Ever feel like you’re seeing the same weepy white love stories again and again on screen? Has Reddit got a watch list for you!
“I am tired of every gay movie being a tragic tale between a couple of blonde and brunette white twinks,” one Reddit user posted in the r/gay subreddit. “Does anyone have a recommendation of something that is an MLM romance that isn’t tragic, is actually explicit about it, and has POC mains for a change?”
Commenters came with a ton of suggestions, as you can read below.
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Young Royals
“One of the guys in Young Royals is Hispanic. Aside from being a gay romance, the story touches on issues of race, class, privilege, and discrimination and also criticizes the monarchy system in Europe.”
“It absolutely is a brilliant show. The three-season [series] was one of the best-produced shows Netflix has had in a very long time. … It does take a realistic approach versus the joy and cuteness of, say, Heartstopper, but I appreciate both.”
Fire Island
“Fire Island! It’s a gay Asian-American retelling of Pride and Prejudice. It’s on Hulu.”
“I second this! I really enjoyed the movie. I think I watch it about once a year.”
Moonlight
“Looking (white main character [with] Hispanic dates and best friend), San Junipero (from Black Mirror anthology) … Moonlight.”
I Carry You With Me
“Try watching Te Llevo Conmigo. [a.k.a. I Carry You with Me].”
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“The fact is, we desperately need to continue to utilize cinema to talk about LGBTQ realities.”
Big Eden
“Big Eden! It has a burnt-out, white, middle-aged man going into the countryside [and experiencing] a romance with a Native American.”
Shadow & Bone
“Shadow and Bone has a queer man of color involved in a gay romance. It’s more of a subplot, but I do like that in universe it’s just a normal thing. It’s more about the specifics of their relationship, as opposed to the fact that two men are in a relationship.”
Red, White & Royal Blue
“Single All the Way has a Black love interest. Red, White & Royal Blue has a mixed Mexican/white main character. They actually do talk about his experience as a mixed kid, and his Mexican heritage is very important to him. The book goes into more detail about it, and there’s even a whole character they cut from the book who is a Mexican-American politician who is openly gay that the main character looks up to.”
Shubh Manhal Zyada Saavdhan
“One that should be great for you (I loved it) as long as you don’t mind subtitled movies is Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. It’s a Bollywood rom-com starring a gay couple. It definitely isn’t tragic, although there are some rough spots, is actually explicit about it, and the mains are POC (from India). You can watch it on Amazon Prime.”
Another Reddit commenter, meanwhile, recommended a “Best Gay Films About Men of Color” list on IMDb, and others posted lengthier lists:
Happy viewing!
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Rank Amateur
You can add “Baby Reindeer” to that list. It’s #1 on Netflix for a reason. (BTW, It has nothing to do with reindeer.)
Kangol2
No Monsoon? Rag Tag? Both are very good.