Pride Month is literally a lot more than just couplet clothes and Pride marches; it is a month for celebrating queer stories, listening to queer voices, and cheering their survival. One of the most effective ways to do it? How about immersing yourself in the rich spectrum of LGBTQ+ movies and TV shows? All sorts of media- from experimental indies to big-studio blockbusters, from tearjerkers to campy comedies- have made space that is just as diverse as the queer community itself. So, relax, get your favorite snacks ready, and prepare yourself to experience 15 wonderful LGBTQ+ movies and TV series that glorify love, identity, and the enchantment of storytelling.
15. The Watermelon Woman (1996)
The Watermelon Woman is the first time Cheryl Dunye made her mark not only in the film industry but also in queer history. In this hilarious and loving mix of documentary, romance, and comedy genres, Dunye is a video store clerk who is on the hunt for a totally unknown Black actress from the beginning of Hollywood. A daring effort of New Queer Cinema, it is side-splitting, defiant, and is absolutely a must-watch.
14. Pariah (2011)
Dee Rees’s debut film is a deeply empathetic, ceaselessly brave coming-of-age memoir about a Black teenager who aspires to accept her orientation, and at the same time, she has to deal with family and cultural expectations in Brooklyn. The film is a masterpiece to show the lesser common traits of identity. The power with which Adepero Oduye delivers the message through her acting can hardly be forgotten.
13. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
The film that has been given a cult status is a visually bright satire that copes with conversion therapy with the use of camp and charm as tools. Natasha Lyonne is radiant in the role of Megan, a cheerleader through whose eyes we discover love (and the self) in the most unlikely manner. Apart from that, with the presence of Clea DuVall and RuPaul, it also becomes laugh-out-loud and sentimental.
12. Fire Island (2022)
Andrew Ahn’s romantic comedy has a feel of Pride and Prejudice all over it, only that it is set at a distinctively queer summer retreat. It follows a group of friends who are always together.’ The film is intelligent, comedic, and extremely queer- a modern love story that just radiates joy.
11. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Céline Sciamma’s sumptuous historical love story is one about forbidden love between an artist and her subject set in 18th-century France. Through its stunning visuals and dreadful yearning, it is a slow-burning masterpiece that haunts your heart.
10. Paris Is Burning (1990)
Jennie Livingston’s landmark documentary presents the viewer with the extravagant and innovative world of New York City’s ball culture, highlighting not only the creativity and resiliency but also the chosen families that were there to support one another, no matter what. In short, the film is for everyone interested in queer culture and the dynamics of the early years.
9. The Handmaiden (2016)
Park Chan-wook takes the story of Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith, and literally, with just the visuals, the retelling of the story is reversed, and it’s a thriller that ends up shocking the audience due to numerous plot twists when the background is Japanese-occupied Korea. Between the two is a passionate love affair that features cheating, control, and freedom.
8. Disclosure (2020)
Trans directors led this fascinating documentary, and among those who gave their voices for it was Laverne Cox. It is about Hollywood’s trans representation pattern going back beyond a century, and those trans people who met because of the film characters in the outside world. Eye-opening and deeply moving, it is a must-watch film.
7. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Once upon upstream, there was the sad love story of Brokeback Mountain written tirelessly and beautifully by Ang Lee and acted by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film was the first to show the love of queer characters in a mainstream movie and, besides that, managed to touch many people emotionally, still to this day.
6. Moonlight (2016)
The first time I heard “Moonlight” was when Barry Jenkins won an Oscar for it. The life turns of Chiron, a black gay boy, become the director’s decision to tell a very compelling story of love, identity, and the struggle with traditional masculinity notions that keep reconstructing queer cinema paradigm.
5. The Old Guard (2020)
Another one of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s queer theater productions is The Old Guard, a superhero action film that is the darling of those who cannot stand the usual silent or invisible presence of queer characters in this kind of genre. Among the endless fight and adrenaline rush scenes, the love affair of Joe and Nicky remains one of the most outstanding moments that illuminated the whole film.
4 . Saving Face (2004)
Alice Wu’s nice romantic comedy features a confident Chinese-American woman who struggles to have a new relationship and meet her mother’s expectations at the same time. With its lovable and funny moments and the care given to the cultural aspect, it is one of the first narratives to put queer Asian American love front and center.
3. Pose (2018–2021)
In the creation of Pose, Steven Canals, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Falchuk are acknowledged for creating the opportunity for fashion and historical culture to intersect, as well as trans women of color, a historically marginalized group, to narrate their own stories in this series. This show is both enjoyable and groundbreaking through jaw-dropping acting and brilliant plot developments.
2. Carol (2015)
Todd Haynes’s glamorous and inventive miniseries adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel about Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) explores the intense moments of their love story that are present as well as the history Rachel with Hannah watched in reverse. In short, it is one of the best queer love stories ever to be put on film, very mutually euphorically and heartbreakingly.
1 . Call Me By Your Name (2017)
What went on in the splendid Sicilian nature when Luca Guadagnino made his first, most beautiful, lyrical, wistful, and tender coming-of-age tale about first love, Elio and Oliver? Timothée Chalamet acted the character with such great power that the audience could feel the sharpest of desire and agony of loss in a nightmare-like way.
Queer cinema is a genre of film, not only based on watching it for pleasure one can get from watching it, but it is also a way of visibility, validation, and celebration. These movies and shows will forever be the proof that queer filmmaking is vibrant, alive, and here to stay, whether they are for those who love laughing, crying, or passionate love stories.