The 50 Most Important Queer Films
There are as many paths to learning queer history as there are people who lived it, and many legends we’ve all but forgotten that would be household names in a fairer world. History can serve as inspiration and also help us avoid making the same damn mistakes over and over again—mistakes like forgetting that trans people of color were at the forefront of gay liberation . Pride is a time to celebrate, honor and remember all of this, whether you are trans, bisexual, ace, poly, pan, intersex, non-binary or anyone else on the gender and sexual identity and expression spectrum… or just proud by supporting my weird friends.
These 50 films reflect elements of contemporary queer history (LBGTQIA+)—sometimes dramatized, sometimes documentary, and sometimes because the film itself made history. They reflect decades of love, sex, activism and artistry. Some call for tolerance, while others give the middle finger to narrow-minded bigotry. Many ask us to love one another, but others demand that we take up the battle cry: BE GAY, COMMIT A CRIMINAL.
Or just put on some heels and watch some good movies. You’re doing it.
Salome (1923)
During the Roaring 20s, the rules governing the portrayal of homosexuals in film were a little looser than later. Germany produced several queer-positive films, while several American films played gender and sexuality roles quickly and loosely. Case in point: “Salome,” a biblical epic created by strange provocateur Alla Nazimova in the title role. Nazimova (usually referred to simply as “Nazimova”) was an early Hollywood power player and accomplished artist, based on an Oscar Wilde play that featured female characters played by men in drag, sexually explicit, and silver loincloths. wonderfully campy and stylized, and it didn’t make a dime, but it’s a reminder that there were strange people making films that your great-grandparents may have enjoyed.
With the advent of the Hays Production Code in America and the Nazi Party in Germany, it would be decades before films could again do much more than hint at unauthorized relationships.
Where to watch: Available on YouTube or for digital purchase on KinoNow (under “Pioneers: The First Women Filmmakers “).
Paris is Burning (1990)
As Faulkner said, “The past never dies. It’s not even the past. This is especially true when it comes to a strange story, as Paris is Burning makes clear. Director Jennie Livingston’s documentary, which explores New York’s drag ball culture of the late 1980s, pays particular attention to the experiences of black and Latino gay, transgender and genderqueer people, with aspects both joyful and heartbreaking. Much of what was transgressive here has permeated pop culture, for better or worse: Madonna is credited for fashion, but the style has its roots in the ballrooms of Harlem. Much of the language and culture here will make sense to fans of RuPaul or Pose , and many of the doc’s darker elements will also be familiar: racism, poverty, and anti-trans violence are all still very real parts of the queer BIPOC experience. All the more reason to value authenticity and self-expression, and give the middle finger to gender expectations.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
Mädchen in Uniform (1931)
The story of troubled schoolgirl Manuela (Herta Thiele), who quickly falls in love with a teacher at her girls’ school Mädchen in Uniform , comes at a turning point in German history: Section 175, which prohibits homosexuality, has received its first serious legal challenge. a few years earlier, and what would later be called the “decadent” Weimar era was in full swing. With kinky women behind the camera and plenty of lesbian pining and kissing on screen, the film was a hit in much of Europe, and lobbying from no less than Eleanor Roosevelt ensured that American audiences would see the film (a detail I adore). . This is a beautifully realized film about romantic longing that never devolves into melodrama; it also invites us to imagine what kind of female-centric films we might have made if there had been more women behind the camera during the golden age of cinema, as well as what might have been if the Nazis had not made the anti-gay crusade a central feature their rise to power.
Where to watch: Plex
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
Look, we’ve all had nights like this. You’re going down. You feel like you’re in possession. So why not put on some makeup, turn on the tape recorder and take the wig off the shelf? There’s a good chance you’re already singing along, but if you’re not, Hedwig is about a musical about a gender-bendered German rock singer whose botched gender reassignment surgery left them with the titular angry inch. Anticipating a much-needed cultural conversation about the gender binary by more than two decades, it’s also par excellence an old-school rock opera that isn’t made anymore. The film, based on the musical of the same name, didn’t make any money but earned its well-deserved status as a cult classic.
