Original artwork, not a still
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.
— Love Actually · 2003
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It sets the film's argument before the first joke: that if you want proof of love, skip the headlines and watch people hugging at an airport. The line is warm and slightly defiant, which suits a film that is sentimental on purpose. The phrase 'arrivals gate at Heathrow' has become shorthand for reunions, and it is still quoted every Christmas, often by people who have never seen the rest of the film.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Love ActuallyShow the scene
These are the first words of Love Actually (2003), spoken as voice-over by David, the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant), before any story begins. Over footage of strangers and families meeting at the arrivals gate of Heathrow Airport, he argues that the world is not as full of hatred and greed as people say, and that love is everywhere, even if it is rarely dignified or newsworthy. Writer-director Richard Curtis then cuts into the film's interlocking Christmas stories, set across the five weeks before the holiday. The film returns to the Heathrow arrivals gate near the end, where several of its couples reunite.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Love ActuallyDavid, the Prime Minister (first lines)Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Love ActuallyPlot, and Production: DevelopmentReference checked
- Love Actually script (Springfield! Springfield!)opening monologueReference checked
Context reviewed
