“The Kids Are All Right”
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Cast: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
Synopsis: A married lesbian couple deal with the ramifications of their teenage kids meeting their sperm donor father.
What You Need To Know: A 2011 Best Picture nominee, Lisa Chodelenko’s marvel was one of the first films to portray the intricacies of a gay family to a mainstream audience. It features a heartbreaking turn by Annette Bening as Nic, a woman struggling to keep her family together after Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the sperm donor to both her children, bonds with her children and, surprisingly, her wife (Julianne Moore). Though it’s another hotly contested lesbian staple, the cultural impact of “The Kids Are All Right” is undeniable – Lesbians everywhere have been completely unable to forgive Mark Ruffalo ever since. – GE
“The Lavender Scare”
Director: Josh Howard
Cast: Glenn Close (narrator), Zachary Quinto, Cynthia Nixon, T.R. Knight, David Hyde Pierce (voices)
Synopsis: This documentary chronicles the events of the Lavender Scare, the Eisenhower administration’s crusade against gay governmental employees, as well as its devastating fallout and the gay activism that came in its wake.
What You Need to Know: The Red Scare’s lesser-known counterpart the Lavender Scare doesn’t get nearly as much historical attention, though its effects on the LGBTQ community still persist today. Here is the root of workplace discrimination, marriage inequality, and all manner of mainstream gay causes – yet we barely know about it. Josh Howard set out to correct that cultural blind spot with his 2016 documentary “The Lavender Scare,” which draws heavily on David K. Johnson’s comprehensive book on the era. Using both first-person accounts of the phenomenon and a wealth of historical research, this documentary paints a complete and cogent picture of vital LGBTQ history. A must-see for anyone looking to immerse themselves in such history – especially LGBTQ viewers who want to learn more about their roots – this film belongs on LGBTQ studies syllabi nationwide. And it’s finally getting a theatrical release, complete with a star-studded voice cast, in time for Pride Month. “The Lavender Scare” is certainly not the most lighthearted watching experience you’ll ever have, but it is as integral as the marginalized history it depicts.
“Thelma”
Director: Joachim Trier
Cast: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen
Synopsis: College student Thelma, an evangelical Christian with a troubled past, grapples with her developing feelings for another woman and the supernatural events that their relationship seems to compel.
What You Need to Know: Ah, “Thelma.” What an eye-popping, beautifully acted, maddening film. With such an interesting premise and execution, “Thelma” should be the ultimate lesbian film that’s not just about coming out. And it kind of is – but thanks to an ambiguous ending, it’s unclear if the film’s lesbian romance was ever even real to begin with. Though pretty much everything else about “Thelma” is, as our own Rodrigo Perez said in his review, “fairly perfect,” it is a shame to see director Joachim Trier refuse to lean into his well set-up ruminations on evangelical Christian homophobia. Maybe I’ve become spoiled by the sheer glut of well-made LGBTQ cinema that’s come out in the past two years; maybe Thelma’s superpowers are a metaphor for lesbianism anyway! Either way, “Thelma” is an exquisite lesbian film that’s well worth seeing – even if it’s arguably light on the “lesbian.” Girls kiss, biblical snakes slither out of scenes, men catch on fire, and the film’s Norwegian world goes beautifully topsy-turvy. Ultimately, it almost feels greedy to ask for more.
“Water Lilies”
Director: Céline Sciamma
Cast: Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachère, Adèle Haenel
Synopsis: Three 15-year-old female swimmers in Paris become embroiled in a love triangle as they try to navigate their desires.
What You Need to Know: This 2007 debut feature from lesbian French auteur Céline Sciamma shares an honorary place with her film “Tomboy.” Both navigate growing up against the prescribed lines of gender; in “Water Lilies,” these themes manifest as two adolescent girls negotiate their same-sex attraction. The film, which was screened in Cannes’ Un certain regard section, also scored three César Award nominations. Star Adèle Haenel and director Sciamma have since gone on to work on a number of successful projects since (in fact, Haenel had a significant role in “BPM”), and the duo, who have been a couple since at least 2014, just collaborated on another film (“Portrait Of A Lady On Fire“) which was a huge hit at this just recent Cannes. It’s impossible not to put a Sciamma film on this list, and “Water Lilies” is the clear choice, not only for its lyrical depiction of confused teenage sexuality, but also for its raw formal confidence and heart-wrenching performances. If you’ve ever been a gay teenager in love, be warned: This one is a gorgeous gut-punch.
