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The 10 most awesome queer movies of 2021

By David Reddish December 27, 2021 at 10:00am · Updated on January 29, 2024
[caption id="attachment_606571" align="alignnone" width="670"] Summer of 85[/caption] Another year of social distancing, masks, and (mostly) staying in the house winds to a close. Thank the Lord for the movies which have helped us pass the time and maintain our sanity. And thank goodness the movies are much better than last year. We’ve seen a gay couple arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Eternals), characters pop up in major awards bait (West Side Story, In The Heights) and queer artists head up productions both indie (Swan Song) and blockbuster (The Matrix Resurrections).  Note that our list here does not include documentaries, though we will give a shout out to Pray Away, The Capote Tapes, The Velvet Underground, Killing Patient Zero, I Carry You With Me and Whirlybird as among our favorites. As for scripted fare, join us in our countdown. These are the most awesome queer movies of 2021.

10. Dramarama

https://youtu.be/RzlCstNsYxA This love letter to high school drama club and high school closet cases brought back tender memories of the camaraderie, creativity and, well, drama of growing up in more oppressive times. The young cast, led by Nick Pugliese, shines in their respective roles and (gasp) actually look, sound, and act like real teenagers.

9. Flee

A powerful, true story of a gay Afgan refugee making his way from civil war in Afghanistan to the United States by use of human traffickers. Equal parts harrowing and haunting, Flee presents the complicated issues around those seeking political asylum and a world that takes advantage of them.

8. Swan Song

Udo Keir gives the performance of his life as Mr. Pat, a ferocious former hairdresser determined to hitchhike from his old age home to a funeral parlor to bid farewell to his favorite client. Along the way, he observes the dramatic changes in and outside of the LGBTQ community over the past half century, offering perspective and humor to everyone he meets. Much as with the characters in this movie, we feel happier to have known him.

7. The Matrix Resurrections

Possibly the most steadfastly queer blockbuster in history, director Lana Wachowski leads an LGBTQ-heavy cast and crew back down the rabbit hole that spawned a cultural phenomenon. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss might get top billing, but Jonathan Groff gives the high-kicking, scene-stealing performance that will have audiences talking.

6. tick…tick…BOOM

Man of the hour Lin-Manuel Miranda proves himself an inspired director in his biopic of Rent composer Jonathan Larson, and his connection to the AIDS epidemic. Robin de Jesus gives one of his best performances as Michael, Jonathan’s friend diagnosed with HIV. Miranda also stages one of the most impressive lineups of Broadway performers to ever show up in the movies, which adds to the appeal.

5. Sequin in a Blue Room

This unabashed, gay thriller examines how hookup culture in the post-AIDS era has shaped a generation of young, queer men. The 16-year-old Sequin (Conor Leech) indulges in promiscuous sex with older men, uninterested in any kind of emotional connection…until one hook up turns obsessive. Much like it’s main character, Sequin in a Blue Room is equal parts captivating and elusive.

4. Sublet

Leave it to queer auteur Eytan Fox to deliver one of the most interesting LGBTQ films of the year. Plot summaries often describe it as a romance between the middle-aged Michael (John Benjamin Hickey) and 20-something Tomer (Niv Nissim). That misses the point—Sublet doesn’t so much tell the story of a May-December romance as two generations of gay men connecting, and renewing life together. It’s a sexy, beautiful thing to behold…and a tender one at that.

3. Summer of ‘85

The great François Ozon completes one of his longtime dream projects–a gay thriller that makes Fatal Attraction look tame by comparison. In Summer of 85, the heartbroken Alexis (Félix Lefebvre) recalls his torrid affair with David (Benjamin Voisin), a seductive older man. Yet, through these flashbacks, we begin to question the reliability of Alexis’ account…and his possible role in David’s untimely death. An erotic supercharge lends appeal to an already compelling mystery that will leave viewers debating just what they’ve seen.

2. Operation Hyacinth

Netflix released this Polish film in the US with little fanfare, which is a total injustice–it’s one of the best films of the year, and has a real shot at a Best Foreign Language film Oscar nomination. Operation Hyacinth recalls the title operation performed by the Polish government of the 1980s–a purge of all people LGBTQ. Over the course of one investigation, aspiring detective Robert (Tomasz Ziętek) stumbles on to a string of murders tied to a group of rentboys and a secret sex party. He also begins to discover his own feelings for other men. Equal parts bleak and thrilling, the only thing scarier than the movie itself is knowing all this actually happened.

1. The Power of the Dog

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a white-knuckle, ice-cold, terrifying performance in this tale of toxic masculinity in the old West. Cumberbatch also wins the “Villian of the Year” award for his portrayal of Phil, a bullying cowboy dead set on making his sister-in-law Rose’s (Kristen Dunst) life a living Hell. He also revels in tormenting her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee)…until Peter begins asking about Phil’s long-dead mentor. Just who is gaslighting who here? Who is the real psychopath? What begins as a period drama turns into an exercise in psychological suspense and a powerful statement about male identity and sexual repression.

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5 Comments*

  • domen8r

    fairly sure “villAIn” of the year was meant, unless the rural, work-based landworker of “villein” was meant (with an inverted/substitution of final vowels but maybe appropriate to the drama’s mise en scene). From a writer with the screen name “English Teacher” on reddit : A villein was a serf in medieval European feudal systems; a person who works land for a lord (basically one step above a slave); and is pronounced “v?l??n” OR “v?-l?n?.” The words are related: both stem from Latin villanus (a person employed at a villa/house/estate). Because of the low social status of villeins, the word (later changed to villain) came to mean a person who was uncouth, uneducated, rude, savage, etc., which is how it came to mean the bad guy in a story.

  • Mark

    While I am quite sure that these are all well considered movies, I think another contender would have to be Single All The Way from Netflix! I am not a big Hallmark-style fan, but this movie had the star power, the Feels, and the potentially trope-centered storyline without being corny, badly acted, or overplayed. It is simply a VERY good Christmas themed story about two friends who realize their potential thanks to the rural north eastern family of the main character. The star power is definitely there in aces. The Feels are real and not played for such. And all of the tropes present are underplayed and not overblown and in your face. If you have not yet seen it… GO… NOW… watch it!!!

  • Queertogeno

    What the hell is The Matrix doing in a list like this?

    You should have included Eric Steels Minyan. It was one of the great surprises of the year for me. Interesting, thoughtful, elegant, sexy. Samuel H Levine is absolutely fantastic. Great movie.

  • jasentylar

    Cicada is actually about gay people and it’s not on the list, but the Matrix is.

    Yeah.

    Yeah.

    Ok…

  • azzolina

    Whoever wrote this didn’t understand Summer of 85 at all. David was 18; Alex was 16.

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