During quarantine, along with many other people, I’ve been questioning my sexuality. And therefore, I set off to research as much as possible. My resources: queer youtube videos, books, and movies. I want to preface this list by acknowledging that I have by no means watched all of the possible wlw (woman loving women) movies, and this is simply a list of my personal favorites. As you’ll find, I like lighthearted love stories and good friendships! As Billy Eichner said, “Let’s go lesbians! Let’s go!”
- The Half of It
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Netflix teen movies have been on a roll lately (excluding The Kissing Booth)! In this movie, the main character, Ellie Chu, is recruited by a sweet jock, Paul Munsky, to help him write love notes to his (and her) crush Aster Flores. The basic catfishing premise has been done before, but the movie is set apart from the crowd because it has an Asian American lesbian lead, developed family dynamics, and a heartwarming friendship between Ellie and Paul. This movie flips classic tropes to add more diversity and gayness in a way that doesn’t feel forced.
- But I’m a Cheerleader
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But I’m a Cheerleader is a 1999 cult classic. The movie has a 40% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is SO CAMPY and pokes fun at conversion camps and stereotypes. Is the humor in bad taste considering conversion camps are real and damaging? Perhaps, but the movie is directed by, acted by, and loved by LGBT+ people. Refinery29 sums up the humor, saying it “pushes society’s traditionally binary views of gender responsibilities to their absolute extreme, and in doing so, demonstrates just how absurd they can be.”
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
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This movie is set in 1770 France at a beautiful coastal manor, and it is entirely in French with English subtitles. I am a person that avoids foreign films because of the extra energy it takes to read subtitles, but believe me this one is worth it! It is a slow burn romance where most of the movie is unbearable sexual tension. Don’t worry, it does get gay. Critics have described the movie as an example of the “female gaze.” There are no men in sight for about an hour and a half. The movie also covers abortions in the 18th century. Expect painting, the beautiful coastal cliffs of France, and long stares.
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
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This movie tells the story of Cameron Post, a teenage girl who is caught hooking up with a girl at prom and subsequently sent to a conversion camp. The depiction of a conversion camp in this movie felt realistic, and all of the characters are fleshed out. Within the oppression and shame of the conversion camp is the beautiful friendships built between the LGBT+ teens. This movie also has good diversity; I particularly appreciated that they included a two-spirit character. Really, there is nothing to complain about.
- The Truth About Jane
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This 2000 movie tells the story of a teenage girl, Jane, who dates a girl from school, deals with coming out to her family, and heartbreak. It honestly follows the standard coming-out film plot, but is still enjoyable because the characters are dynamic and easy to love.
- Saving Face
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This movie follows a mother and daughter who both fall in love with people that their family doesn’t approve of. Their Chinese-American identity plays a large role in this story, which is nice to see. The daughter struggles with coming out as lesbian to her family, and the mother refuses to say who is the father of her future baby. I particularly enjoyed the daughter’s love story.
- Booksmart
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One of the reasons this movie is great is because one of the main characters is out as lesbian, but it’s treated as any other teenage love subplot. The movie is really about friendship and being bold as high school graduation approaches. The movie exemplifies sex positivity in conversation, and fully represents supportive female friendships.
We hope you have a great movie night!