Queer Films We Should All Be Watching
If you’ve been online within the last few years you’ve probably heard the loud calls for representation. You might be wondering, “why is a focus on LGBTQ+ people in cinema important?” Well, we currently live in a world where the media can easily warp our perceptions of other groups of people. This especially holds true for groups that we may not encounter often and or do not genuinely interact with enough. It is for this reason that the way we perceive media is important— we must try to be aware of the various ideologies and beliefs being pushed towards us while we consume different media. Without this consciousness, we can form implicit biases that allow us to perpetuate harmful stereotypes in our everyday lives.
Queerness has been a largely avoided topic in film. However, recently there has been more interaction with LGBTQ+ identities within both shows and movies as society becomes more accepting of both gender and sexuality spectrums. Unfortunately, there have been some drawbacks to this new tide of representation. One that is particularly bothersome to me is queerbaiting.
Queerbaiting sucks.
We’ve all seen it. You know, the queer side character plastered onto the promotional posters that tickle our interests in a new teen movie. Sadly, it’s common that the character’s sexuality is merely tha— an advertising tool. Rather than address their queerness, studios bait queer-loving audiences into the theaters with their illusive promises of represenation.
The movies we’re recommending are especially refreshing because they are what they claim to be: queer. And we love them for that.
Before we dive into our list, how about some context on the prevalence of the LGBTQ+ community in cinema?
Queer characters have been a part of global cinema for years. However, they were and still are usually featured as side characters— a mere addition to the story rather than an active participant in the plot of a story. In this way, we’ve seen LGBTQ+ characters tokenized countless times; they exist in the realm of the story for the sake of diversity rather than inclusivity. And, when their stories are actually shared, they are often watered down to fit the narrative of heteronormativity rather than address the complexities of existing as a queer person in an unaccepting society and or space. In addition to ignoring the very real struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, gay and queer relationships are contorted to fit a fetishized view of LGBTQ+ interactions and in many cases reinforce harmful stereotypes. This is why we as a zine praise movies such as Moonlight, The Handmaiden, Dear Ex, Happy Together, and A Portrait of a Lady on Fire for letting LGBTQ+ characters lead the story and have their romantic and sexual interactions be brought to the forefront of the plot.
The Dangers of Fetishization
Within queer cinema, we commonly see this with the hypersexualization as well as the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters as predatory....Cue the ever-ongoing Call Me By Your Name debate. We won’t get too deep in that specific movie here but we must address the romanticization of the overt predatory themes shown in the film because it ties directly back to the perception of queer individuals as naturally more predatory. Even if you like the more palatable features of Call Me By Your Name and other movies similar, we must be cognizant of the fact that popularizing this only further integrates these toxic beliefs into society. If we are going to popularize a queer film, we should uplift ones that display relatively healthier relationships or at the least do not romanitcize serious issues like pedophilia.
To be clear, we’re not trying to say that queer relationships should be displayed in an unrealistic light. Films, books, and shows are all great places to truly share the human experience. But, when dealing with common detrimental LGBTQ+ stereotypes such as the an inclination for corruption, and sex, it is important to provide a level of context that may not always be necessary for cisgender heterosexual relationships. The following movies we’re suggesting do feature relationships with unhealthy dynamics—naturally such issues exist within the realm of LGBTQ+ relationships—but the difference is that they are displayed harmful and the characters actively work to improve them where there’s room to. All lot of them also tackle tough themes: characters learn to own themselves and their sexualities in a way that society has often scoffed at. They’re gratifying because they unapologetically push the boundaries of heteronormativity and give queer people the much deserved recognition of their multidimensional identities.
Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins
This movie depicts a tale of a Chiron, young queer black boy from Miami. Told in three parts that follow three stages of his life, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, the movie draws in the audience with its great use of muted blues, pinks, and purples that mix beautifully with the melancholic soundtrack to portray the bittersweet story of Chiron. Currently, this movie is my absolute favorite. Somewhere between the scenic views of Chiron becoming absorbed with the soothing rhythm of crashing waves and the composition of his relationships rich in love, Moonlight stole my heart. Something about it everytime leaves me feeling both empty and fulfilled-- it is a spectacular rendition of life.
