Best romantic gay movies
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Therefore, we need more such charged romance films set in the countries where homosexuality remains strictly taboo.
5 Happy Together
Unlike most gay movies that start off with a protagonist finding it difficult to accept his identity, this particular film attempts to depart from this trope and focuses on the complications and the challenges faced in any relationship.
Wilhelmina “Wil” Pang (Michelle Krusiec) is a young, talented surgeon on track to become chief of surgery at her hospital.
15 Most Romantic LGBTQ+ Movies to Watch With Your Sweetie
Carol (2015)
While some argue that the adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt is a Christmas movie, it's also timelessly romantic.
The two connect over a Buffy-esque television show called The Pink Opaque, from which they both find a riveting source of solace. Brokeback Mountain is a definite eye-opener.
3 Call Me By Your Name
This film by Luca Guadagnino is a screen adaptation of André Aciman's award-winning 2007 novel by the same name.
The Watermelon Woman follows Cheryl, a fictionalized version of writer-director-editor Cheryl Dunye, on her quest to learn about the life and identity of an actress she sees in a 1930s film called Plantation Memories who is credited only as “Watermelon Woman.” The parallels between Cheryl’s personal life and her research are clever and impactful without being too on the nose, and her deliciously incisive critique of the white liberal branch of feminist academia makes use of cameos from Sarah Schulman and, in a real jump scare, Camille Paglia.
Stream on Criterion Channel.
Photo: Why Not Prd/Kobal/Shutterstock
A cult favorite for its stylized aesthetic and encapsulation of a generation, Gregg Araki’s incredibly dark comedy applies Lynchian surrealism to a gory, oversaturated Beverly Hills, 90210–esque universe.
The emotional weight of Harper’s inability to come out to her family — and the way it harms Abby — gives the film a more somber tone than most Christmas movies have, although there are of course funny moments and silly high jinks throughout. Long before Obergefell v. It’s funny and ridiculous and stressful and, by the end, surprisingly sweet.
Stream on Netflix.
Photo: David Lee/©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
This Obama-produced Netflix original is far from the best when ranked alongside the many retellings of the period leading up to the March on Washington in 1963.
Related: Best Animated TV Shows with LGBTQ+ Characters
6 And Then We Danced
Directed by Levan Akin, a Swedish filmmaker of Georgian descent, the 2019 drama And Then We Danced tells the emotional story of gay sexual awakening put into the backdrop of Georgian ultra-conservative society.
It’s one of the greatest movies of the 2010s, telling the story of Chiron, a quiet and withdrawn boy growing up in Miami, in three parts. What follows should be kept a surprise, but just keep in mind that the writer and director, Jane Schoenbrun, has said they wrote it about two months into their gender transition.
Stream on HBO Max.
Photo: Youtube
Following the relationship between cellmates in a Brazilian prison, this Oscar-nominated film made waves when it was first released in the 1980s.
Stream on HBO Max.
Photo: Ursula Coyote/2020 Warner Bros.
It has just enough real sweetness and heart to bring a tear to your eye without feeling overly sappy. For anyone who doesn't agree — just don't watch these movies and go somewhere else.
WATCH ON AMAZON
Alex Strangelove (2018)
High school senior Alex wants to lose his virginity to his girlfriend, Claire.
Their courtship is sweet and exuberantly sexy, but it’s complicated by the secrets they both keep from one another and their respective families.
Stream on Hulu.
Photo: Jeong Park/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
This queer reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was an instant rom-com classic for a reason.
Abby has plans to propose on Christmas morning — until Harper reveals, on the drive over, that she hasn’t actually come out to her family yet and that they’ll both need to pretend to be straight. Interestingly, this 2018 film is well-known for "being the first movie focusing on gay teenage romance released by a major studio." Thus, it is no surprise that a spin-off TV series called Love, Victor has been released by Hulu.
Related: Romantic Movies to Watch With Your Partner on Valentine's Day
11 Maurice
Set in the early 1900s, Mauriceis a film that's sure to evoke many emotions in the viewer.
Here are some of the most romantic gay films about men that deserve more acclamation.
12 Love, Simon
A modern love story that revolves around the teenager who is struggling to accept his own identity.Love, Simon is a film that simply makes the viewer feel good.
Colman Domingo plays Bayard Rustin, the activist who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but, because of his identity as a gay man, stayed mostly on the sidelines. The moment their eyes meet one December day in a department store, they can’t keep away from each other. From the precise and careful pacing to the stunning cinematography and the story’s emotional wallop, it’s a perfect movie.
Stream on Apple TV+.
Photo: Lions Gate/ Courtesy Everett Co/©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Co
But I’m a Cheerleader points out the obvious in a stylized and extremely goofy way: Gay conversion camp is a great place to meet other horny gay people.
Come for the lesbian fight club, stay for the gratuitously bloody conclusion.
Stream on MGM+.
Photo: Yorgos Lanthimos/Fox Searchlight / Everett Collection
Shout-out to Yorgos Lanthimos for giving us everything we didn’t know we so desperately needed: an absurdist depiction of 18th-century England starring Olivia Colman as a gay Queen Anne that confronts the anxieties of womanhood while remaining just a bit silly the whole time.
Stream on Disney+.
Photo: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection
It’s a family drama, a romance, a coming of age.
While the film follows the trope of a young closeted boy trying to find his secret lover, it does so in a way that is capable of giving people hope, and is subtle enough to even influence naysayers. Whether you've never pressed play or have seen it a thousand times, it's worth a look.
WATCH ON AMAZON
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The Half of It (2020)
When the nerdy Ellie gets recruited by a jock to try and woo the girl she ends up with a crush on, things get complicated.
Because of their masculine gender presentation, the local kids in the area assume Mikael is a boy and treat him as such.