Valentine’s Day can be hard, no matter your relationship status. Your search for a great Valentine’s Day movie need not be.

With love stories come love tropes—themes that give us expectations of how two characters (or sometimes more) will execute their scripted prophecy. Here are some of our favorites films that embrace these tried-and-true themes to watch for Valentine's Day,

From “Love Jones” and “Rye Lane” to “Claudine” and “Slyvie’s Love,” we’ve gathered 15 iconic Black romance films.