This movie won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Picture and is directed by a queer man, Barry Jenkins. In addition, the film has a truly remarkable cast that includes the talent of Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali, Trevantae Rhoades, Ashton Sanders, and many more.
Rated R for sexuality, drug use, some violence and language.
The Handmaiden directed by Park Chan-Wook
This film is truly a perfect representation of the intricacy of both love, sexuality and fraud. The Handmaiden follows the story of two women: Sook-Hee, a nifty orphan desperate for money and Tamako, a rich woman who is her target. Set in 1930s Korea, a time in which the country was under Japanese occupation, the movie is a beautiful adaptation of the British novel The Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Not only is the soundtrack nothing less of picturesque, but the cinematography is also absolutely breathtaking. Additionally, the various difficult themes such as the reclamation of one’s sexuality following years of sexual exploitation are addressed with such grace. Basically, this film had me on the edge of my seat until the very last second-- it is a phenomenal movie that you should add to your watchlist.
The movie won the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award for Best Foreign Language Film among many other Blue Dragon Film and Asian Film Awards.
Rated R for strong disturbing sexual content (sexual violence), graphic nudity, discussions of suicide, drug use, violence & gore, and profanity.
Dear Ex directed by Mag Hsu & Hsu Chih-yen
Dear Ex is a Tawianese film that follows the journey of Song Cheng-xi as he tries to piece together why his deceased father abandoned his mother for a man named Jay. As the movie progresses, Song Cheng-xi finds himself trapped in a feud between his mother and Jay over the insurance money left for Jay by Song Zheng-yuan (Cheng-xi’s father). What I admire about the movie most would have to be its profuse use of Cheng-xi’s doodles to further remind the viewer of the young perspective we’re viewing, the symbolism embedded within the soundtrack, and the saturated color of the film as well as the prevalence of dull color in more dreary scenes. When watching the movie, I realized that very few movies have made me feel so many strong emotions at once; the combination of Cheng-xi’s comedical narration and the stunning portrayal of painful realities of love and loss created a whirlwind of feelings for me. In that way, I found the movie to be incredibly enjoyable.
The film won two Golden Horse Film awards: one for Best Leading Actress and another for Best Film Editing.
Rated TV-MA for cursing, violence, and death.
Happy Together directed by Wong Kar-Wai
This 1997 film focuses on two immigrants from Hong Kong, China and their lives in Argentina. These men, Lai and Ho, are stuck within a rather torturous abusive relationship that waxes and wanes with the fluctuations in their feelings for one another. This cycle is eventually broken with a character’s realization that happiness can come elsewhere. Now, I might just be a big Wong Kar-Wai fan, but this movie (like many of his others) was utterly beautiful. If you’re a fan of symbolic cinematography, scores that move you, inventive framing and filming, thoughtful screenwriting and intricate characters, watch this movie. You will not be disappointed.
The movie won two awards: Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor and Cannes Best Director Award.
Rated TV-MA for sex, nudity, violence, profanity, alcohol, and drugs.
A Portrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Céline Sciamma
As a queer woman, I find it especially important for movies focusing on a queer and femme relationship to be directed by a queer femme. This is because our relationships are often contorted to fit some heterosexual man’s fantasy. Given that common alteration of womxn-love-womxn relationships in cinema, A Portrait of a Lady on Fire was like a breath of fresh air. Céline Sciamma gave their relationship a realness that is often missed when someone outside of the LGBTQ+ community makes a movie like this. Set in the 18th century, the film follows two french women, a painter and a woman claimed to be impossible to paint, and paints a lush picture of the love, desire, sadness and fear that come with trying to sustain a queer relationship in an unaccepting society. Like many of the other movies mentioned, the cinematography here is astounding, but what I enjoyed about the movie most was the music and its symbolic use throughout the film. If you’d take my suggestion, I’d recommend watching this movie on a peaceful, sunny day to match the light elements of the movie.
A Portrait of A Lady on Fire won quite a few awards including the César Award for Best Cinematography, the Cannes Film Festival Award for best Screenplay, and the European Film Award for Best Screenwriter.
Rated R for sex, nudity, sucide mention, abortion, & drugs.
Bonus: Worthwhile LGBTQ+ shows
Killing Eve
POSE
Given
Banana Fish
Bloom Into You