Favorite LGBTQ2S+ Films

[Deck Rickard]

I can’t remember if I mentioned Hearts Beat Loud in this thread before; I tried going back through the pages but goddamn this site is insufferable to view on mobile ever since they changed it. Pages crash constantly. Anyway though, that movie popped into my mind the other day because I’ve been watching Monarch: Legacy of Monsters with the lovely Kiersey Clemons. Glad she’s getting some good work because she’s way better than her nothing role as Iris West in the DCEU would have you believe. Definitely check out Hearts Beat Loud if you haven’t yet; very cute, sweet, queer coming-of-age story with some great music. Plus, Nick Offerman.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Just watched Shiva Baby (2020) on Max, directed by Bottoms director Emma Seligman and starring Rachel Sennott (also from Bottoms), along with Molly Gordon and Polly Draper. I would describe the movie as a claustrophobic, bisexual anxiety attack, lol. It’s absolutely great and Sennott shines in the lead role. Very, very different in tone and style than Bottoms; I liked both but Shiva Baby is definitely the stronger film IMO. Highly recommend it!

 

[DoomRulz]

Where The Boys Aren't 7 always interests me from time to time.

 

[Silvermoth]

I recently saw Cruising starring Al Pacino which was incredible! It was hated at the time from both homophobic and gay rights groups but it’s aged incredibly well

 

[Batgirl0202]

This was kind of a strange watch for me. It's basically a queer Hallmark Christmas Movie but with real actors...

It sure was great to see Mackenzie Davis again though. I've been a fan of hers since Halt and Catch Fire.

I had no idea that she was Canadian!

 

[Boom]

Weekend (2011)

 

[Batgirl0202]

Watched this recently. Based on a true story, it's a powerful drama that depicts the devastating effects of bullying, specifically on members of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Saltburn was interesting, even if it isn’t the most original movie. Worth a watch for the weirdness and absurdity.

 

[theastsunnn]

Does a knock at the cabin count?

 

[RokMeAmadeus]

Saltburn was interesting, even if it isn’t the most original movie. Worth a watch for the weirdness and absurdity.

Yeah, that might be my new favorite now lol

I recently saw Cruising starring Al Pacino which was incredible! It was hated at the time from both homophobic and gay rights groups but it’s aged incredibly well

Highly underrated. Ahead of its time really, just as a thriller alone

 

[Batgirl0202]

I recently saw Cruising starring Al Pacino which was incredible! It was hated at the time from both homophobic and gay rights groups but it’s aged incredibly well

I've read so much about Cruising over the years but have criminally never seen it. I think part of that reason is as you said, that it's historically been hated by both sides. However, polarizing films have traditionally been my 'thing' so I'll try to make this a priority this year

Does a knock at the cabin count?

I just read up on Knock at the Cabin and hadn't realized the film features two men as the parents! I'd say it definitely qualifies for this discussion

Saltburn was interesting, even if it isn’t the most original movie. Worth a watch for the weirdness and absurdity.

Well you know I have a bit of a 'thing' for Barry Keoghan so Saltburn has definitely been added to my Prime list

 

[RokMeAmadeus]

Well you know I have a bit of a 'thing' for Barry

Same. Watch Saltburn. You'll see Barry FLING that Keoghan

 

[Silvermoth]

I've read so much about Cruising over the years but have criminally never seen it. I think part of that reason is as you said, that it's historically been hated by both sides. However, polarizing films have traditionally been my 'thing' so I'll try to make this a priority this year



I just read up on Knock at the Cabin and hadn't realized the film features two men as the parents! I'd say it definitely qualifies for this discussion



Well you know I have a bit of a 'thing' for Barry Keoghan so Saltburn has definitely been added to my Prime list

Yeah cruising has become a wonderful indictment on respectability politics. It’s been weeks and I’m still thinking about it

 

[Deck Rickard]

Happy almost Pride Month, ya’ll!

A few queer films I plan to watch this June because I haven’t gotten around to seeing them yet:

Love Lies Bleeding
Drive Away Dolls
Rustin
Femme
Eileen
Shortcomings
Theater Camp

And here are a few queer (or semi queer) movies and shows I’ve seen recently…

Mean Girls (2024): Not as gay as you might think; I think that Renee Rapp said that her version of Regina George is a lesbian but aside from her demeanor and some of her fashion choices, there’s nothing directly in the script that indicates this, other than maybe her (mild spoiler) past in which she outed her former friend Janis as a lesbian (which could be read as Regina trying to hide her own sexuality). All that aside though, the best parts of the movie for me were Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) who have some of the best songs and their queer energy (both in the movie and in real life) makes every scene they’re in a joy to behold.

