Over the last decade, there has been a steady increase in LGBTQ+ films that have been commended for their good representation and authentic characters. They interrogate a heteronormative society and offer up an exploration of an often marginalized narrative. These are films that remain cult classics for queer audiences for many decades or provide a more mainstream audience with education and awareness of issues that LGBTQ+ people face.
The films featured in this list paved the way for greater positive and authentic representation of LGBTQ+ individuals on screen. Now that these films are being made more in the mainstream, it contributes to a legacy of queer cinema growing more positive, but also an important reminder to audiences that there is still more to be done for equality and award recognition.
10 Moonlight (2016)
Fantastic in its awareness of toxic masculinity and commitment to its male characters learning to handle their emotions, Moonlight focuses on Chiron (Little) from boyhood to manhood. The film comments on what it means to be a black gay man in Florida - and America more generally - without stereotyping or romanticizing events.
Performances in this film are raw as viewers encounter the heart-breaking trauma and triumph in Chiron’s life as he learns how to be a man. The power in this story was felt hugely at the time, going so far as to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and its impact is still experienced today.
9 The Handmaiden (2016)
Dark and foreboding, The Handmaiden tells the story of two women, one wealthy and the other a servant. Sook-hee must serve Lady Hideko as her maid, and tension builds across the epic film. As they fall in love with each other, they seek to escape the vile intensities of a Korean world under Japanese rule.
Park Chan-wook’s psychological thriller film takes the viewer on many twists and turns. It is ground-breaking and memorable, not least because of its impressive cinematography characteristic of a Park Chan-Wook film, but because of its commitment to an unconventional and unexpected same-sex love story.
8 A Fantastic Woman (2017)
This Chilean film featuring a transgender actress and woman at its center is powerful for many reasons, but notably how the character of Marina is able to own her womanhood despite adversity. Having been in a relationship with an older man, Orlando, her life takes an unexpected twist when he suddenly passes away, and she is investigated by detectives.
Detectives and Orlando's family are both condescending and cruel. Marina is a woman that encounters many obstacles throughout the film but ultimately always triumphs with her self-perception. This is a woman who demands to be seen, and the film has an incredible impact because of it.
7 Pariah (2011)
Pariah invites the viewer into the experience of a young Black queer teenager growing up and facing hardships in Brooklyn. As she faces large amounts of adversity because of her sexuality, mostly due to her family's religion, she seeks to find solace in her first same-sex relationship.
Pariah points to the coming-of-age promise of a young queer woman discovering her truth and being able to live her life how she chooses. First released in 2011, it demands a sense of hope from the viewer that better times are coming.
6 Victim (1961)
A turbulent and tragic tale in West London, England, sees a lawyer evading persecution as a gay man. As he seeks to defend homosexuals in London, he must also uncover the culprits of a series of murders primarily targeting gay men. It was the first film to utter the word ‘homosexual’ on screen and ground-breaking in its portrayal of a gay character as its protagonist.
A sad element of this film is that main actor, Dirk Bogarde, still felt unsafe and unable to come out as gay himself in the wake of this film's release. UK society still had a long way to go before LGBTQ+ communities began to feel accepted.
5 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Brokeback Mountain was one of the first films featuring a same-sex relationship at its core to enter mainstream Hollywood cinema and was fiercely commended for this at the time. Starring the incredible Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, they portray a story of two friends who slowly fall in love despite being married.
Of course, the story itself is gut-wrenching as these two men realize that they cannot truly be together. The film is very tender and sympathetic towards a homosexual relationship, despite coming out in the 2000s, and was instrumental during this time in changing people’s minds towards LGBTQ+ people. It helped audiences better understand the hardships queer people face.
4 The Watermelon Woman (1996)
This is film about film made by a Black lesbian woman and is based on truth and personal experience. Set in the 1990s, protagonist Cheryl works in a video store whilst making a film about a Black actress in the 1930s, hoping to uncover her identity. During this journey, she also dates a frequent customer, Diana.
The Watermelon is unique in its ability to speak on the female Black queer experience, especially within the context of film. It is considered a landmark film in New Queer Cinema on account of it being the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian.
3 But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)
Being released at the turn of the century, But I’m a Cheerleader is powerful in its ability to tell a story of a teenage girl struggling with her sexuality in a fiercely satirical way. With its ability to laugh in the face of homophobia and conversion therapy, the film remains one of the most popular LGBTQ+ films of all time.
Natasha Lyonne delivers an exceptional performance as Megan, a teenager who gets sent to be 'cured' of being a lesbian despite not knowing what her sexuality is. What comes next is a highly heart-warming film oozing with humor and hope.
2 Saving Face (2004)
A beautiful film that depicts a same-sex romance between two Chinese-American women, Saving Face is an instrumental bilingual film set in Flushing, New York. Written and directed by Alice Wu, she conveys the sense of both fear and pride as characters Wil and Vivian fall in love whilst seeking to be better understood by their Chinese families and the greater community.
The film itself is brilliant in its comedy, as well as its focus on family relationships. Wil’s relationship with her mother is a shining moment of the film due to its uniqueness in portraying a parental character who eventually comes to terms with her daughter’s homosexuality.
1 Pride (2014)
Based on the true story of an LGBTQ+ support group helping Welsh miners during the UK Thatcher government, Pride tells many stories of queer people, mining communities, and those suffering with HIV/AIDS. It is a massively powerful film that pays a fine testament to UK society in the 1980s and transports the viewer back in time whilst allowing them to consider cultural politics even today.
Focusing on several key characters in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as some Welsh miners, it reminds viewers of the people that fought and paved the way for greater equality and equal rights in the UK. With strikes, support networks, and community, Pride remains a must-watch.