Where to watch: Criterion Channel.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Director James Whale (whose later life was dramatized in Gods and Monsters ) followed up what could have been the greatest of monster movies, one of the most impressive achievements in American film history: something funnier, weirder and much more weirder, with gay icon Ernest Thesiger prancing around the Gothic set, making bitchy remarks and seducing his old protégé é reanimating the dead once again. His doctor Pretorius returns into Frankenstein’s (Colin Clive) life just as the doctor is about to begin life married to Elizabeth, but given a choice, runs away to live with Pretorius instead. That’s all before Elsa Lanchester swaps her Mary Shelley outfit for a Cage Bride wig, giving birth to an icon.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
At the height of the Japanese New Wave, writer-director Toshio Matsumoto created this classic, combining ultra-realism with hauntingly beautiful, sometimes psychedelic imagery. The plot takes inspiration from the story of Oedipus Rex and turns it around, seamlessly blending the mythical with the mundane, following Eddie (Shinnosuke Ikehata) and other transgender women through the very gay Tokyo of the 1960s (“Roses” was a pun of sorts related to pansies ). The film had no problems getting released in Japan at the time, but had difficulty getting past American censors.
Where to watch : Kanopy, Night Flight
Boys in the Band (1970)
William Friedkin ( The French Connection , The Exorcist and, slightly more infamously, The Cruise ) is directing the film adaptation of the controversial off-Broadway play, controversial for the fact that every character is gay or bisexual and controversial among the queer community. audiences, as they often portray their characters as feeling sorry for themselves. It’s not exactly a rousing portrait of being gay in America, but it captures something real, if not always pretty, as a work from the pre-liberation period. And there are many aspects here that, unfortunately, are still relevant.
Where to watch : Digital rental.
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
This 2013 French film pays partial homage to the erotic thrillers of decades past, much in the same way that some of the best thrillers of the ’80s pay homage to film noir. Here Pierre Deladonchamps plays Franck, a regular visitor to the nudist beach and surrounding forests, popular destinations for cruises. Frank begins a passionate relationship (meaning: lots of sex in the woods) with Michel (Christophe Pauw), who Frank later spots drowning someone in a lake. Which, okay: red flag. But D is so good. As the investigation into the event heats up, Frank is forced to give up a good cause, even in the face of murder. We’re firmly entering an era where weird people can be both prey and predator without having to resort to exhausting cliches.
Where to watch : Kanopy
Kerel (1982)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s dreamy, strange film follows a handsome young sailor who finds himself caught in a web of sex, sibling rivalry and slightly sublimated lust in a French brothel. However, the plot here is almost entirely secondary: it’s all horny vibes, full of sweat and completely shameless sexuality.
Where to watch: Max, Tuby, The Criterion Channel
Nighthawks (1978)
The mockumentary style may be too believable for modern audiences (a little narrative animation can go a long way), but what’s here still appeals as both drama and time capsule. Offering a realistic (or so I’m told) portrait of gay London nightlife, the film follows Jim (Ken Robertson) as a geography teacher by day and clubbing by night. An almost entirely positive portrait of the gay scene of the time, the latter part of the film is devoted to a frank conversation between Jim and his class about his life.
Where to watch: Prime Video , Tubi, Kanopy
Rope (1948)
Alfred Hitchcock worked with queer performers (and others) from the earliest days of his career, having his first big break opposite Ivor Novello in 1927’s The Lodger . I’m not sure he thought much about queer identity, and it actually works in Rope’s favor: there’s no sense that there’s any pro- or anti-gay footage here, just a murder involving a couple…let’s say so, “bright” roommates. Based on real-life lovers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, who murdered a 14-year-old just to prove they could, and the subsequent play, the film removes any direct references to same-sex relationships, but it’s all quite complex. miss, especially when it stars openly (later-in-life) bisexual Farley Granger and gay actor John Dall.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Woman’s Problem (1974)
Many early queer-positive films were aimed directly at heterosexual audiences, portraying gay men as angelic figures or poor victims of society’s cruelty. John Waters abandoned all this well-intentioned nonsense, creating films in which there is no greater crime than being boring . Although “Pink Flamingos ” (with its catchy climax to the tune of “How Much Is That Dog in the Window”) is better known, “Girl Trouble” refines Waters’ style with its tale of high school misfit Dawn Davenport (played by drag queen Divine). ) who turns to a life of crime when her completely square parents don’t give her what she really wants for Christmas: “Good girls don’t wear cha-cha heels!” Their cruel denial of such an important accessory leads Dawn into an outburst of sex and crime that feels a bit like a tribute to Mildred Pierce – if Joan Crawford had impregnated her daughter on camera.
