The 1990s saw an unprecedented surge in the number of films created, written, and directed by queer filmmakers who brought a refreshing and often sobering perspective to a medium dominated by a stale, conspicuously male viewpoint. Over the past two decades, queer filmmakers have created a canon of films that are as diverse as LGBTQ communities around the world. And while many films would definitely be at home on this list, we chose eight films that we believe really stand apart from the competition.
1. Me and You and Everyone We Know
Me and You and Everyone We Know, Miranda July's 2005 breakthrough film, is a tender and transgressive take on the composite narrative. The film follows a handful of converging subplots that focus largely on relationships and the uncertainty of youth. July plays the lead role as Christine, a struggling artist and part-time elder cab driver, who serendipitously meets Richard—a newly-single shoe salesman with two children. The duo's lives become meticulously entwined with other characters in the film. July's strong writing, directing, and acting earned the film several awards, including a Caméra d'Or award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
2. Kajillionaire
The New Yorker's Richard Brody sums up Kajillionaire tidily in eleven words: "Miranda July’s Astounding Metaphorical Vision of a World Out of Whack." July's latest film almost seems prescient in the way it approaches connection, loss, and other existential fears that many of us grappled with during the pandemic. The film tells the story of Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) — a young woman raised into a life of petty crime by her emotionally decrepit parents — whose dreary life gets turned upside down when Melanie (Gina Rodriguez) enters the fray looking to get away from her humdrum existence. And while Kajillionaire is July's most successful film to date, it still feels intimate and understated.
3. Shortbus
John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus is difficult to describe. Although the film may be best known for its ensemble cast and non-simulated sex scenes, it's not defined by either. Loosely based on DUMBA, a Brooklyn-based queer arts collective, living space, and venue, the film follows the lives of several people who struggle to connect both intimately and emotionally with others. The characters lives become increasingly intertwined when they visit Shortbus, described as "a salon for the gifted and challenged," by its host Justin Bond. With Shortbus, Mitchell transcends the limits of filmmaking and achieves something unique—a movie where honest depictions of intimacy, in all of its forms, is not viewed as pornography.
Shortbus perfectly encapsulates a fraught period at the beginning of the century. The fever pitch of angst, uncertainty, and trauma that followed 9/11 came to a head on August 14, 2003, when a blackout shut down New York City. A collective catharsis embraced the city once New Yorkers realized the blackout was not the result of a terrorist attack. It was a rare moment where the city felt full of magic and possibility, and one Mitchell uses with deft for the climax of Shortbus.
4. Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos is a chaotic crime comedy directed, produced, written, narrated, and shot by John Waters. The film's tagline, "An exercise in poor taste" should give you any idea of what you're in for when you press play. This cult classic follows Divine, a criminal drag queen that goes into hiding and lives as Babs Johnson to get away from the FBI.
While on the lam, Divine lives in a trailer with her mother, Edie (Edith Massey), delinquent son, Crackers (Danny Mills) and travel companion, Cotton (Mary Vivian Pierce). To add to her trouble with the law, Divine has to fend off her rivals, the Marbles (played by David Lochary and Mink Stole), who are vying for Divine's top spot as the filthiest person alive. Pink Flamingos is an outrageous, somewhat depraved fever dream that will eventually make you laugh, even if involuntarily.
Pink Flamingos is a queer classic that has survived the test of time (and obscenity charges). Unfortunately, John Water's 1972 classic is unstreamable, but you can order it from The Criterion Collection.
5. Pain and Glory
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Pain and Glory is an acclaimed Spanish drama that deals with themes of loss, grief, drug abuse, and healing as it follows the story of an aging film director, Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), who is losing the ability to create the art that once brought him joy. Instead of starting new projects, Salvador passes his time reflecting on his past and living in the moment, reconnecting with old friends and lovers.
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6. Elephant
Directed by Gus Van Sant, Elephant is a psychological drama that follows the events surrounding a school shooting. Based partly on the events of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Elephant is a harsh depiction of how abruptly and violently everything can change. Aside from the obvious trauma of the school shooting and the implied bigotry and violence that motivates it, Elephant also depicts topics like eating disorders and alcohol abuse as it follows the lives of several of the students leading up to the massacre.
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7. Mysterious Skin
Written and directed by Gregg Araki, Mysterious Skin is an intense, touching drama that examines child abuse, sexuality, and growth through trauma. Brian (George Webster and Brady Corbet) and Neil (Chase Ellison and Joseph Gordon-Levitt), two young adults that could not be more different, discover they each lived through the same traumatic event one summer when they were eight—an event that would go on to shape how they interact with their worlds emotionally and sexually.
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8. The Watermelon Woman
The Watermelon Woman, directed by Cheryl Dunye, is a 1996 romantic comedy-drama that sees the protagonist Cheryl (played by Dunye herself), a young, Black lesbian, start a relationship with a white customer, Diana (Guinevere Turner) at the video rental store where she works. While the relationship develops, Cheryl is filming a documentary about a woman she sees in a film called Plantation Memories, credited only as The Watermelon Woman.
The Watermelon Woman is a groundbreaking film—the first ever film written and directed by a Black lesbian—that explores the day-to-day lives of gay women in a society that was often cruel and bigoted towards both Blackness and queerness, while also confronting the historical precedents of white, male storytelling that was dominant in film.
There's no shortage of incredible streaming LGBTQ films and television shows
There's never a bad time to catch up on LGBTQ films, and as winter approaches, it's time to slow down and stay indoors. While we're fond of these films, there are many more on all the streaming platforms. Netflix has an incredible selection of LGBTQ films. And whether you are commuting to work or simply have some extra time on your hands, you'll definitely want to check out these incredible LGBTQ-inclusive games.