Happy Pride Month: Top 10 LGBTQ+ Movies

Greetings, reader!

It is Pride Month, so I decided I'd share my favorite films that cover the wide variety of LGBTQ+ culture - if you're looking for movie recommendations to celebrate this time of year, look no further. There's no clear line on which movies I chose as eligible for the list - there are a few where the LGBTQ+ elements aren't quite the #1 primary focus of the film, but said elements do need to be essential to the film and not just a side-plot for it to qualify.

Here are my honorable mentions: Dallas Buyers Club (2013), Rocketman (2019), The Hours (2002), Tom Of Finland (2017), Tomboy (2011)

10. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain is as groundbreaking for the time of its release as it is a heartbreaking film to watch. It's a story of two cowboys, magnificently played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, who fall for each other while working as sheep herders. Between the film's 1960's setting, the macho culture the main characters come from and the marriage one of them is in, the film is a powerful and gripping depiction of staying in the closet and being ashamed of one's sexuality. It's a movie that really makes one thankful for the progress that gay rights and overall tolerance have made since then, although there obviously still is a long way to go. And, at its heart, it's a beautiful love story between two men yet quite a tragic one due to the time and place where they happened to find each other.

9. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Sure, it's more of a psychedelic mystery film than an LGBTQ+ film per se - but the main love story of Mulholland Drive is one between the two leading women, and it's one for the ages. While there's a lot of violence and surrealism going on in the movie, arguably the heart of the film and thus the most sense-making part of it is the romance between Naomi Watts's and Laura Harring's characters (or two different love stories between two sets of characters both played by Watts and Harring (or possibly one love story between different versions of the same people in some sort of dream world)). I'm starting to think I should watch this film for a second time and try to get to the bottom of what's really going on.

Anyways, if mainstream gay cinema isn't your thing and you want to celebrate your Pride Month with a Lynchian twist, Mulholland Drive is definitely the movie for you.

8. Imitation Game (2014)

This is the first of three films on this list to tell a real-life story of a great person who did great things worth celebrating - and who had to suffer for no other reason than belonging to a sexual minority in an intolerant society. As gripping as Imitation Game is, it does tell the important story of Alan Turing, a World War II hero who never took part in combat. You see, Turing was a mathematician who saved lives by cracking codes. And his story comes to life in a wonderful fashion in this film, where he is played by the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch. Turing's sexuality only really comes into play during the second half of the film, but it sure makes the story more powerful. For a long time, his role in history was downplayed due to his sexuality being seen as a shameful thing - fortunately, the tables turned in the 2000's. Posthumously, Turing has gotten the true recognition he deserved, and this film made sure that a whole lot of people would know exactly who he was and what he did for his country.

7. Best In Show (2000)

Now, like Mulholland Drive, Best In Show isn't exactly about the rainbow community first and foremost. It's a mockumentary about a dog show. But seeing as A) the film features two different gay couples among its main characters and their presence is a big part of the film's awesomeness, B) I wanted to balance out all the gripping movies of this list with a few lighthearted ones and C) I make the rules when it comes to this blog, well, here it is.

John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean are hilarious and heartfelt as Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof, an amiable gay couple who enter their Shih Tzu called Miss Agnes into the film's central dog show. The couple are the most kind and likable characters in the movie, which made for a refreshing surprise - usually if a comedy from 20 years ago features gay side characters, one can expect mean stereotypes and such. But this film goes around that trope to be wholesome instead, even more so as the second gay couple shows up - discussing them might warrant some light spoilers, so I'll just say that two women find each other and it's very endearing.

6. Milk (2008)

Here's an incredible true story that cuts two ways. Milk is in many ways a sad movie - as is the case far too often, the real-life stories of many LGBTQ+ pioneers haven't had the happiest endings due to society being less than accepting. But despite the fate of the film's hero, watching Milk as a whole causes more smiles than frowns, more tears of joy than those of grief. While Harvey Milk's journey met a tragic end (not really a spoiler since we find out where things are headed in the opening scene), there was an incredible amount of goodness that he managed to cause in his life. The film is a celebration of California's first-ever openly gay elected official, and his life is one very much worth celebrating.

Sean Penn won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Milk, and that sure was deserved. The struggles that the man overcame to get elected as a city supervisor are fascinating to follow, as is the rallying of California's gay pride movement of the time around him. The film's depiction of the colorful counter-culture of Castro Street and the societal debate of gay rights in the 1970's are well-documented, making for a film with a lot of heart and an important message.

5. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

If you want to celebrate Pride Month with a sobering look at history and the struggles that the LGBTQ+ community has had to face, Boys Don't Cry might just be the movie for you. If you feel like celebrating with something happy that highlights the joys of said culture, then I suggest avoiding this movie at all cost. Boys Don't Cry is one of the hardest movies to watch that I have ever come across, but through its gripping story it is also one of the most powerful ones - if there's one movie in the world that actually might make intolerant people rethink their stances and what their hate is really worth, it'd be this one.

Boys Don't Cry is based on the true story of Brandon Teena, a young transgender man finding himself in rural Nebraska. It's a beautiful and inspiring story of being true to oneself and not being ashamed of who you are - but in addition to that, the film is also one hell of a nasty reminder of how awful some people are. Without spoiling major plot points, Teena's story is downright tragic due to the treatment he got from the prejudiced people around him. The silver lining to be found is that such a grim movie, as is often the case, ended up having a beautifully positive impact on society. Boys Don't Cry is seen as a major milestone for equality and representation in cinema, being one of the first mainstream films to have a transgender protagonist and explore trans culture in an accurate and healthy way. It has even been selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry due to its cultural significance.

