From Bringing up Baby and Roman Holiday to My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Love Actually, what makes a film a rom-com, and can this genre teach us anything about the ethics of relationships?

This Valentine’s Day, what better pursuit than to overthink relationships? Marking the death of Stanley Cavell, Sarah Churchwell and Catherine Wheatley explore the philosophy of film in general, and the rom-com in particular. Can we take philosophical lessons from film?

Sarah Churchwell is Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities and Professorial Fellow in American Literature, School of Advanced Study, University of London.

Catherine Wheatley is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, KCL.

Chair: Shahidha Bari, Fellow, Forum for Philosophy & Professor of Fashion Cultures, UAL.