The portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community in movies and shows hasn’t always been the best, especially when it comes to Bollywood. But the importance of representation cannot be downplayed. Because it is through films that we are introduced to feelings and experiences that are different from our own. That’s why, heartbreaks and losing loved ones in movies can make our heartache, even if we might not have experienced anything like that.
And so, every time I watch a movie that portrays the LGBTQ+ community in the right light, I appreciate it and leave with a good feeling. The feeling of the LGBTQ+ community being heard, recognised, and understood enough to not be let down. In recent years, there have been many such films that have represented the different facets of the LGBTQ+ experience rightfully. And we hope that queer cinema becomes accepted entirely mainstream soon too! Until then, scroll down to check out some of the top films we picked (listed in no particular order of preference) from the many that did justice to the queer experience.
1. Love Simon
Simon hasn’t come out to his family yet. But when a blackmailer threatens to reveal it all, he goes through a wild journey coming in terms with his identity.
2. Call Me By Your Name
17-year-old Elio meets the handsome and much older Oliver who’s at his family villa in Italy for the summer to work as a medical intern for Elio’s father. Soon, they both discover the desire for each other over the course of the summer which changes their lives forever.
3. The Half Of It
An introverted, shy student helps a colleague get the girl he’s been crushing on, but secretly, they are both crushing on the same girl.
4. Boy Erased
This one’s a hard-hitting one about conversion camps. When Jared comes out to his family, his father sends him to a conversion therapy camp. There, he is introduced to eye-raising methods and philosophy of conversion.
5. Transamerica
Stanley is about to get a sex-change operation and become Bree, but right before that she receives a call from a 17-year-old boy Toby who claims to be her son.
6. Milk
Milk is about an American activist fighting for gay rights and later becomes the first openly gay official in California to be elected to the public office.
7. Alex Strangelove
A high school kid who is confused about his sexual identity is what Alex Strangelove is about. He plans to lose his virginity to his girlfriend but life has a different plan for him when he meets a charming gay kid from the other side of the town.
8. Moonlight
An Oscar-winner, Moonlight is a story about self-discovery and a probable, tangible queer love story. Kevin and Chiron are childhood friends who eventually turn into romantic interests. While Kevin is shown as the typical hypermasculine guy, he has a soft and sensitive side for Chiron as well.
Let us know if you have any other movies to add to this list.
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