500 Days of Summer (2009), directed by Marc Webb, is a bittersweet romantic dramedy that subverts the typical love story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tom, a hopeless romantic reflecting on his nonlinear relationship with Summer (Zooey Deschanel), a woman who doesn’t believe in love. Told out of order, the film captures the highs and heartbreaks of modern relationships with charm and honesty. It’s a story about expectations vs. reality—and learning to let go. Refreshing, emotional, and real, it reminds us: this is not a love story—it’s a story about love.
