Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude is one of those rare films that feels completely its own. Countercultural director Hal Ashby, working from a script by Colin Higgins, turns this idiosyncratic American fable into a comedy that still lands with warmth, wit, and a beautifully off-centre spirit.

At its heart is the emotional and romantic bond between a death-obsessed young man from a wealthy family, played by Bud Cort, and a devil-may-care bohemian sixty years his senior, played by Ruth Gordon. Equal parts gallows humour and real sincerity, it quietly dissolves boundaries of class, gender, and age.

It also features indelible performances throughout and a remarkable soundtrack by Cat Stevens, giving Harold and Maude even more of its enduring charm.