Much like Milk, I see this film as quite a proper celebratory movie despite its dark nature due to the fact that the life of Brandon Teena deserves to be celebrated, and his story should be heard. In another parallel to Milk, Boys Don't Cry also took home a very much deserved acting Oscar, as Hilary Swank is simply astonishing in the lead role - a transgender actor would've been a more sensitive choice, but for the time being this was still a big leap forward for movies about the trans community.

4. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Call Me By Your Name is such an elegant film. The Italian setting, Luca Guadagnino's atmospheric directing and the tender dialogue between the film's unlikely lovers Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) make for a beautiful film full of grace and emotion. The film's love story is a deep and often sad one, yet also one of the sweetest of its kind. The chemistry between Chalamet and Hammer is off the charts, making the summer romance of their well-developed characters all the more beautiful. This artistic piece of cinematic craftsmanship is clearly one of the top picks to watch as a celebration of gay pride, as the film is at its core a celebration of love and passion in its own subtle style.

3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

I love how this list is filled to the brim with gripping and serious dramas, but then there's this one in the midst. The Rocky Horror Picture Show may not be a soul-searching exploration of sexual identity or anything of the sort in itself, but the impact it has had on the rainbow community cannot be understated. In cinematic history, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the movie that found its audience in the LGBTQ+ world and had a powerful message to its members in its own, strange voice. While it is a hilarious, ridiculous psychedelic trip of a movie filled with aliens and monsters, back in 1975 its themes of sexual liberation (as well as its colorful song-and-dance numbers) resonated heavily with a population of people considered outsiders and outcasts by the society of the time.

Hand in hand with the original theatrical Rocky Horror Show, this cinematic adaptation gained an impressive cult following of LGBTQ+ viewers from all around, and continues to have such a following to this day. If you're looking for a fun and celebratory film to watch on Pride Month and a majority of this list's entries sound like they'd bum you out, then this comedy-horror musical (along with #7) is the one for you.

2. La La Land (2016)

Wait! There's been a mistake. I typed in the wrong name. Moonlight was supposed to be on this place, not La La Land! Let me just fix that...

2. Moonlight (2016)

There we go. The (quite dramatically) Best Picture-winning Moonlight is a gripping yet beautiful story of self-exploration. Split into three parts that each follow protagonist Chiron in a different stage of his life, the movie tackles the intricacies of grappling with one's sexuality and the difficulties of growing up gay in a less-than-accepting environment. With the addition of being African-American as well as being poor, the protagonist's complex upbringing shines a light on many of society's flaws while also finding hope from within.

Between Mahershala Ali's pitch-perfect performance as Chiron's mentor-figure Juan, the nice moments of humanity amidst the societal chaos, and the fact that the ending - well, I won't spoil it, but it's definitely not the mega-bummer you'd expect the ending of an Oscar-winning movie about a gay black man to be - Moonlight ends up being more uplifting than I had guessed. At the center of the film is a touching story of a young man finding out who he truly is in life, and his journey is one very much worth watching.

1. Philadelphia (1993)

A fair share of movies have moved me to tears, but very few have done so as excessively as Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia. The combination of a powerful subject matter, the Bruce Springsteen masterpiece Streets Of Philadelphia being in the soundtrack, Tom Hanks's Oscar-winning performance and the critical historical context is just too much for a viewer like myself to handle when it comes to containing one's emotions.

There are many reasons why Philadelphia is often seen as the essential rainbow movie. There might not be a Brokeback Mountain or a Moonlight if this masterpiece hadn't paved the way. Back in the early 90's, gay rights were not a normal subject matter for award-hopeful Hollywood films - let alone movies about lesbians or the trans community. Demme took a risk making this film knowing that many would condemn it in a largely homophobic society, as did Hanks who was in the height of his popularity and beloved by all Americans, as the decision of a big star to play a gay man in a movie was deemed controversial at the time.

This lead to a film that had an immense cultural impact on fighting homophobia overall, and especially concerning AIDS awareness. By 1993, AIDS remained deeply stigmatized despite scientific evidence about how it does and doesn't spread. Demme's motivation for this film was to help destigmatize the phenomenon, and for that same reason he chose Bruce Springsteen to write the theme song: he figured that the presence of Springsteen's music would bring in a lot of viewers from demographics who might not otherwise choose to see a movie about a gay man, and who would benefit the most from the film's lessons.

Like many on this list, Philadelphia is a sad movie, but I still see it as a very fitting choice to celebrate Pride Month with. As heartbreaking as the film is, the impact it had on the world was extremely positive. For prejudiced viewers of the time, seeing America's beloved Tom Hanks playing a gay man who happens to be an amazing person might've been the nudge they needed to become more tolerant and accepting. Many things have changed since, but even in 2020, the story of Hanks's character staying strong and being the bigger man as the antagonists of the film try to discriminate him is quite hard-hitting and extremely moving.

I hope you liked my list, and I wish a joyful Pride Month to all! Next week I'll be sharing my list of the top 10 stand-up comedy specials on Netflix, for all of you looking for some laughs in these trying times.