Maudern Movies, a weekly series that curates films for your viewing pleasure.
As we enter week 687 of staying in, there are few ways by which to curb wanderlust: Clicking around Google Earth—we recommend their tours of National Parks—or Arts & Culture, diving into 52 Books for 52 Places (because NY Times Travel is on pause) or our favorite pastime, taking in a classic love abroad story via our television screens.
Whether it's seeing the Kenyan plains via a plane with Robert Redford (cue Toto) or strolling the banks of the Seine with Julie Delpy, combining a faraway place and the tensions of budding love is always a good idea.
Here are five features that will whisk you away, no packing required.
Out of Africa, 1985 (Kenya)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer
Set in 20th century colonial Kenya, Karen Blixen (Streep) heads to Africa from Denmark to join her husband Bror (Brandauer). When Blixen arrives to scene, she realizes not only has her husband spent their money on a coffee plantation, she also learns he's been unfaithful. She embarks on a journey of rebuilding; starting a passionate love affair with a free-spirited hunter, Denys (Redford).
Where to watch: Hulu, Vudu, Amazon
Before Sunrise, 1995 (Austria)
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert
What's more romantic than sharing a train ride through the European countryside? While traveling back to Vienna to catch a flight home, Jesse (Hawke) meets Celine (Delpy), a student returning to Paris. After a long ride of chatting and sharing flirty glances, Jesse convinces Celine to get off at his stop. Broke and nowhere to go, the two wander the city of Vienna until his flight the next morning — both aware of a goodbye that soon awaits.
Where to watch: Amazon, Vudu
Lost in Translation, 2003 (Japan)
Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
A Coppola classic, the movie follows Bob Harris (Murray), a big-time movie star becoming ever-so-aware of his age and loneliness. While on location in Tokyo, Bob meets with Charlotte (Johansson), a conflicted newly-wed who is tagging along with her photographer husband. An unlikely pair, they soon begin to develop a bond defined by their shared existential crises.
Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon, Vudu
The Loneliest Planet, 2011 (Georgia)
Directed by: Julia Loktev
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina Gujabidze
Set in the country of Georgia, recently-engaged couple Alex (Bernal) and Nica (Furstenberg) hire a local guide (Gujabidze) to take them on a backpacking trip through the Caucasus Mountains. While trekking through the wilderness, their encounter with suspecting local creates unforeseen tension. The scene quickly escalates and sets a new tone of uncertainty for their relationship.
Where to watch: Amazon
The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014 (Hungary)
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric
It's the 1930s and the Grand Budapest Hotel is the one of the most popular ski resorts in Europe. Gustave H. (Fiennes), a top-notch concierge and a very special friend to the elderly guests (you know what we mean), goes from revered employee to the chief suspect in one his lover's mysterious deaths.
Where to watch: Amazon, Vudu
