The sun is setting. Two character gaze longingly into each other's eyes. The camera shifts to a profiled two-shot, with the setting sun shimmering between them in the background. Their faces now silhouettes, the characters move closer, slowly covering the sun until at last... their lips meet.
A fairly common kiss, combining the power of the sun with the Power of Love. Variations include kissing in front of the moon or some other light source, or holding each other without kissing. Expect lots and lots of Lens Flare.
Interesting note: From a lighting standpoint, when the actors are backlit their faces are obscured or silhouetted. Once they kiss, they block out the light coming through, meaning the camera can finally see their faces. A kiss turning shadows into people... There's something symbolic in that.
Compare Full Moon Silhouette. Sometimes overlaps with Beach Kiss. A subtrope of The Big Damn Kiss.
Examples:
- In the final episode of F-Zero: GP Legend, Rick Wheeler meets his girlfriend, Haruka Misaki, at the same city park where he planned to propose to her 150 years ago. She happily accepts the ring and the two kiss, blocking the sun.
- The Greatest Showman: Phillip and Anne at the end, during the reprise of "The Greatest Show", with a bright stage light.
- Inverted Trope in Incest! The Musical. When they kiss during the song "I Know It's Wrong", you can see their faces right up until they kiss, at which point a bright gym light obscures them.
- The Island (2005): Right before Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta launch their rescue mission, they discuss what they'll do after, and then, Cue this trope...
- Pride & Prejudice (2005) has one of these near the end, when Darcy and Lizzie confess their love. Of course, it's sunrise, not sunset, and there's technically no kiss, but the concept is there.
- Occurs in The Princess Bride toward the beginning; combined with sunset for a nice effect, and promptly spoiled by the grandson interrupting:
Grandson: Is this a kissing book?
- Slumdog Millionaire has one in the last few seconds of the film.
- In True Lies, there's a variation involving Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzneggar. Instead of the sun, their kiss blocks out a nuclear explosion.
- The Last Jedi features a maybe-platonic, maybe-not variant between Finn and Rose during the climax. After Rose crashes her speeder to save Finn's life, she kisses him, and her head blocks the explosion from the First Order breaching the Resistance hideout's bunker door. It underscores what she just said about how saving what you love is more important than fighting what you hate.
- Spider-Man: No Way Home: Peter and MJ share one towards the end. After he tells her that he is going to be erased from everybody's memories, and she delivers an Anguished Declaration of Love, he promises he will find her in the new world and remind her of what the two meant to each other before they kiss passionately, just as the morning sun rises behind them.
- Doctor Who: In "The Parting of the Ways", when the Doctor and Rose kiss when he takes the power she absorbed out of her. Bonus points for having the freakin' Time Vortex providing the background light.
- Barry and Iris do this for their first kiss in The Flash.
- Luke and June have this lighting for their first kiss in a flashback in The Handmaid's Tale.
- Gwen and Arthur's first kiss
in Merlin. Even those who dislike the ship are forced to admit that it's a beautiful, beautiful kiss. Happens again when Arthur proposes for the second time.
- In the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Dot and Hugh at the end of Ruddy Gore.
- The Monkees episode "One Man Shy" has this trope (Peter and Girl of the Week, Valerie) during one of the romps to "I'm a Believer."
- In Once Upon a Time, Robin and Marian in "Heart of Gold", and Hercules with Snow White in "Labor of Love".
- In Primeval, Cutter and Claudia have this in episode 5 of Series 1. It's a much-awaited moment and arguably one of the best in the series.
- In Pushing Daisies, Ned and Chuck do this in a flashback to when they were kids. It's adorable.
- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: After Charlotte and George are officially married, they share a kiss blocking the sunlight from the church window.
