Among other contrarian-type things (St. V’s has always been a more family-oriented holiday, in my house, with an emphasis on creativity over consumerism), I like to put out a list or host a showing of a decidedly not traditional Valentine’s Day movie.
I look for movies that explore the meaning of love, the suffering that accompanies real love, or the numerous (not always romantic!) forms that deep love can take.
I got really lucky, this time, and found what I think is a real gem. Thoughtful, absurd, and filmed in just three days on the grand budget of $2000 — 
Travis Betz’s flawed but ultimately refreshing and intelligent film Lo might just be the perfect cure for what ails you (if what ails you is the holiday’s consumerism, coupletalism, stereotyping, and all other unpleasant -isms).
This is the kind of picture Hollywood simply doesn’t deliver, especially when it comes to the message (a message presented with a respectful ambiguity, too— not with the sledgehammer that drives most inane romcom plots).
It’s part drama, part dark comedy— a little too padded, but more than creative and sincere enough to make up for any amateurish flaws. And it’s going to stay a part of my Valentine’s Day tradition for years to come.
