Top 10 LGBTQ Movies That Prove Love Is Love
Queer cinema still has a long way to go, but the pathbreaking milestones achieved in this journey deserve no less celebration. From struggling for representation to being grossly misrepresented, the LGBTQ community has finally found a place for careful and thoughtful delineation in the film industry. Let’s look into ten such movies which have transformed the cultural discourse around the queer population:
Moonlight
Director Berry Jenkins’ Moonlight opened to rave reviews in 2016, eventually winning the Academy Award for best picture and making Mahershala Ali the first Muslim to win Oscar for acting.
Categorized as a coming-of-age film, it is the story of Chiron, a young black man growing up in drug-afflicted Miami with a neglectful mother. Told through three stages of his life, the film poetically shows the protagonist’s struggle to fit into society’s conventions and the journey to find his identity.
The Boys in the Band
Released in 1970, The Boys in the Band is based on Mart Crowley’s play of the same name. One of the first mainstream American movies to portray gay characters, the film revolves around a group of thirty-something friends hosting a birthday party.
As alcohol takes the reigns, simmering emotions surface, scalding everyone. The movie has moments of wit and comedy, but the self-loathing of the characters, especially in the aftermath of the Stonewall riots, has given it a polarizing reputation. Nevertheless, it does a great job of depicting the internal turmoil of the gay community, which is relatable even today.
Philadelphia
In 1993, director Jonathan Demme came with his powerful courtroom drama Philadelphia, a story about a successful lawyer, Andrew Beckett, who is fired from his firm after he’s discovered suffering an incurable disease. Tom Hanks, who played the protagonist, won his first Oscar for the role.
The film became a mouthpiece against the rampant intolerance for the gay community during the outbreak and was hailed for not sticking to the stereotypical depiction of gay characters.
Carol
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara take you on an enchanting ride with Todd Haynes’s compelling and passionate romantic film Carol. In the center is Carol, a married woman who falls in love with a young shopkeeper, Therese. As the two lovebirds become intimate while on a road trip, things come to a head between Carol and her husband.
Praised for their performances, both actresses were nominated for Oscars. The film also had six Academy Award nominations, along with competing for Palme d’Or.
BPM (Beats per Minute)
Winning the best film at the 2017 César Awards, BPM (Beats per Minute) is a French film inspired by the '90s political activism carried out by a group, ACT UP, against the pharmaceutical companies and the French government's apathy towards fighting the outbreak of a terminal illness.
Apart from shedding light on the workings of the group, the film also sensitively depicted the members' individual stories, bringing the gut-wrenching human aspect of the epidemic to the fore.
The Birdcage
Let’s lighten this serious list with Mike Nichols’s 1996 comedy, The Birdcage. Starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest, the film is a remake of the 1978 film La Cage aux Folles.
The story revolves around Armand, the gay drag club owner whose partner, Albert, is the showstopper. When his son, Val, decides to get engaged to the daughter of a super-orthodox politician, chaos ensues as Albert disguises himself as a traditional wife to convince Val’s conservative in-laws for the marriage.
Fire Island
Another comedy to feature on this list, Fire Island, is a queer adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Directed by Andrew Ahn, it is written by Joel Kim Booster, who also plays the role of Noah, based on Elizabeth’s Bennet.
Centered around a group of friends on a trip to the titular gay getaway, the movie represents characters of Asian origin and is a gay take on class conflict.
Call Me By Your Name
Featuring Timothée Chalamet in his breakthrough performance, Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name has cemented itself among the greatest queer movies of all time. This lyrical and sensuous masterpiece paints the sizzling romance of Elio, a teenager, and Oliver, an older American student staying with his family for the summer. Starting with an unlikely friendship, the boyfriends find themselves in a magical love, bound by the expectations of society and time, slipping fast.
The critically-acclaimed movie received four Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for Chalamet, making him one of the youngest nominees in the category.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Marielle Heller’s 2018 biographical drama Can You Ever Forgive Me? Is based on a memoir by Lee Israel, where a celebrity biographer turns to forge literary letters when her career slumps. Helping in her exploits is Jack, a witty and quirky drifter.
At the heart of this buddy comedy is the platonic relationship between the lesbian protagonist and her gay co-plotter. Both Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant received Oscar nominations for their wonderful performances.
The kaleidoscopic world of the LGBTQ community is embedded with unique experiences, thus, we have tried to compile a list of movies that showcases the queer reality through various lenses. We hope, in the coming times, this representation will become much more multicultural, encompassing diverse identities.