On a rotten old mattress.
At the landfill.
The whole thing was outrageous, and the audience was outraged, but only boring.
Where to watch: Digital rental via Fandango at Home
Un chant d’amour / Song of Love (1950)
Two prisoners are tormented by a voyeuristic prison guard in Jean Genet’s short film, full of homoerotic imagery that may be less shocking now but no less effective. The two never come into contact except in a fantasy sequence, but the sight of the two men smoking a single cigarette remains one of the most powerful images in cinema. If you’re searching by the film’s English title, don’t get confused by Katharine Hepburn’s slightly more straightforward 1947 film of the same name.
Where to stream: Kanopy, Vimeo
Victim (1961)
It was sometimes called the “blackmailer’s charter.” Since 1885, English law has allowed homosexual acts to be criminalized, although by the 1960s this was largely unenforced. However, the mere threat of arrest and the public proceedings that followed meant that it became depressingly common for blackmailers (gay and straight) to take advantage of wealthy assessments – in this case, a married London lawyer played by Dirk Bogarde. Approaching a social issue through a neo-noir thriller, The Victim was one of the first examples of a major director and star taking a sympathetic approach to portraying gay characters, inevitably shocking audiences and censors by even admitting that such people existed at all. It wasn’t a huge success, but it came at a crucial moment: the 60s were in full swing and attitudes were beginning to change.
Where to watch : Max, The Criterion Channel.
Before Stonewall (1985)
While Stonewall sometimes seems like ancient history, it’s important to remember that queer history didn’t begin there—not even remotely. Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg’s 1985 documentary examines the early part of the 20th century, interviewing activists and writers who help chart the evolution of what would become a movement among people who struggled to live their lives authentically during that time , when the wider culture preferred to pretend they weren’t there. This film is an important document, capturing so many important voices while they were with us, but it is also inspiring and often joyful. It’s hard not to smile thinking about what these legends were up to while the rest of America slept. (It was restored in HD a couple of years ago, so now’s a good time to check it out.)
Where to watch: Prime Video
Some of My Best Friends… (1971)
A fascinating time capsule and often entertaining soap opera about a gay bar on Christmas Eve, filmed and set just a few years after Stonewall. There’s a huge cast of characters roaming around, some impressive, some just general character types but representative of wide swathes of the community. It was made during a period of transition where queer activism and visibility were on the rise but had not yet made the impact that was to come, and as such the film creates an atmosphere that alternates between joy and horror at what is happening behind the door. welcoming bar space.
(If all of this wasn’t enough to secure the film’s place in queer history, it also features an early screen appearance by Rue McClanahan herself, just a year before she teamed up with Bea Arthur in Maude .)
Where to watch: Prime Video , Sling TV.
Happy Together (1997)
Wong Kar-wai’s beautifully dark triumph, Happy Together follows a strikingly mismatched couple (Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai) as their relationship unravels during a trip to Argentina. The super-hot but deeply codependent couple keeps getting pulled into each other’s orbits—and they make being young, gay, and in sweaty love so cool that you can’t help but hope they can make it work. The cinematography here is stunning, with every frame feeling and looking like a mini work of art. There’s also plenty of subtext here relating to the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, which happened around the time the film was made—a reminder that queerness involves multiple layers of identity.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
Knife+Heart (2018)
Dirty things happen during the filming of a French gay erotic film during the filming of this ultra-stylish, colorful, psychedelic tribute to not only the Italian gali of the past, but also the golden age of porn of the 1970s. Director Yann Gonzalez has created a film in which the weirdness isn’t just incidental: rather, it’s the whole point (starting with the switchblade dildo at the beginning of the film), but it is nonetheless one of the most effective and beautiful horror films of the last decade.
Where to watch: Shudder, Tubi, Freevee
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
I’ve seen Rocky at least a dozen times and can recite every line, but I’ve never been able to tell anything about the plot. (Perhaps this has less to do with the film itself and more to do with the state in which it is traditionally viewed… but let’s say it’s both.)
