The Year That Changed Love

In 2020, love found itself tested by a country in lockdown. This intimate documentary looks at how couples across the UK adapted when social life ground to a halt and homes became the center of romance. We meet people who were estranged and discover surprising closeness when they are forced to reckon with distance, screens, and shared spaces. We also glimpse a pair who decide to quarantine together after a single date, turning a spark into a more deliberate bond amid uncertainty. Through candid conversations and quiet moments, the film shows affection rearranged by rules, fear, and ingenuity, portraying connection as something that can bend without breaking.

Directed by Clare Richards, The Year That Changed Love is an original UK documentary released in 2020. It blends observational footage with intimate interviews to map how the early pandemic reshaped romance and everyday closeness across different generations and households.

There is no reported box office figure for this documentary, reflecting its limited theatrical footprint and focus on television broadcasts and streaming platforms rather than a traditional cinema run, which makes box office data less meaningful for niche nonfiction films.

The film presents a restrained but hopeful portrait of love under pressure, inviting viewers to notice ordinary acts of care and the slow rebuilding of connection. Critics emphasize its honest, unsentimental approach, arguing that pandemic realities sharpen our sense of companionship and the value of small rituals, for many viewers.