“We the Animals”
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Cast: Raúl Castillo, Josiah Gabriel, Isaiah Kristian, Evan Rosado, Sheila Vand
Synopsis: Though inextricably connected to his two older brothers by their parents’ abusive marriage, young boy Jonah retreats into a dream world in order to understand his own difference.
What You Need to Know: This understated Sundance debut hasn’t gotten the accolades it deserves since its premiere at the 2018 festival, so allow me to right that wrong. “We the Animals” is, as Jordan Ruimy said in his review, “a complicated coming-of-age tale that not only brings refreshing insights but gives us beautifully rendered images that have the power to haunt you for days.” It also delicately offers images of its protagonist, Jonah, as he begins to understand his attraction to other boys (namely, the older neighbor boy with a vast DIY porn collection). Though “We the Animals” isn’t as explicitly about being gay/trans as some of the other films on this list – it’s more a coming-of-age story about a kid on the precipice of discovering his gayness – that works more to its benefit than its detriment. “We the Animals” shows that an LGBTQ story can be multitudinous, its magical realism stretching tendrils out into all facets of its imaginative protagonist’s life.
“Weekend”
Director: Andrew Haigh
Cast: Tom Cullen, Chris New
Synopsis: Two Nottingham men, one closeted and one out and proud, find unexpected intimacy following a one-night stand.
What You Need to Know: “Weekend” is one of the first gay films I ever saw, and it has proceeded to ruin me for many other independent LGBTQ films since. Considerate and tender, this 2011 sophomore feature from Andrew Haigh (“Lean on Pete”) depicts a blossoming gay relationship with considerable deftness. From its realistic-yet-sweet sex scenes to its unflinching depiction of early romantic vulnerability, “Weekend” is a truly special work of gay cinema. Stars Tom Cullen and Chris New have serious chemistry, and their scenes together are spellbinding, but ironically the film’s banal premise is what sets it apart. There are so few LGBTQ romance films that are about the simple, electric terror of first love – someone is always in peril or struggling against their identity. In “Weekend,” the protagonists’ identities matter and play a role in their romance, but they are also spared any melodrama or trauma. Much like “God’s Own Country,” “Weekend” is ultimately about two people trying to figure out how to fall in love with each other. The fact that those people are gay just makes the story that much richer.
“Young and Wild”
Director: Marialy Rivas
Cast: Alicia Rodríguez, Felipe Pinto, María Gracia Omegna, Aline Küppenheim
Synopsis: Teenager Daniela rebels against her Evangelical family by leading a secret life of sexual recklessness. When she falls in love with both a man and a woman at the same time, Daniela discovers her own unique spiritual path.
What You Need to Know: This 2012 Sundance premiere scored screenwriters Camila Gutiérrez, Pedro Peirano, Sebastián Sepúlveda, and Marialy Rivas a World Cinema Screenwriting Award, and with good reason. This Chilean coming-of-age tale from lesbian filmmaker Rivas weaves together teenage sexual rebellion, South American Christianity, and online culture into a provocative, contemplative depiction of bisexuality. Its treatments of Daniela’s lesbian and straight romances are both respectful and even-handed. Her love for and attraction to both people are equally valid, and she speaks about her internal conflict over the simultaneous relationships in a deeply affecting voice-over monologue. Much of the plot of “Young and Wild” unfolds alongside Daniela’s voiceover narration, which is ripped from her entries to a scandalous, secret sex blog. I’m undoubtedly a sucker for internet aesthetics, washed-out color palettes, and considerate LGBTQ representation. This film has all three, making it my favorite underrated LGBTQ flick of all time (and the Chilean bookend to this list!).
Well, there you have it. Perhaps some omissions and additions to this list will be controversial (“The Hours,” “I Love You, Phillip Morris, “Beyond The Candelabra,” perhaps), but, in the immortal words of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” GBF Wallace Wells: “I didn’t make up the gay rulebook. You got a problem with it, take it up with Liberace’s ghost.”