On the one hand, it celebrates many, many forms of queerness and gives even the most heterosexual people an excuse to engage in a little gender roleplay. It’s weird, a little sloppy, and doesn’t make much sense – and despite all that, it’s more fun.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Scream Queens: Compton Cafeteria Riot (2005)
Stonewall took a very, very long time to build. It may have been the explosion of the modern gay liberation movement, but sparks had been coming for decades, one of which was the 1966 Compton cafeteria riot. cis, heterosexual phenomenon), and the 24-hour Compton Diner was a gathering place, a cheap coffee shop, especially for trans sex workers. Their very presence, of course, also made it convenient for the local police, who found ready targets for persecution among cafeteria patrons, transgender people, and transvestites. The iconic image of Stonewall remains a brick in a window, and the Compton Riot has similar iconography: a cup of coffee in the face of a policeman who grabs and tries to arrest a patron. What followed was one of the first public queer protests in US history and the beginning of trans activism in San Francisco.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Desert Hearts (1985)
By the mid-1980s, stereotypes had already begun to take hold: we had begun making a long series of films (many of them brilliant) about HIV/AIDS and found ourselves in the middle of an era of big films ( Dressed to Kill , Cruising , Silence of the Lambs “ , “Basic Instinct “), in which queer identity was associated with extreme violence. In the midst of all this, “Desert Hearts” was a real breath of fresh air: Vivian, an English professor going through a divorce, meets Kay, a free-spirited sculptor, on a ranch in Reno. The path of true love has never been smooth (or, in this case, straight), so Vivian struggles a bit with an unexpected lesbian attraction. This romantic drama never veers into tragedy, and it’s all the better for it.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
My Beautiful Laundry (1985)
The best queer-themed films understand that no one is just one thing, and that any type of queer identity intersects with all the other labels we choose for ourselves (or that others choose for us). That’s why My Fair Laundrette is not only a great gay film, but also a great film about class, racism, and provides a vivid portrait of life in the 1980s of the Thatcher and Reagan era.
Where to watch: Pluto TV, Hoopla.
Edward II (1991)
Want a weird story? Great. Let’s go back to 14th century England and remember the story of Edward II, who was famously infatuated with the courtier Piers Gaveston. Gay director, provocateur and activist Derek Jarman removes any historical ambiguity between the two and presents medieval Europe as a postmodern fantasy, replete with deliberate anachronisms and Annie Lennox on the soundtrack. Think Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette , but much more fun. It also made a star of Tilda Swinton, who went on to star in another queer classic , Orlando .
Where to watch: Peacock, Tubi, Freevee, The Roku Channel, Hoopla.
Rafiki (2018)
The first Kenyan film to screen at Cannes was also banned in its own country as it challenged Kenya’s legal ban on gay sex. The romantic drama follows young women Ken and Ziki (Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiwa) as they develop a romantic relationship despite pressure from family and society. The love story is joyful and charming, but the film doesn’t shy away from very real issues.
Where to stream: Hoopla, Kanopy.
Birdcage (1996)
A bright, funny, charming and quotable Hollywood entertainment film starring some of the biggest names of the era, The Birdcage made real money by selling a message of acceptance (despite the odd and completely unnecessary R-rating). Unlike many serious queer films of the 90s, this film gives the impression that being gay could be quite fun. And funny. And overall it’s not tragic. Although the characters play to certain stereotypes, the film makes clear that it is much better (and completely normal) to be a huge drama queen in the vein of Robin Williams’ Armand than to be boring and narrow-minded like the senator played by Gene Hackman. It’s all so scrupulously good-natured that it couldn’t help but attract a wide audience and thereby help pave the long, winding road to future queer-positive films.
Where to watch: Prime Video , Tubi, Freevee
Watermelon Woman (1996)
In the mid-90s, many films with gay themes were made in Hollywood. These were well-intentioned films with big-name stars, even if they were mostly male, straight, and white: the aforementioned The Birdcage , as well as Philadelphia and In & Out , to name a few big names. But more importantly, it was a golden age for independent filmmakers, who began making more personal, authentic, and idiosyncratic films that rejected heteronormativity — what became known as new queer cinema. Director and actress Cheryl Dunye plays Cheryl, who goes on the hunt for a fictional black actress from Old Hollywood while exploring the life of a man who lived on the margins.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
Bound (1996)
Bound has announced major new directorial talent in Lily and Lana Wachowski, the sibling pair behind The Matrix and other creative successes (along with some equally creative flops ). The noir-inspired thriller combines violence and humor in a story that also features lesbian relationships that feel real and unabashed sexuality that never feels gratuitous — the chemistry between leads Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly is off the charts.
