For many, Valentine’s Day remains closely coupled with romance. However, there are many types of love to be celebrated: love for family, friends and community. In order to honor all forms of love this Valentine’s Day, The Daily Texan compiled a list of movies showcasing more than just romantic relationships. 

This is Where I Leave You

Shawn Levy’s 2014 film “This is Where I Leave You” explores grief and love existing as two sides of the same coin. The movie follows Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) as he mourns the death of his father, which happens to coincide with the end of his marriage. Stuck in his childhood home and dealing with a messy divorce, Altman goes through the growing pains of grief with his siblings and mother by his side. Although irritated at first, Altman slowly starts to appreciate his family for all their quirks, gaining a new perspective after a devastating loss. Heartfelt and hilarious, “This is Where I Leave You” stands as an ode to family and those who love unconditionally and recklessly. 

Juno

Not the typical coming-of-age film, “Juno” subverts cliches and common romance tropes at every second, proving to be a complex and nuanced movie about a weird, unexpected kind of love. Spunky teen Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page) finds herself pregnant with an unwanted child and eventually chooses to give the baby up for adoption to a seemingly perfect suburban couple. Met with tremendous backing from her stepmother (Allison Janney), best friend (Olivia Thirlby) and the baby’s adopted mother (Jennifer Garner), Juno navigates the difficult emotions and day-to-day realities of being a pregnant high schooler with an army of support behind her. No matter the situation or circumstance in which it comes, parenthood takes a lot of help, and “Juno” shows audiences the beauty of love from all sorts of people who want their children to be happy. 

Instant Family

“Instant Family” follows couple Pete and Ellie Wagner (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne), who decide to become foster parents to three siblings who spent several years moving from foster home to foster home. Riddled with trust issues and resentment, the transition to living with the Wagners proves to be a tricky journey for the siblings, who all have reservations about their new home. Although heartbreaking at times, “Instant Family” paints a picture of unconventional family building, telling the untold aspects of the foster care system through the lens of two parents and three children who are all looking for love and acceptance. 

Kodachrome

After being estranged for decades, Matt Ryder (Jason Sudeikis) gets a message that his father, Benjamin (Ed Harris), a retired photographer, has only a few more weeks to live. Before his death, he’d like to develop one last roll of now-discontinued film. Wanting to use the trip to Kansas, where the last Kodachrome lab stands, as a method of reconnecting with his son, Benjamin extends an olive branch to Matt in his final days. The movie gets its name from Kodachrome film, which became famous for its unique color dye system that created richer images and shades within photographs. Similar to its namesake, the film shows the deeper intricacies of father-son relationships through a seemingly simple storyline. Rich with heart and lessons in resentment, “Kodachrome” tells the story of a son and his father learning to love again.