Happy Pride, everyone! While there have been amazing queer films being produced for the last several decades, Hollywood still doesn’t promote them with as much effort as they should unless they think there’s a chance for the film to win awards or make a lot of money. So many incredible LGBTQIA2S+ films completely miss audiences and can sometimes be relegated to streaming services, where people can hopefully stumble across them one day. For every “Moonlight” or “Brokeback Mountain,” there are a dozen queer movies deserving of massive recognition. In fact, I’d like to recognize a few of them right now.
Andrew Haigh has been writing and directing deeply humanist and affecting movies since the gorgeous chamber piece, “Weekend,” back in 2011, but with 2023’s “All of Us Strangers,” he has taken a gay love story and added mystery, metaphysics, ghosts and grief and conjured a truly singular and unforgettable film. In a way, the film unpacks the “Bury Your Gays” trope and turns it into something life-affirming and genuinely beautiful. From the performances by Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, to the heart-wrenching score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch and the gentle script from Haigh, make this one of my favorite films of the 2020s.
What on the surface is a dark fantasy about obsession is actually a trans coded expression of self-discovery from emerging filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun and a profoundly empathetic love letter to those who feel alone and unseen in the world. It’s one of the only movies I’ve seen that approaches gender dysphoria with understanding and warmth, giving general audiences a window into lives deserving of visibility. Yet, it’s also a fun and creepy examination of the dark side of nostalgia that will play for audiences just looking for a monster movie, as well. Schoenbrun is limitless in their talent and I can’t wait to see what they will conjure for us next.
“Splendor” (1999):
From Gregg Araki, one of the fearless innovators of the New Queer Cinema movement comes “Splendor,” a throwback to screwball comedies of the 1940’s set the triangularly between a throuple dealing with the growing pains of their relationship. While not as queer coded as Araki’s earlier films like “The Doom Generation” and “Totally F***ed Up,” the film still manages to be pretty far ahead of its time in examining bisexuality, ethical non monogamy and poly relationships. It’s also charming, quite funny and blisteringly sensual.
“Paris is Burning” (1990)
This isn’t just a documentary about the drag balls in NYC from the mid-to-late 1980’s, but is actually a macroscopic exploration of gender, race, sexuality and class through the lens of them. The film breaks down exactly what American LGBTQ+ pioneers sacrificed for modern queer lives so beautifully that it gives context to their struggles that no film has really captured since. I think this movie has saved the lives of more LGBTQ+ youth than any other.
“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)
This has since taken on cult classic status, but when it was released in 1999, audiences had no idea what to make of this campy satire set at a lesbian conversion therapy camp. While this could have been a deadly serious take on the subject, director Jamie Babbit and stars Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall inject a mischievous charm to the film, giving it a bittersweet air of longing that keeps it feeling universal. This might be the best-known film on the list, but it’s still not as big as it should be.
There are many more great, under-seen queer films you can watch for Pride. Here are 10 more very much worth your time:
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985)
“Happy Together” (1997)
“The Watermelon Woman (1996)
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019)
“Kajillionaire” (2020)
“Beau Travail” (1999)
“Shortbus” (2006)
“Camp” (2003)
“The Dreamers” (2003)
“Funeral Parade of Roses (1969)
This article appears in Source Weekly May 29, 2025.
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