Screening Room

The highest rated queer movies of the 2010’s on Rotten Tomatoes

God’s Own Country’

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.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated