A romance feature film typically runs 95-110 pages and is defined by love stories driven by chemistry, obstacles, and emotional vulnerability between two characters. the relationship is the plot — everything else is context.
The leads must meet by page 12 and have immediate, undeniable chemistry or friction. Every scene should either bring them closer or push them apart — no neutral scenes. The obstacle keeping them apart must be internal (emotional walls, past trauma, incompatible goals) not just external. Dialogue carries the romance — it should crackle with subtext. Physical intimacy should escalate naturally alongside emotional intimacy. The 'grand gesture' ending must feel earned, not manufactured.
Act one establishes both characters independently then engineers their meeting (20-25 pages). Act two is the courtship — attraction, deepening connection, then the mid-act complication that threatens everything (55-60 pages). Act three begins with a breakup or separation, then builds to reconciliation or acceptance (20-25 pages). The climactic scene must resolve the internal obstacle, not just the external one.
Write the scene where your leads meet first — it needs to establish chemistry or friction immediately.
Define the internal obstacle keeping them apart. External obstacles alone make thin romances.
Every scene should either bring them closer together or push them further apart. No neutral scenes.
Write the breakup before you write the reconciliation. Knowing how they fall apart tells you what needs to heal.
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