True Romance?

A few days ago I finally watched True Romance. Written by Quentin Tarantino it outlines the instant and all consuming love between Clarence and Alabama who both ruthlessly commit to keeping this love alive and safe no matter how many lives it will cost. Of course the film has the usual dose of Tarantino violence but for me the film highlighted something that is far too often forgotten or given up on in this day and age - true love that is instant, free of drama (bar of course the drugs and killings in Tarantino's film) and most importantly equally committed to by both sides. It's a sad truth that many of my generation have begun to see that kind of relationship as a myth, either resigned to singledom within a world of dating that is vicariously lived through the world wide web or in relationships where longevity and faithfulness seem the exception rather than the rule. We have become so used to controlling all aspects of our lives and seeking out the best that is out there, always keeping out an eye for the upgrade just around the corner, that we may have lost the ability to be whipped off our feet in places we least expect to be. After all Clarence and Alabama aren't the most obvious of matches and definitely not a match based on mutual likes on Facebook, flashing up before a swipe to the left that at an instant diminishes the possibility of a romance at your finger tips before it's even begun. 

Some of my favourite movie romances indeed are of the unlikely and unmatched kind. In Lost In Translation for example Bill Murray's ageing actor character, facing a mid life crisis of sorts, finds a confidant and kindred soul in Scarlett Johannson's equally lost, though on the surface very different, character of intelligent yet naive uni grad unsure what path in life to take. Of course films are ultimately fictional and represent an idealised and dramatised version of real life but I feel we have become so cynical about the notion of "love at first sight", so calculating and more importantly wanting to be in full control of the way we think we can find love, that we may miss the opportunity of meeting someone that on paper or more accurately put through a screen may be a no but that in reality and given a chance could offer us that certain spark that will bridge all superficial differences. I guess what I am trying to say is that we have a choice of whether to settle for perfectly acceptable but ultimately deemed to fail relationships based on common interests or even worse become complete cynics that freak out at the slightest prospect of liking someone else and that the two hour journey that Clarence and Alabama took me on gave a me a little more faith in true romance.