There are some revolutionary queer movies that “came out” in 2018, movies which everyone should see. Watching these films is so important because, while queer cinema will definitely not solve every problem, it does offer an opportunity to embrace the life of others and thus can create long-lasting empathy. Empathy can undoubtedly make us better people, so, without further ado, here are five awesome movies you need to watch.
1. The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Rating: NR
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lance and Forrest Goodluck
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 87%
Movie Info: Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) looks the part of a perfect high school girl. But, after she’s caught with another girl in the backseat of a car on prom night, Cameron is quickly shipped off to a conversion therapy center that treats teens “struggling with same-sex attraction.” At the facility, Cameron is subjected to outlandish discipline, dubious “de-gaying” methods and earnest Christian rock songs—but this unusual setting also provides her with an unlikely gay community. For the first time, Cameron connects with peers, and she’s able to find her place among fellow outcasts.
This movie gives a new historical viewpoint to what it was like to be queer (but also American) in the recent past. The actors are all really great and give wonderful performances.
2. Boy Erased
Rating: NR
Starring: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton and Troye Sivan
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 83%
Movie Info: Boy Erased tells the story of Jared (Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Kidman and Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: either attend a conversion therapy program or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends and faith. Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity.
Boy Erased is an admirable movie because it looks at everyone as a human being, complex and binaryless. Both the child and the parents are given the opportunity to tell their sides.
3. Disobedience
Rating: NR (for some strong sexuality)
Starring: Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 85%
Movie Info: This film follows a woman as she returns to the community that shunned her decades earlier for an attraction to a childhood friend. Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality.
A lot of queer people often have to battle their religious beliefs with their identity because the organized community which surrounds their beliefs contain people who have harsh opinions. This movie does an awesome job of critically questioning and reconciling those different identities.
4. Rafiki
Rating: NR
Starring: Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer: 90%
Movie Info: “Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives,” but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.
Rafiki was banned by Kenya, but then unbanned after mass protests. This ruling was historical and so is this movie. Rafiki offers a perspective of the queer community that most people at Barnard/Columbia probably do not have.
5. The Happy Prince
Rating: NR (for sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use)
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Colin Morgan
Movie Info: The last days of Oscar Wilde—and the ghosts that haunted him—are vividly evoked in Rupert Everett’s directorial debut. Everett gives a career-defining performance as Wilde, physically and emotionally embodying the literary genius as he lives out his last days in exile in Europe. His body ailing and heavy and his mind spinning, he survives by falling back on the flamboyant irony and brilliant wit that defined him. As the film travels through Wilde’s final act and journeys through England, France and Italy, desire and loyalty face off, the transience of lust is laid bare, and the true riches of love are revealed.
This movie hasn’t come out yet, but it has great buzz, and it gives historical perspective to the queer community today.