The directors remain some of Hollywood’s most famous transgender directors, and it all started with this instant classic.
Where to watch: Pluto TV.
All About My Mother (1999)
It’s not the strangest film in Pedro Almodóvar’s very strange filmography – it’s probably 1987’s The Law of Desire , which involves a complex love triangle between two cis gay men and a trans woman. But All About My Mother cemented Almodovar’s status as one of the world’s best directors by combining his earlier, more campy sensibilities with more dramatic material. When Manuela’s son dies in a car accident, she goes in search of his other parent, a transgender woman named Lola, whose identity Manuela has kept secret. Along the way, she interferes in the lives of other women, including transgender sex worker Agrado and Rosa, an HIV-positive nun who is also carrying Lola’s child. This film was way ahead of its time in its portrayal of queer themes, and remains an extremely entertaining and thoughtful film about motherhood in all its forms.
Where to stream: Max
Tongues Untied (1989)
An experimental tour de force of Black gay poet and filmmaker Marlon T. Riggs, Tongues Untied moves toward the silencing of the experiences of gay men, black men in both mainstream white and black culture, and in white gay society. Through interviews, poetry, and a non-linear style, Riggs explores the expectations of people like him, starting a debate that continues to this day, for better or worse.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Kanopy.
Saving Face (2004)
The success of The Joy Luck Club in 1993 led to a huge boom in Chinese-American themed films. By “huge boom,” I mean Hollywood has only been waiting 11 years for the next movie to center Chinese Americans.
(Sighs loudly.)
But! On the other hand, Alice Wu’s Saving Face is a charming triumph, telling the love story between a closeted surgeon and her boss’s daughter. The backdrop is traditional families and the two women’s community, but ultimately this is one of those romantic comedies where you can’t help but cheer for the main characters.
Where to watch: Fubo, Pluto TV
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
There are a few films on this list that feature a group of straight men making queer-themed films, with mixed results. While Brokeback Mountain leans too heavily on tragic tropes (by 2005 we’d seen more than enough movies about gay men doomed to die), there’s an undeniable trove of talent both behind and in front of the camera—more than enough to make for an impressive experience . However, the film’s place in queer history depends largely on both the backlash it generated and the recognition it received. By the time the film lost the Best Picture Oscar to Crash (her?), the debate was more about homophobia among Hollywood’s old guard and among moviegoers in general than about the merits of either film. “Brokeback” started the debate and, just as importantly, reminded studio bosses that queer content can reach a wider audience and generate big profits.
Where to watch: Starz
Bent (1997)
The film takes place primarily in the Dachau concentration camp. Bent follows Max (Clive Owen), who is arrested by the Nazis after the Night of the Long Knives and as part of the Nazis’ targeted persecution of homosexuals. Sure, it’s harrowing and heartbreaking, but with moments of real beauty. it was also rated NC-17 for no good reason, which says a lot about how we feel about any film with queer content.
Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, Hoopla
Paragraph 175 (2000)
An important documentary about the experiences of gay Germans under the Nazis, made just in time to capture interviews with survivors. There is joy in memories of a more open and liberal Berlin in the pre-war years, which naturally and horribly turns to grief when the Nazis begin to attack homosexuals. It is very specific in its own way, but feels timeless as it warns that progress can disappear with alarming ease.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Kanopy.
Tropical Disease (2004)
This very unique Thai film bills itself as a “romantic psychological drama-art film” and I guess that gives you some idea of its weird and wonderful nature. At first we think we are in a romance involving Keng (Bunlop Lomnoy), a soldier stationed in a quiet village who meets a local Tonga (Sakda Keubuadi) and a love story begins. That’s before the narrative falls apart and we follow a soldier searching the jungle in the face of a restless spirit. It was the first Thai film to debut in the main competition at Cannes and the first to win the Jury Prize.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Kanopy.
