Being an international team at GAY45 we are in different situations, but most of us are in lockdown (again and again). So we watch lots of movies, series, read lots of books.
Here are queer-themed movies we watched or rewatched. We will be back with series and books.
MOONLIGHT (2016)
Moonlight uses one man’s story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema.
THE IMITATION GAME (2014)
With an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch illuminating its fact-based story, The Imitation Game serves as an eminently well-made entry in the “prestige biopic” genre. The story of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing whom we own the computers today and end the WWII who was gay.
TANGERINE (2015)
The first movie completly made on an iPhone, Tangerine shatters casting conventions and its filmmaking techniques are up-to-the-minute, but it’s an old-fashioned comedy at heart — and a pretty wonderful one at that. A story of trans, sex-workers, life.
MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (1985)
After the same name novel by Hanif Kureishi, is fast and all over the place because it has so much to say, and show, including a highly watchable fresh-faced Daniel Day-Lewis.
DOG DAY AFTERNOON (1975)
Framed by great work from director Sidney Lumet and fueled by a gripping performance from Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon offers a finely detailed snapshot of people in crisis with tension-soaked drama shaded in black humor.
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994)
A classic, but we always loved to whatch it over and over again. While its premise is ripe for comedy — and it certainly delivers its fair share of laughs — Priscilla is also a surprisingly tender and thoughtful road movie with some outstanding performances like Terence Stamp’s.
JONGENS (BOYS) (2014)
A 2014 Dutch made-for-television coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by Mischa Kamp. Strong performances and an admirably loose-limbed screenplay elevate this mixture of sports movie and coming-out narrative.
A MOMENT IN THE REEDS (2017)
Finnish romantic drama written and directed by Mikko Mäkelä uses strikingly intimate storytelling to give an important voice to the struggles of sexual and ethnic minorities in our society.
ANCHOR AND HOPE (2018)
Tell a bunch of lesbians that Tonks from “Harry Potter” and Talisa from “Game of Thrones” played girlfriends in a movie, and you just might be flattened by an imminent stampede of Doc Martens. Shedding their period garb for shaggy haircuts and leather bomber jackets, Natalia Tena and Oona Chaplin play a London couple who wonder how to fit a child into their bohemian houseboat lifestyle.
TODO SOBRE MI MADRE (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER) (1990)
This supremely confident black comedy, for which Pedro Almodóvar won the Best Director award at Cannes, is his finest film to date. Anyway… It is Pedro Almodóvar.
HAPPY TOGETHER (1997)
What can we say about Wong Kar-wai? The Hong Kong master’s 1997 film is a deeply affecting portrait of a failing relationship. Brilliant film, incredible images, fantastic story. And … The influence of director Wong Kar-wai on Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight has been well documented.
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (2001)
A 2001 American musical comedy-drama film written for the screen and directed by John Cameron Mitchel. A deeply rich, incredibly authentic musical. Mitchell’s performance and Stephen Trask’s incredibly touching tracks allow for delirious cinematic spectacle.
SHORTBUS (2006)
Also by John Cameron Mitchel. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colourful characters trying desperately to connect in New York City. The characters converge in a weekly Brooklyn artistic/sexual salon loosely inspired by various underground NYC gatherings that took place in the early 2000s.
ELEPHANT (2003)
A 2003 American psychological drama film written, directed, and edited by Gus Van Sant. It takes place in the fictional Watt High School, in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, and chronicles the events surrounding a school shooting, based in part on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. Gus Van Sant is Gus Van Sant.
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991)
My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 American independent adventure drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V. The story follows two friends, Mikey Waters and Scott Favor, played by River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves respectively, as they embark on a journey of personal discovery that takes them from Portland, Oregon to Mike’s hometown in Idaho, and then to Rome in search of Mike’s mother.
WEEKEND
In a single, reductive soundbite, “Weekend” could be considered the gay “Medicine for Melancholy,” which similarly dealt with the aftermath of a one-night stand. Andrew Haigh’s debut feature heralded a fresh new voice in queer cinema, and landed him a deal at HBO to create “Looking.” The story of a one-night stand that turns into an all-day stand, walk, and talk.
HEARTSTONE (2016)
In a fishing village in Iceland, a boy develops feelings for his best friend as his best friend pursues his affection for a girl.
LA MALA EDUCACIÓN/BAD EDUCATION (2004)
An examination of the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.
FREIER FALL (2013)
A soon-to-be-father policeman falls for a gay fellow officer and his life starts falling apart. A German movie that is a must-see.
PRIDE (2014)
U.K. gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike at the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.
A SINGLE MAN (2009)
An English professor, one year after the sudden death of his boyfriend, is unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles.
NORTH SEA, TEXAS (2011)
Is a 2011 Flemish drama film and the first feature from cult director Bavo Defurne.
A teenage boy’s search for love finds him fixated on a boy who lives nearby.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017)
In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant.
QUERELLE (1981)
A handsome sailor is drawn into a vortex of sibling rivalry, murder, and explosive sexuality. What to say… A movie by Fassbinder it is always exceptional.
GOD’S OWN COUNTRY
A 2017 British romantic drama film written and directed by Francis Lee in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Josh O’Connor and Alec Secăreanu. The plot follows a young sheep farmer in Yorkshire whose life is transformed by a male Romanian migrant worker.
These are our favourites. Here are some other lists you will enjoy.
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/rt-hub/pride/