Challengers: Interesting movie but I think it tries a little too hard to be ambiguous with its characters and their motivations, particularly around the queer elements. Great performances from Zendaya and Josh O’Connor but the end left me scratching my head. That’s not necessarily a criticism but the conclusion almost seemed to come out of left field given what we had seen up until that point.

Under the Bridge: This tragic, true story of a murder of a teenage girl in British Columbia features queer subplot between two of the characters that is a nice respite from the rest of the trauma that goes on, even if the relationship has plenty of baggage as well. Highly recommend this show. Lily Gladstone is especially great here.

Bodkin: This show has a very subtle queer subplot that unfortunately feels a bit underdeveloped, but everything is so good overall that I can’t fault it too much. This one I also highly recommend.

 

[Silvermoth]

Happy pride month Deck!


I watched Gay deceivers a while ago which was one of the earliest depictions of gay people. Basically it’s about two straight guys who pretend to be gay to avoid the draft. It’s so fun because it’s proper camp before an era where we were basically asked all to assimilate.

Anyway it also has this iconic line

 

[Deck Rickard]

Thanks, @Silvermoth! Happy Pride to you too! I’ve never seen Gay Deceivers but I’ll have to put that one on my list. And yes, that is a great line.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I watched Anatomy of a Fall the other day, which is excellent. The main character is bisexual, which I didn’t realize until watching the movie and while it’s not a major focus of the story, it does factor into it in some key ways. I highly recommend the film to anyone who hasn’t seen it; I can definitely see why it was nominated for so many awards.

 

[Silvermoth]

They’re not movies but I’ve been watching the dead boy detectives and Tales of the city and would definitely recommend both

 

[Deck Rickard]

Ah yeah I need to watch more of Dead Boy Detectives. Speaking of which, Sandman is coming back soon.

Also, the new seasons of Hacks, Loot and The Boys are hella gay!

 

[Deck Rickard]

Another one to add… Monkey Man! While Dev Patel’s character isn’t queer, there is a Hijra community that plays a major role in the story. While the movie does have a cisgender actor playing the role of a transgender character (something that I would normally have issues with), it seems like a case of Patel just envisioning a particular actor for that character. He said that he really wanted to include Hijras in the film because they are among the most marginalized communities in India. And the response from South Asian LGBTQ+ people has been overwhelmingly positive; the film has been praised for not only showing Hijras in a positive light, but also showing them kicking ass. I saw the film with a partner of mine who is trans and she was overjoyed by the inclusion of the Hijras.

Bottom line, see Monkey Man if you haven’t yet!

 

[Batgirl0202]

Late jumping in this year but these are the titles on my radar to celebrate Pride Month:

Longtime Companion - never saw it
And the Band Played On - never saw it
The Normal Heart - never saw it
Brokeback Mountain - I know it's trendy to dump on this film but it gets my waterworks going every time

 

[Boom]

All of Us Strangers wrecked me.

 

[Cap2024]

I highly recommend 'I Saw The TV Glow' which is now available to digitally rent. It's a trans allegory film that was really interesting and innovative.

Adding: just realized while available to rent, rental price is still $20; hasn’t gone down yet.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Longtime Companion (1990)

First time seeing this classic. What a beautiful movie...

For the uninitiated, this was the very first wide-release to exclusively address the subject of AIDS. The film's title was taken from a famous New York Times article, where the surviving partner of a man who had succumbed to AIDS used the term to describe the relationship between himself and his departed companion.

I can't remember the last time a movie haunted me to this degree. I expected this to be an angry protest film with an agenda (at the time) to bring this vile disease to the national consciousness. Instead what I saw was an intimate portrait of a group of friends supporting each other through the ravages of the virus, thereby presenting a human, personal, and gentle representation of the crisis instead of a political screed. When Bruce Davison says to his partner over and over, "it's okay, you can go now", it struck me as the saddest and most genuine portrayal of love and resignation ever committed to film.

This isn't just an 'important' movie, it's a magnificently acted, scripted, and directed representation of a very specific moment in history. I can't recommend this film highly enough.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Moonlight (2016)

This was my second time seeing this. I loved it the first time and I still love it now

Barry Jenkins is almost frighteningly skilled with actors. Here we have a trio of performers playing the main character at different stages of his development. All three copy each other's tics and mannerisms, and for large stretches of the film I felt like I was watching the same actor at different ages. Incredible...

One aspect of the film that I don't see get discussed often is the movie's inherent romanticism. It plays almost like a generation-spanning love story, while touching on issues of masculinity and identify, all filtered through a queer sensibility. If there is such a thing as a near-perfect film, this would be a shining example.

Happy Pride, everyone!