Pariah (2011)
It wasn’t a big deal, but Pariah still feels like the start of a new, more confident era in queer cinema. Firstly, it’s absolutely gorgeous, with stunning expressionistic cinematography and confident direction from Dee Rees. This is a world in which you can get lost. Pariah manages to tell a coming-of-age story of revelation that is so deeply personal that it never feels like a weird message movie, although it does have something to say about identity in the journey of his youth. , black, lesbian starring.
Where to watch: Starz
Pride (2014)
During the British miners’ strike in the 1980s, activist Mark Ashton and others realized there was a real opportunity to forge an alliance between the miners and the gay community, both of which had been targeted (ahem) by Margaret Thatcher’s government. Pride reworks the history of the movement that emerged (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) into a truly delightful comedy-drama (think The Full Monty ) about the individuals behind the unlikely coalition that would eventually bring queer issues to the forefront of British politics. .
Where to watch: Hoopla, Pluto TV, Showtime.
Best of Drunk City (2014)
Drunktown’s Finest has much of what we’ve seen before: Set around a Navajo community near Gallup, New Mexico, poverty, alcoholism, and the clashes between tradition and modern life are brought to the fore. Rather than do away with these stereotypical themes, trans-Navajo director Sydney Freeland explores their reality as part of the larger lives of three young Native Americans, including a transgender woman who dreams of becoming a model. It’s one of several successful films in the last few years that feature characters at the intersection of queer and Indigenous identities.
Where to watch: digital rental.
At Night (2014)
In 2006, seven black lesbians were harassed and violently threatened in Greenwich Village. When they fought back, the ensuing fight led to years in prison for the four women, who were charged as if they were gang members. The press called them the “New Jersey Four” and the “lesbian wolf pack.” One headline warned of a “lesbian killer attack,” although of course no one was killed. The queer community has always had a difficult relationship with the American judicial system, as have women and people of color. The documentary explores how this long history lives on, especially where identities intersect.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)
He was the absolute embodiment of the mid-century Middle American ideals of masculinity and good looks: slightly vapid but undeniable hotness. With his blond hair, killer smile and chiseled features (and a voice that earned him a couple of hit pop singles), he was a movie star deliberately branded to drive suburban teenage girls crazy . His public romances with stars like Debbie Reynolds and Natalie Wood gave fans something to fantasize about when they weren’t swooning. Of course, even then there were rumors about Hunter’s sexual orientation, and he confirmed those rumors in the 2005 memoir on which this award-winning doc is based. It’s a very personal look at life as an actor in Hollywood and the lengths to which the studio system went to hide some of its biggest stars in the closet.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Mandarin (2015)
Modern technology has opened up opportunities for filmmakers that they could only dream of before. Imagine if queer filmmakers from previous generations could make films on their phones with professional results? Stories to tell? Director Sean Baker and company appreciate the intimacy and immediacy of shooting on a pair of iPhones, and the results don’t feel bad or cheap. It’s a girl/buddy/revenge comedy about Sin-Dee Rell and Alexandra, two trans sex workers who are on the hunt for the man who wronged Sin-Dee. It is very funny.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Moonlight (2014)
Two words: best movie. Moonlight actually won a ton of awards, but the most groundbreaking was the Oscar. And yes, they did accidentally read the wrong card and make everyone think La La Land won – but after 89 years of Oscars, it was worth an extra few seconds to find out that the first movie with a weird lead character (and also how all-black cast) was up for Hollywood’s biggest prize. Good films don’t always make history (and this one is great), but Oscar winners certainly do.
Where to watch: Max, Kanopy
Kiki (2016)
Picking up where Paris Is Burning left off, Kiki looks at the current state of the drag ball scene. It’s not a sequel, but its examination of New York City’s kiki culture, more than a quarter century after the previous doc, provides a fascinating look at all that has and hasn’t changed in a community whose influence has only grown. Many of the same problems remain: HIV/AIDS has not gone away, especially for those who cannot afford treatment, nor has overpolicing and discrimination. But the broader cultural acceptance of queerness and the inclusion (to some extent) of drag has opened the door for many of the young, often trans people of color on whom the film focuses, who also engage in fierce and inspiring activism.
