Love. Think of the word and any number of phrases might be tagged along with it. Pain. Desire. Passion. Happiness. Think of the word as writer and director Richard Curtis did, and you’ve got yourself a movie. “Love Actually” (2003) explores just that in this romantic comedy set in London. With stars like Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, and Emma Thompson, this movie follows the lives of many different people dealing with one similar issue: love. As the month before Christmas quickly passes by, each character must come to terms with his/her feelings in the hopes of finding a happier life. This is not without drawbacks, though. Although this film focuses mainly on what it is like to be in love, it also addresses difficult issues such as dishonesty, lust, and death. With its quirky sense of humor, this film does an outstanding job of depicting that, according to the script, “love actually is all around.”

The characters are what make “Love Actually” simply unforgettable. The poignant things they say and do have the ability to resonate with an audience and overall make the storyline more relatable. Jamie (played by Firth) discovers love in a seemingly impossible, hopeless situation and goes to extreme levels to pursue it. His character is revealed through innocent displays of affection, self-depreciating humor, and admirable acts of spontaneity. Firth marvelously portrayed the role of Jamie by including his signature unaware charm: the one he has come to express in other films such as “What A Girl Wants” (2003) and “Girl With A Pearl Earring” (2003). It is difficult not to fall in love with him simply because he makes his characters come to life. This star-studded cast also included Hugh Grant, an actor best known for his roles in “About A Boy” (2002) and his co-starring role alongside Firth in “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001). As his character, the Prime Minister of England, Grant exposes the simple man beneath the exterior leadership role. As civilians cheer for him and stare wide-eyed in his presence, he displays a great amount of humility and self-awareness. His modest portrayal of a character, whose position is meant to be above that of the average person, helps clarify one of the main thematic elements in this film: love is everywhere, and it affects every human being.

The beginning of the movie is arguably one of the most striking moments in the entire film, and there were many technical and musical elements used in order to make it this way. With subtle lighting and crowded shots, it appears as though someone brought a camera to an airport and simply began filming. The people pictured do not appear again; they are solely there to represent love’s presence in that particular moment. The scene itself is muted. The words spoken or exclamations made cannot be heard; rather, the audience is left to figure out what is being said through gestures and facial expressions. The simple piano melody accompanying it evokes feelings of warmth and compassion, allowing the audience to feel the love that the people in the scene are feeling. Hugh Grant’s character narrates over displays of affection, explaining his reasoning behind his belief that love still exists. The introduction ends with this simple phrase: “love actually is all around.” These words also appear on the screen, and all of them except for one are white. The word “is” is highlighted in red, making it stand out from the rest. This decision emphasizes not only that love is everywhere, but that it simply is. It exists, despite the coinciding presence of hate.

Technical elements are also evident in the movements of the camera. In the wedding scene, as Juliet (Keira Knightley) walks down the aisle, the camera films only her face. The dress is ignored and so is the man escorting her, emphasizing that in that moment, her face was the only thing that mattered. When the camera first films Juliet, the scene is blurry. As it continues, she comes increasingly into focus and eventually the image is clear—revealing a beautiful, glowing woman on her wedding day.

This film’s theme is clearly stated in the beginning and is successfully carried throughout its entirety. It helps to silence all the negative claims about the lack of goodness in the world by showing and emphasizing the positive. Many of the characters portrayed have to deal with serious emotional issues: loss of love, deceit, death, and other personal struggles. Some of them have to face the glaring reality that life is not always perfect, and they have to find a way to continue moving forward despite the fact that everything seems to be falling apart. This film’s effective way of communicating the omnipresence of love can turn any unhopeful into a devout believer.

“Love Actually” is a poignant film that is chock-full of valuable lessons. Through the actors’ exceptional performances, lighting, music, and relatable thematic elements, this movie is simply unforgettable. Richard Curtis has crafted a work of art that will continue to affect audiences for years to come, because a film with a message like this will never fail to change the hearts of many.