Yahoo News 35 LGBTQ+ Films That Viewers Say You Absolutely Must Watch For Pride (Or Any Time Of The Year)
In honor of Pride Month, we recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us some of their favorite LGBTQ+ movies. Here are their responses:
1.Booksmart
"I’d never seen a movie that used humor so well to depict the awkwardness of being a queer teenager before this one. I see myself in Amy, one of the two main characters, because she transforms from a girl who can’t talk to her crush for ten seconds to a girl who goes after what she wants. Overall, the straight-gay friendship in Booksmart shows how beautiful it can be to support your friend’s queerness. Even though this was made in 2019, it was the first time I’d ever seen a sapphic kissing scene in a movie that was in an actual theater. It makes me so hopeful for the storylines we’ll see in the future."
2.D.E.B.S.
"It was the first LGBTQIA+ film I ever saw, and it stole my heart with its campy yet sweet and wholesome vibe. I'm so blessed it was my first foray into queer cinema because the '90s and '00s were plagued with depressing and bleak AF lesbian films."
"The setup. The comedy. The cast. The tone. The music. The sets. The costumes. The themes. Perfect."
4.The Handmaiden
"It has a happy ending – you’ll need to go through some plot twists to get there, but it’s so well made."
5.I Saw the TV Glow
"It's a beautifully shot movie with very well-acted characters. Owen is the first time I truly saw myself in a character on-screen, film or television. I genuinely felt everything."
—35, Michigan
6.Boy Meets Girl
7.Carol
"Hands down. It was literally cinematic poetry — the color palette, the score, the dialogue, the sets and locations, and, dear lord almighty, the flung out of space ✨chemistry✨ between Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara threatened to set all screens on fire. The slow burn of their romance just added to it — those lingering gazes, purposeful yet coy yet hesitant touches, the delicious push and pull of their courtship...*fans self*.
"It was so ahead of its time and a gem for queer kids everywhere."
9.Moonlight
"The ending of Moonlight will stay with you – it warms your heart and leaves you a bit speechless. It's feelgood but not in the typical feelgood way."
10.Weekend
"It's basically a brilliant, modern-day, gay Brief Encounter."
—Sam Cleal, BuzzFeed Staff
11.A Strange World
"Disney is admittedly not great with LGBTQ+ representation, as it seems to either just be heavily implied, or only background characters being part of the community. But Strange World has two of its five main characters being LGBTQ+: Ethan Clade, who is openly gay, and President Callisto Mal, who identifies as queer. The best part about the movie, though, is that everyone is very supportive and non-judgmental. Even Ethan's toxic alpha male of a grandfather, Jaeger, was totally cool with having a gay grandson and had a scene where he gave him (albeit terrible) dating advice."
12.God's Own Country
"God’s Own Country is a story about a troubled farmer who meets a Romanian migrant worker and begins a relationship with him. Set against the stunning visuals of Yorkshire, this slow and simple tale of passion and acceptance will leave you gushing."
—Md Aqib Khan, BuzzFeed Contributor
13.Imagine Me & You
"It’s uplifting and so funny. Most films with lesbian relationships vilify the man who's in the way, but this one does not. It treats everyone equally. Rachel does not fall for Luce because Hec is an arsehole. She simply falls for her personality."
14.The Miseducation of Cameron Post
"I've watched it too many times to count. A beautiful storyline, a great soundtrack, and it's so beautiful to look at. It's such a good look at the pain of religious conversion therapy while remaining a sweet coming of age."
15.Brokeback Mountain
"It was such a beautifully realized film, so realistic, and ultimately heartbreaking."
16.A Strange Way of Life
"Like Brokeback Mountain, it brings to light the very real historical fact that many cowboys were queer."
17.How I Felt When I Saw That Girl aka Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
"It was so heartwarming to see queer women of color represented on screen in such a lighthearted yet significant way! So many lesbian movies end in tragedy or are just straight-up terrible, so I appreciated this film a lot."
18.Love, Simon
"It’s funny but also so heartwarming and cute. I’ve watched it so many times, but I still laugh and cry. The world needs more queer coming-of-age in rom-coms!"
—30, Chicago
19.Crush
"Having a crush can be both exhilarating and exasperating, especially when it remains unrequited."
—Oyindamola Bamgbola, BuzzFeed Contributor
20.Red, White and Royal Blue
"The story of enemies to lovers is told perfectly and is so well written. The actors you could tell are having fun. If all shows to live in the moment and stop fearing the judgment of others."
—23, New York
21.Freeheld
"It’s heartbreaking but hopeful, and it’s based on a true story. Every young queer person should see it at least once."
22.Bottoms
"A comedy about queer high-school girls starting a fight club so they can hangout with their crushes? Yeah, sign me up."
—Casey Rackham, BuzzFeed Contributor
23.The Wedding Banquet
"An Asian man from a traditional family is set to marry an Asian woman even though he’s been living with, and in a long-term relationship with, a white guy."
—jkn
24.Better Than Chocolate
"Better than Chocolate booted me into a world of lesbian cinema. I was in my early 20s and struggling to come out of the closet. I felt that I could relate to the characters."
25.Bodies, Bodies, Bodies
"My queerness and love of horror are two very important aspects of my personality that cannot be separated from me or each other."
26.Call Me By Your Name
"Call Me By Your Name tells the story of 17-year-old Elio who falls in love with his father's graduate student as an understudy for the summer. Initially, the two deny their affection for one another, but quickly find themselves drawn to each other and form a relationship."
—Oyindamola Bamgbola, BuzzFeed Contributor
27.A Single Man
"It really put the prejudice into perspective. Lovely movie, and great acting."
28.Hedwig and the Angry Inch
"Lyrically amazing and so very, very moving. I love this rock and roll explosion of emotion!"
29.Shelter
"It was the first LGBTQ+ film I’d ever seen, and it showed their love and romance in a realistic, heartwarming way. It remains one of my go-to films to cheer me up on a bad day."
—29, UK
30.The Watermelon Woman
"This film is a documentary, comedy, romance, and so much more all at once, and yet something completely different."
—Mark Young, BuzzFeed Contributor
31.Big Eden
"It is a perfect romantic comedy with so many amazing characters and so many feelings! There is little/no 'gay angst' and focuses on the extremely supportive community working to bring a couple together. Absolute comfort movie that I watch several times a year. A rare happy ending in a world of sad LGBTQIA stories. It’s got Schitt’s Creek energy long before that show came about."
—44, California
32.Aimee & Jaguar
"Extremely underrated! Based on a true story about the romantic relationship between a Jewish woman and the wife of a Nazi during WWII. Extremely beautiful soundtrack, acting, and cinematography!"
33.Pride
"One of my all-time favorites — funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. The sheer venom in Bill Nighy’s voice when he says, 'Margaret fucking Thatcher' gets me every damn time."
34.In & Out
"This movie really hit home about the internal fears we have about not just coming out to our family and friends, but also the struggles within. What made the movie so impactful is the setting, which is a traditional small farming town coupled with just the right amount of comedy and social messaging."
—57, Florida
35.RENT
"It swings from sad to absurd and has a killer soundtrack full of iconic musical favorites!"
—Sam Cleal, BuzzFeed Staff
There are SO MANY more amazing LGBTQ+ films that aren't on this list, so make sure to share you favorite in the comments!
Editor's Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. This post also includes responses from previous BuzzFeed lists.
Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2024.
