Top 9 LGBTQ+ Movies and TV Shows
#1 Handsome Devil
This Irish film definitely didn’t get enough recognition or hype. Starring Sherlock actor Andrew Scott and Game of Thrones baddie Michael McElhatton, the film follows the publically out Ned (Fionn O’Shea) and his roommate Conor (Nicholas Galitzine) at a rugby-obsessed all-boys boarding school in Ireland. It’s a teen comedy, but refreshingly for a film about two gay boys, it remains entirely platonically throughout. Since it doesn’t focus on a romantic plot, it leaves a lot of room for this beautiful story about friendship, tolerance, and acceptance!
#2 One Day At A Time
Anyone who has spoken to me in the last few weeks will know how obsessed I am with this Netflix show. Now in its third season, it features a diverse cast, centering around a Cuban family in L.A. It’s not only hilarious, but also handles difficult issues such as PTSD, addiction, depression, coming out, and gender identity. It not only features an amazing lesbian character but (spoiler alert) later even a non-binary character. It’s heart-warming and addictive and if you haven’t seen it yet, what have you been doing with your life?
#3 God’s Own Country
I first watched this movie after it started getting nominated for awards left, right, and center and I was not disappointed! It stars Josh O’Connor as Yorkshire farmer and Alec Secāreanu as the Romanian migrant worker hired to help him. The whole film is romantic, emotional, and beautifully shot. I dare you not to cry, or end up shipping them by the time you’ve finished!
#4 Pride
Ask my parents about this film, and they’ll tell you about how many times I made them watch this with me. The moving true story of a group of gays and lesbians who decide to help the striking miners in Thatcher-era Britain stars Ben Schnetzer, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, and Andrew Scott (again). It’s at times both funny and moving, and genuinely makes me cheer in support of LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners). If you haven’t seen it, go do it now – and if you have, go and rewatch it!
#5 Queer Eye
Look, I don’t really know what to say for this one except if you haven’t seen it… HOW? The reality show took the world by storm when it appeared on Netflix last year, and with the third season coming out next month I thought it was a good time to remind everyone of how amazing this show is. It focusses on five gay men who are each expert in their own respective fields: Karamo Brown (Culture), Tan France (Fashion), Jonathan Van Ness (Grooming), Bobby Berk (Design), and Antoni Porowski (Food and Wine). They make over anyone who needs it, from straight men, to trans men, to women, the Fab 5 help anyone who needs it!
#6 Moonlight
Best remembered for being the film that actually won Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars, even though Warren Beatty said it was La La Land, Moonlight is a semi-autobiographical movie about a gay, black man growing up in a rough area of Miami. It’s split into three parts, each one more heart-breaking and perfectly shot than the last. It’s not the happiest of films, but it tells a story that is seldom heard but needs to be told. It’s currently on Amazon Prime, so why not grab your tissues and give this award-winning film a shot!
#7 Love, Simon
I think it was Jim Parsons who said that that it was never too late for gay rom-coms and Love, Simon proves just that. Think about how many terrible straight teen-movies there are – too many – but this film manages to take away the pain of Mean Girls 2 and offers a genuinely sweet film about falling in love and coming out. Nick Robinson’s performance is both adorable and believable, so next time you’re trying to pick a cheesy rom-com skip Bring It On and try this one out!
#8 Call Me By Your Name
I actually wrote a review of this film last year for HCAU, but let me say again: This film is amazing! Set and filmed in Italy and starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet, this is a gorgeous story about first love. The best thing about this film is that it just concentrates on the difficulties of a couple getting together and bypasses the (almost) tropes of having to handle issues such as coming out or the AIDS crisis that most gay movies do. I guarantee you it’s a better watch than anything by Nicholas Sparks (and yes that includes The Notebook)!
#9 Maurice
If you’ve never heard of this film – don’t worry, most people haven’t. Released in 1987, it’s based on the novel by E. M. Forster which was written in 1914 and stars Sherlock actor Rupert Graves, James Wilby, and Hugh Grant (yes, you read that correctly). It follows Maurice Hall (Wilby) who struggles with his homosexuality in Edwardian society, where it was still illegal to be gay. It features one of the nicest endings to a film I’ve ever seen, plus a young Hugh Grant, and the iconic line: “I’m an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort.”
While the film isn’t actually on any streaming services and hard to get a DVD of, the whole thing is on Youtube – and I highly recommend reading the book too!
All pictures sourced from Google Images