LGBTQ+ cinema has been having a pretty good time recently. We’ve had Love Simon, Call Me By Your Name, Moonlight, and God’s Own Country to name a few.
Then there are the classics that you probably will have heard of. You know, Brokeback Mountain, Blue Is The Warmest Colour, The Danish Girl. The big ones.
But aside from a few blockbuster hits, LGBTQ+ cinema is – I find – pretty crappy. There isn’t a huge array to choose from. And then when you do stumble upon a gay-themed movie you’ve not heard of before, half the time it’s either so low budget that your mouth starts to ache from cringing so much, or the storyline is just downright terrible.
With that having been said, there are some exceptions. You have to sort of scour around you a little bit, it’s not exactly like Hollywood is proudly waving a rainbow flag just yet. But if you’re a gay person who, like me, sometimes just wants to watch a storyline that you can relate to, or if you’re just curious about LGBTQ+ life, then give some of these a watch.
Weekend
“I just thought that we were having a really nice time, and it was lovely. It was more than enough for me.”
I remember going to see this film back in 2011 when it was showing in a few of London’s more progressive cinemas. It felt so amazing, to be watching a love story between two boys, on the big screen, in public.
Possibly because of that, I have such a soft spot in my heart for this film. It reminds me of still finding myself, of figuring out my sexuality, and of trying to navigate my own feelings, all of which are explored in the film. And it just left me feeling all sorts of emotions for days.
Theo And Hugo
“If you want, I can leave. No problem. Or I can stay. It’s up to you. If you want to know, I’d like to stay.”
This 2016 French film takes place over the course of one night. As a forewarning: do not watch with anyone you feel uncomfortable around…the first fifteen minutes of the film are pretty hardcore.
But why I like this film is because it feels very real. The story is about two guys who don’t really know each other. They have sex, after which one of them admits they didn’t use a condom. It’s kind of a story that will probably resonate with a lot of gay men, and one that has some really touching moments.
Kiki
“We’ve still got to fight for our equality in the workplace. We’ve still got to fight for LGBT homelessness. We’ve got to fight for trans rights. There’s so much left.”
If you’ve ever seen the iconic, and controversial, documentary Paris Is Burning, this is kind of a modern day take on it.
Admittedly, I wouldn’t say that it’s the best film out there, but I do think it’s worth a watch. It looks at the Kiki scene in New York, which is a sub-culture of the LGBT community that focuses on the vogueing and ballroom scene, much like the motivation behind Paris Is Burning.
You get an insight with this film. An insight into black and ethnic LGBT experiences, particularly trans ones. And the film also has a lot of take away, about the progress and fights our community still has.
Jongens
This film is kind of a classic coming of age teenage film, and you know what, sometimes that’s exactly what I’m in the mood for.
I definitely want the conversation in LGBTQ+ cinema to not just focus on the narrative of coming to terms with your sexuality, but actually, that’s something that we all go through, and it’s still nice to watch if it’s done well.
It’s not the most amazing film in the world, but it gave me feels. The story is kind of predictable, the soundtrack suits it, and actually I came away just feeling a little warm inside.
The Handmaiden
The Handmaiden is a film that a friend told me to watch, and I was totally thrown by it. I hadn’t expected it to really do much for me; the trailer makes it look a little art-house, and I couldn’t work out what the story was actually about.
But I really liked it! It’s about two women who fall in love in a really unusual setting. And it’s smart. You can’t guess what’s going to happen, there are moments that make you cry, and moments that make you air punch with happiness. I definitely recommend a watch!