Where to stream: AMC+, Kanopy
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
There are as many perspectives on the Stonewall uprising as there were people there, but if you want to know more about these events, you could do worse than start with a close look at Marsha P. Johnson. Thrust into the spotlight in an era when labels were constantly changing, Johnson identified himself as gay and a transvestite who routinely used female pronouns. She was also a sex worker and drag queen, as well as an activist, model and mentor – an overall fascinating person who was on the front lines when Stonewall went up in flames in 1969. The film, directed by David France, explores not only Johnson’s life, but hers as well. but also the recent investigation into her tragic and mysterious death in 1992, which the NYPD ruled a suicide without much investigation.
Where to watch: Netflix
120 beats per minute (2017)
Director and screenwriter Robin Campillo, along with screenwriter Philippe Mangeau, drew on their own experiences working with the grassroots organization ACT UP to create this 2017 film. It is an artistic exploration of an era of activism that is alternately joyful and painful, reflecting some of the electric energy of members of the movement who were literally fighting for their lives.
Where to watch: Tubi, Dekkoo, Fubo, Crackle, Hoopla.
Happiest Season (2020)
They turn out these things by the dozens . There’s an entire year-round industry dedicated to satisfying the nation’s insatiable appetite for sentimental, made-for-TV holiday movies, often featuring a hard-working career woman who discovers the true meaning of the season when she visits her hometown for Christmas. . There is comfort in conformity, and so there has been surprisingly little variety in the form, despite the sheer volume of these films – at least until the last few years. Faces of color have become a little more common, and 2020 has suddenly seen not one, but at least seven holiday movies centered around queer romances (and queer actors). It only makes sense that there is a better audience for campy, vulgar, over-the-top love stories than gay men? Hulu’s Happiest Season had better marketing, slightly bigger stars, and an overall better reputation than some of the others, and so it became the focus. If you’re asking whether it’s good, you’re missing the point entirely: it’s stupid TV comfort food, sure, but it’s stupid TV comfort food with and about lesbians – and damned if that doesn’t feel like progress.
Where to watch: Hulu
Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)
In the spirit of Happiest Season, this fairly successful adaptation by Casey McQuiston feels sentimental in every way – a gay rom-com about a prince and the president’s son. A glossy and well-crafted novel for all of us. However, Royal Blue goes a little further in the intensity that its two leaders (Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine) create. The sex may be PG-13 at best and unlikely to make a splash in a regular movie, but it feels like a step forward to popularize cisgender action between men.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Disclosure: Trance Lives on Screen (2020)
Screen representation isn’t everything, but it matters. For most Americans, everything they know about transgender people comes from media representation, and this is also true for trans youth, who may have no role models other than those they receive on television. “Disclosure” looks at more than a century of transgender history in film and television (starting with Florida Charm in 1914), an era of very, very, very slow progress that has taken giant leaps forward in just the last few years. with the emergence of popular trans celebrities, many of whom are interviewed here. By focusing on celebrities, the film also acknowledges that increased visibility also carries dangers and that being in the spotlight doesn’t necessarily make life safer. Disclosure examines these generally problematic, often deeply hurtful old movies and shows to find out how they relate to the realities of transgender life and how far we’ve come.
Where to watch: Netflix
Queen Christina (1933)
The real-life Queen Christina of Sweden, like Greta Garbo, who portrays her, had a well-deserved reputation for gender ambiguity and weirdness, some of which is on display in this preview film in which she entertains several fans, both male and female. female. To some, she is a weak-willed woman; for others, she is inappropriately overbearing. Old story: Too excited for some; too cold towards others. This was 1933, before the Hays Production Code cracked down on most sex and almost all explicit homosexuality in American films, and it would be decades before we started getting back some of what they stole from us.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Transitions (2023)
Intelligent and humane where it might be obscene, director Ira Sachs crafts a beautiful, moving portrait of the disintegrating marriage between Martin and Thomas (Ben Whishaw and Franz Rogowski). Although an event that was a long time coming is unexpected: Thomas meets Agatha (Adele Exarchopoulos), with whom he instantly forms a connection. This is not only a brilliantly acted film, but also a refreshing, matter-of-fact look at modern sexual fluidity.
Where to watch: Mubi or digital rental via Apple TV
Celluloid Closet (1996)
Once you’ve seen all the films on this list, get some extra context with an important documentary about the history of queer Hollywood. The film explores stereotypes, hidden messages, secret codes – everything that made films strange despite the restrictions placed on them.
Where to watch: Tubi