By now, we queer cinephiles know how many gay movies end in death and despair, but a recent Reddit meme spotlights how often countrysides provide bucolic backdrops to all that misery.
Related: Film buffs name the gay-themed movies they hated
The image — an iteration of the “Behold! My Stuff” meme featuring Skurge, Karl Urban’s character in Thor: Ragnarok — shows off a collection of “gay countryside movies.”
With a requisite spoiler warning, these are the films cited:
- Maurice, the 1987 movie in which James Wilby and Hugh Grant play lovers who fail to find a happily-ever-after in the English countryside.
- Brokeback Mountain, the 2005 Wyoming-set romance that ends in tragedy for Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal’s characters.
- Tom at the Farm, the 2013 film about a mourning man visiting his deceased boyfriend’s family in rural Canada.
- God’s Own Country, the 2017 movie in which Josh O’Connor and Alec Secăreanu play Yorkshire farmhands engaged in a rocky romance.
- Land of Storms, the 2014 film depicting a fatal entanglement between two men in rural Hungary.
- A Moment in the Reeds, the 2017 flick in which a relationship between two men at a Finnish lake house reaches a sad conclusion.
- And, of course, Call Me By Your Name, the 2017 film in which a graduate student and a teen embark on an ill-fated romance in the Italian countryside.
“I’m sure there are more,” the original poster wrote in the Reddit thread.
Related: Redditors reveal the first LGBT movie they watched
Commenters on the post agreed with the meme — though some pointed out that Maurice and God’s Own Country have moments of happiness, at least.
Another user, meanwhile, wrote, “Ah yes, my biography.”
WashDrySpin
God’s Own Country, the 2017 movie in which Josh O’Connor and Alec Sec?reanu play Yorkshire farmhands engaged in a rocky romance.
THIS IS AN AMAZING FILM!!!
Oranos
And ended happily!
Donston
Hollywood does seem to have a difficult time telling “gay love stories” that’s not set at least 30 years and the past and does tend to lean on persistent tropes. I think the countryside thing is so persistent because it adds “class” to the story and makes it feel more dreamy. Also, a lot of these movies are centered on repression. So, the natural canvas is supposed to express the romanticism that the characters have a difficult time expressing.
DarkZephyr
I always liked the way “Maurice” ended. Maurice ending up with Alec was lovely to me. For a long time it was the only gay themed movie I saw with even a semblance of a happy ending.
Thad
“Now we shan’t never be parted” is my favorite movie line ever.
boblrice
@thad I’ve repeated that line in my head for years. This was Forester’s romantic daydream, and I always felt we can, and should, enjoy it with that lens. Also, it was part of my personal gay awakening, so in my head, it’s a beautiful story.
Cam
God’s Own Country had a happy ending and is definitely worth checking out. And if you don’t like subtitles don’t worry about A Moment in the Reeds because the two guys speak different languages so most of the movie is in English.
If you want to see some Happy movies in the Country, try Summer Storm or Big Eden.