Summer is here, and with it the Hollywood blockbuster season. Ugh!
So we figured you might need a bit of guidance to locate smaller and gayer films that will resonate in your living room, if not the big screen.
Queer cinema has entered a renaissance of late, with a beautiful array of new voices coming together across the diversity spectrum. And Rotten Tomatoes does a pretty good job serving up reviews, both from critics and regular people like us.
1. God’s Own Country (2017) 99%
Last year’s festival darling about a British shepherd falling in love with a Romanian immigrant won raves for its Brokeback Mountain parallels, and for its comments on current xenophobia. It also features two very handsome leads, and like Brokeback, will probably leave you reaching for the Kleenex.
Streams on Netflix, Amazon, Vudu and iTunes.
2. Moonlight (2016) – 98%
The Academy Award winner for Best Picture 2017 still makes our hearts swoon for its quiet character study of a poor African-American boy growing up in Miami, and the undying love he has for his best friend. Why’s it ranked lower than God’s Own Country? More people saw it, which skews the Tomatometer’s junk algorithm.
Streams on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu & iTunes.
3. BPM (2017) – 98%
We recently featured a profile on director Rob Campillo for his courage in sharing this semi-autobiographical story. Set at the height of the AIDS crisis, BPM recounts the government’s inaction to protect against the epidemic, the rise of ACT-UP and the pain of the men and women who lived through it all.
Streams on Amazon & iTunes.
4. Tangerine (2015) – 97%
Though it flew mostly under the radar, Tangerine won some great notices back in 2015 when it played the festival circuit. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez won particular notice for her moving and hilarious performance as a transgender hooker chasing after her cheating boyfriend.
Streams on Netflix, Amazon, YouTube & iTunes.
Related: 10 lost movies from great queer filmmakers that will make you swoon
5. Tomboy (2011) – 97%
This French film flew under the radar here in the US, despite glowing notices from critics like Roger Ebert. The 10-year-old Laure meets the neighborhood boy Mikael, and the two begin an adolescent crush. There’s just one thing: Mikael is actually a girl named Lisa lying about her gender. Will that make a difference in their relationship? Stream it to find out.
Streams on Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes & Vudu.
6. Call Me By Your Name (2016) – 95%
Timothee Chalamet gave the performance of 2017 as a teen who falls in love with his professor-father’s graduate assistant (played by Armie Hammer, looking a bit too old for the part). Set against the majesty of the Italian countryside, Call Me By Your Name oozes eroticism and romance like few other movies in recent memory. It’s a sexy movie.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, Vudu & iTunes.
7. Behind The Candelabra (2013) – 95%
Michael Douglas may have won the Emmy for his performance of Liberace in this biopic, though the film belongs to Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, the famed pianists longtime rentboy. Far darker and more twisted than it seems at first, the film exposes the creepy narcissism of Liberace, and the self-destructiveness of Thorson.
Streams on Amazon Prime, iTunes, HBO GO, Vudu & YouTube.
8. Carol (2015) – 95%
Visionary director Todd Haynes channels the 50s melodrama of Douglas Sirk with this story of secret lesbianism. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara both nabbed well-deserved Oscar nominations for their uninhibited performances as two women in love.
Streams on Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, iTunes & Vudu.
9. Pariah (2011) – 94%
Director Dee Rees (Mudbound) made an auspicious debut with her autobiographical film about the intersectionality between lesbianism and African-American culture. Alike, a black lesbian, tries to reconcile her sexuality with the expectations and attitudes of her family with explosive consequences.
Streams on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu & iTunes.
10. A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica) (2018) – 94%
Acress Daniela Vega gives a sensational performance as Marina, a transgender singer who fights for the right to attend the funeral of her dead lover. The winner of the Best Foreign Language Oscar, rarely has a film examined the prejudices against transgender people with such objectivity or sympathy.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, iTunes & Vudu.
Bob LaBlah
Michael Douglas was cast perfectly as Liberace. I mean he played that ol’ queen to the letter. lol
geb1966
Yes he was!! But poor Matt Damon was a too old for the Scott Thorson role.
Bob LaBlah
I thought the same thing about Matt Damon. I think it would have worked better had an unknown been chosen to play Scott.
Scout
I would love an explanation why “God’s Own Country” was totally snubbed by the Academy Awards. All the attention was given to “Call Me by your Name.”
genericbrand
Good question…probably all about marketing
OzJosh
I can quite understand why some people might have high regard for God’s Own Country, or even prefer it as a film. But by most standards – and especially by Hollywood’s, which is what counts given your question – Call Me By Your Name is beautifully written, exquisitely directed and filmed, and features two highly charismatic performances. It’s an infinitely more polished film in every way.
Evji108
I think part of it was the romantic Italian setting, it created a lovely fantasy. God’s Own Country was set in a cold place and was a bit difficult in some ways to relate to for me. Few people can relate to having a boyfriend from Romania.
chailey_
Turns out there’s a simple – but somewhat unfathomable – reason: it wasn’t submitted to be considered for any awards. 🙁 Francis Lee (the film’s writer/director) tweeted back in January: “God’s Own Country was totally eligible for the Academy Awards BUT the US distributer obviously didn’t submit for reasons best known to themselves.” Source: https://twitter.com/strawhousefilms/status/955123526041767937
lykeitiz
“Call Me By Your Name”‘s screenplay was done by James Ivory, of Merchant Ivory fame, who is now 90 years old. Even in Hollywood, there’s politics.
lvbronco
I’ve seen all but two of these and would agree with the ratings. I would have liked to have seen “Handsome Devil” here too but I guess not enough people have seen it.
DavidThomasCurran
Yep!!!
Luvstoread
I agree. I really enjoyed that one as well.
nitejonboy
I loved Handsome Devil!!!
genericbrand
Omg, “Weekend” has 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and should absolutely be on this list…such a fantastic movie! Andrew Haigh is a genius, imo
Zambos271
Great movie!! Tom Cullen is hot!!
jpcolter
Call Me by Your Name is, by far, the best gay themed movie since Brokeback. Bar none.
JaredMacBride
It seems that many pretty smart people do not agree with you.
rs
Agreed. I so wanted to love god’s own country, but found it to be just okay. Call me by your name was superb. Indeed, contrary to the previous poster, some incredibly smart people agree.
Zambos271
The movie was beautiful. I love the last scene by the fire and the song was perfect.
And seeing Armie’s beautiful, nice butt was an added bonus.
lykeitiz
Not even close. It was slow and had plot holes that only those familiar with the book could fill in. In movie making, that’s sloppy.
Dansktex
A question to ask is why Netflix DVD is not offering A Fantastic Woman to its subscribers. The DVD was released several weeks ago, but Netflix not only does not have it available, it also does not have it listed for members to to request to save it for when it becomes available.
Luvstoread
Another subtle gem of a movie I would recommend is Plan B. Loved it!!
supernaut
Never mind the order, the fact that Weekend isn’t even on this list is ridiculous.
decampbell
BPM was awful. I will never understand what people liked about it.