Collider’s 10 best romance films directed by women, led by Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Collider published a list on Jan. 29, 2026, ranking the 10 best romance films directed by women. The piece, written by freelance writer Daniela, highlights female-directed romances across decades and genres. At No. 1 is Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), praised for its painterly visuals and its slow-burning, forbidden relationship between a painter and an aristocrat.

The entry notes the film’s performances and its ache for restraint and longing. No. 2 is Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993), described as a sweeping exploration of desire and repression; the article highlights its cinematography and score, Anna Paquin’s Oscar win at age 11, and that it was the first film directed by a woman to win the Palme d’Or.

The list also includes recent and modern touchstones: Past Lives (2023), Celine Song’s understated reunion drama about missed chances; Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003), a study of fleeting connection set in Tokyo; and Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail (1998), noted as a quintessential ’90s romantic comedy rooted in early online culture.

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