysfunctional families. Finally, we see that ending a relationship doesn't always have to be messy.

In the fourth season of Little Things, we saw Kavya and Dhruv have an adult conversation about how not having kids won't be a deal-breaker in their relationship.

Here's a closer look at the series and show and how they gave us a realistic take on love, life and everything in between.

1. This Little Love Of Mine

Netflix

When a workaholic lawyer returns to her island home to convince an old friend to take over his family's company -there is drama, feelings, romance and a lot of other things that unfold. This romantic film was directed by Christine Luby, written by Morgan Ingari and starred Saskia Hampele, Liam McIntyre, and Lynn Gilmartin.

Watch the movie here.

2. Aspirants

YouTube

Aspirants, a series shot across five episodes, is set in Rajendra Nagar, the area in Delhi that¡¯s known for providing the best UPSC training. The story unfolds in a non-linear manner and showcases different timelines six years apart. When Abhilash (Naveen Kasturia) is joined by Guri (Shivankit Singh Parihar) and SK (Abhilash Thapliyal), their friendships and relationships get in the way as they try to crack the country¡¯s most coveted exam.

Apart from showcasing the struggles of aspirants, the show gives us a realistic take on how romance is a struggle for two people struggling to crack the same exam or make their career in the same profession.

Watch the mini-series here.

3. Little Things 4

Netflix

There couldn¡¯t have been a better season finale! Dhruv and Kavya fought against all odds to make their imperfect relationship work, giving us some excellent advice on how relationships need a lot of patience, hard work and faith.

Watch the show here.

4. Broken But Beautiful Season 3

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Agastya and Rumi's love story is far from perfect, but it does teach us a lot. It also teaches you that sometimes love means sacrificing and moving on instead of forcefully trying to make something work.

Women of the show are seen taking intelligent decisions, which may often sabotage a relationship. Still, the most important lesson from the show lies in its lesson that every individual must choose their dignity and self-respect over everything else.

Watch the show here.

5. Never Have I Ever 2

Amazon Prime Video

Never Have I Ever isn't your usual teenage show. Instead, it manages to highlight new questions and issues (in our society) subtly. Be it prejudices, stereotypes or questions that most teenagers have about sexual orientation, the storyline manages to do justice to every plot. It also gives you a closer look at loss, grief, and the darkness that emanates from these feelings. Devi and her family are far from perfect, but the way the show deals with relationships and friendships is realistic and heartwarming.

Watch the show here.

6. Firefly Lane

Netflix

This show is the story of two friends Tully and Kate. While their friendship begins because of a stroke of faith, they decide to stick around because of choice- they keep choosing each other despite every obstacle that life chooses to throw at them.

These challenges include divorce, alcoholism, drug addiction, miscarriage, and sexism at the workplace. The show is realistic and heartwarming, which is why fans are eagerly waiting for the second season of the show.

Watch the show here.

7. On The Verge

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On The Verge, created, written and directed by Before trilogy (Before sunrise, before sunset and before midnight), Julie Delpy make a sincere attempt to take a closer look at the lives of four forty-something women.

These women are struggling to recapture the lives they treasured before families, work, and other commitments got in the way. The show offers a unique and realistic take on midlife crises.

Watch the series here.

8. The map of tiny perfect things

Netflix

When Mark and Margaret decide to make a ¡°map of tiny perfect things¡± that they spot around the town¡ªmoments like a child blowing a balloon, an older couple playing cards, or a janitor playing the piano¡ªthey get boundless opportunities to give a little and take a little. Mark is too stuck in a time loop like the movie Palm Springs.

Watch the movie here.

9. Love Life Season 2

Lionsgate Play

After the success of season one, which followed Darby (played by Anna Kendrick) and her chaotic and messy love life, season two revolves around the same concept with a new character and, this time, a male.

A character named Marcus. Marcus is a book editor who has been 'happily married for several years, but he starts to take a closer look at marriage as he meets Mia and he feels a spark that he feels has been missing in is marriage. The show then moves ahead with new characters entering Marus' life and how he explores other romantic adventures (mostly messy and unsuccessful)

Watch the series here.

10. Love Hard

Netflix

Directed by Hern¨¢n Jim¨¦nez, the movie revolves around Natalie (Nina Dobrev), a Los Angeles journalist. Her unfortunate dating encounters is why she has a job at a digital publication, as she writes them. However, she gets hopeful when she matches with her dream guy on the East Coast, Tag (Darren Barnet). The film streaming on Netflix gives you a closer look at the pitfalls of online dating and how love is a lot more than physical attraction.

Watch the movie here.

11. Scenes From A Marriage

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This HBO series, scenes from a Marriage, is a refreshed take on the 1973 Swedish Ingmar Bergman drama by the same name, written and directed by Hagai Levi and stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. In the series, Jonathan (Oscar Isaac) and Mira (Jessica Chastain) struggle with their relationship slowly disintegrating.

Watch the mini-drama series here.

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