10 quarantine movies you should be watching with your partner

Netflix romance flicks, but even those will get monotonous after a while. So what if, instead of just focusing on the romance aspect of your partnership, you watched a few films or series that will teach you some life lessons as well?

THE experts keep saying that you should use the quarantine period to get closer to your partner, but after weeks and weeks under lockdown, how much closer can you get without having the urge to scream, really? We’re sure you’ve been spending time watching a lot of

Here we’ve compiled 10 movies and series that you should be watching with your partner under lockdown, and how they can help you navigate life, love, parenting, and some of the challenges of life.

1. To the Bone

This 2017 film tells the story of Ellen, an anorexic woman who spent much of her teen years in recovery programmes that just don’t help her. It’s a movie that will be an eye-opener for parents with teenaged children, who will learn the importance of allowing independence, the impact of broken families on children, and about anorexia nervosa —the little talked about health issue that so many young people battle.

2. Moonlight

Moonlight, a 2016 American coming-of-age drama, tells the story of a Chiron, a homosexual boy, as he comes to terms with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures growing up. It’s a good one for parents who may be conflicted about raising children who are LGBT.

3. Joy

This 2019 film tells the story of Joy, a Nigerian prostitute who has to work the streets of Austria to pay off her debts, and who is called on to supervise her madam’s newest recruit, Precious, a young victim of human trafficking. The film covers issues of human trafficking, sexual slavery, and how difficult it is to escape these, as well as the struggles of migrant women who will do whatever it takes to support families left behind in their homeland.

4. Greenleaf

The 2016 series starts off innocently enough — a large, black megachurch family spreading the gospel. As a largely Christian nation, it’s something many Jamaicans can relate to — that’s until you get to season three or thereabouts, and the writers have covered all seven deadly sins, and then some.

5. Pihu

This 2018 Indian drama about a two-year-old who gets trapped inside her house for days after her mother’s suicide, will leave you in tears right through. But apart from covering the issues of suicide and depression, it also addresses marital infidelity, and the resilience of the human spirit.

6. Girl

Girl, released in 2018, tells the story of Lara, a 15-year-old trans girl who is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. It tells of the physical and emotional hurdles she endures as she prepares for gender confirmation surgery, and is a lesson for parents that even with supportive families, sometimes personal battles can overwhelm even those children who seem to have emotional strength.

7. Reign

If you’ve ever been intrigued by Mary, Queen of Scots, the best known figure in Scotland’s royal history, then Reign, the 2013 series with its steamy scenes, love triangles and political intrigue, will have you hooked.

8. Doctor Foster

When she finds out that her husband is cheating, the once sane general practitioner Dr Gemma Foster turns down a path of obsession and desperation, as she tries to seek revenge against her husband, and the woman who ruined her perfect family.

9. Bodyguard

After helping thwart a terrorist attack, war veteran David Budd is assigned to protect politician Julia Montague, who was a major proponent of the conflict he fought in. But Bodyguard is not just about protection —there’s sex, seduction, love and betrayal that makes this series an edge of your seat goodie.

10. Gypsy

In this series, psychologist Jean Holloway secretly infiltrates the private lives of her patients, leading a double life where on one hand she’s the loving wife and mother, and on the other hand she develops obsessive relationships with people close to her patients, under the alias Diane Hart.