Gay movies list

Critics Consensus: Pulsing with authenticity and led by a stirring lead performance from Adepero Oduye, Pariah is a powerful coming out/coming-of-age film that signals the arrival of a fresh new talent in writer/director Dee Rees.

Synopsis: Once a powerful Hollywood director best known for Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, James Whale (Ian McKellen) is long [More]

Starring: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich

Directed By: Bill Condon

Critics Consensus: Led by a Maddie Ziegler performance that's as funny as it is fearless, Fitting In takes a boldly provocative look at the assumptions and expectations surrounding modern femininity.

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Starring: Eamon Farren, Lev Gorn, Mark Nelson, Lynn Cohen

Directed By: Isabel Sandoval

Critics Consensus: Though the costumes are beautiful and the art direction impeccable, what stands out most from this debut by fashion designer Tom Ford is the leading performance by Colin Firth.

Synopsis: In the wildly entertaining and refreshingly unfiltered documentary KOKOMO CITY, filmmaker D. Smith passes the mic to four Black transgender [More]

Starring: Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, Dominique Silver

Directed By: D. Smith

Critics Consensus: A beautifully acted depiction of being caught between a rock and a hard place, Good One confronts difficult emotions and yields a striking feature debut for writer-director India Donaldson.

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Starring: Divine, Mark Payne, Greg Gorman, Mink Stole

Directed By: Jeffrey Schwarz

Critics Consensus: Celebrating its subjects without ever losing sight of their story, The Queen is a fascinating time capsule that has only gained resonance since its release.

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Starring: Cecilia Roth, Eloy Azorín, Marisa Paredes, Penélope Cruz

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

Critics Consensus: With stunning honesty that's achingly bittersweet, Joyland tackles gender and sexual fluidity in a repressed patriarchal society with wisps of hopefulness.

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Our list of the 200 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of All Time stretches back 90 years to the pioneering German film, Mädchen in Uniform, which was subsequently banned by the Nazis, and crosses multiple continents, cultures, and genres. [More]

Starring: Laverne Cox, Bianca Leigh, Jen Richards, Alexandra Billings

Directed By: Sam Feder

Critics Consensus: Like the cheekily named store at this documentary's center, Circus of Books proves there are countless stories below the surface if we're only willing to look.

Synopsis: Activists risk their lives to confront Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his government-directed campaign to detain, torture and execute LGBTQ [More]

Starring: Olga Baranova, David Isteev, Maxim Lapunov

Directed By: David France

Critics Consensus: In telling one couple's story, A Secret Love pays understated yet powerful tribute to a lifetime of choices and sacrifices made in the name of enduring devotion.

Over the last few years, we added titles like the documentary Welcome to Chechnya, about LGBTQ+ activists risking their lives for the cause in Russia; Certified Fresh comedy Shiva, Baby; and Netflix’s The Old Guard, a rare movie about super beings that showed a same-sex relationship between two of its heroes.

Culled from a longlist of hundreds, movies considered for the list prominently feature gay, lesbian, trans, or queer characters; concern itself centrally with LGBTQ+ themes; present its LGBTQ+ characters in a fair and realistic light; and/or be seen as a touchpoint in the evolution of queer cinema.

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Starring: Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Oliver Bodart, Katelijne Damen

Directed By: Lukas Dhont

Critics Consensus: A searing swipe at late-stage capitalism, I Care A Lot is an exhilarating pitch black comedy with a wicked performance from Rosamund Pike.

Synopsis: In the late 1980s, members of Act-Up and other AIDS activists battle indifference and hostility to bring attention to the [More]

Starring: David Barr, Jim Eigo, Ann Northrop, Larry Kramer

Directed By: David France

Critics Consensus:Disclosure engrossingly illuminates the history and effects of the way transgender lives are depicted onscreen -- and outlines how much progress still needs to be made.

Synopsis: Wealthy and precocious teenager Juliet (Kate Winslet) transfers from England to Christchurch, New Zealand, with her family, and forms a [More]

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Critics Consensus: It may be a chamber piece but Weekend's revelations on modern sexuality expand far beyond the modest setting.

Synopsis: A look at Hollywood's depiction of transgender people and the impact of this on American culture. [More]

Starring: Pat Henschel

Directed By: Chris Bolan

Critics Consensus: Anchored by Sean Penn's powerhouse performance, Milk is a triumphant account of America's first openly gay man elected to public office.

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If you're looking for powerful and moving cinema that beautifully captures queer experiences, we've got you covered with this list of the top gay movies of all time.

Synopsis: In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined [More]

Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna

Directed By: Gus Van Sant