We’ve made a habit of ending every month with a rundown of our favorite queer movie and TV trailers to hit the internet over the past few weeks. So, yes, it’s purely a coincidence that the October roundup falls on Halloween. But we can assure you this list is all treats, no tricks!
Throughout October, we saw new previews for all sorts of exciting, up-and-coming, gay entertainment—everything from sexy film festival favorites to true-crime documentaries to the highly anticipated returns of two of our favorite (very different) television series: The White Lotus and Young Royals.
To help you keep up with it all, we’ve assembled this handy guide recapping the best and gayest trailers that hit the internet throughout October. Check them all out below and mark your calendars accordingly!
The White Lotus: Sicily
Jennifer Coolidge’s affection-seeking Tanya McQuoid is the only return guest checking in for the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus, which also features Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, Tom Hollander, and Theo James—whose “well-endowed” character isn’t afraid to get naked. Fresh off of his Emmys sweep, queer creator Mike White moves the action to a Sicilian resort, and says the scenic destination will be the backdrop to a cutting and hilarious social satire about sexual politics. The White Lotus was one of our favorite shows of 2021, so, at this point, we’d follow White and Coolidge anywhere they want to take us.
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Premiered October 30 on HBO, with new episodes airing every Sunday and streaming simultaneously on HBO Max.
Related: Theo James reveals his “well-endowed” ‘White Lotus’ character will be very naked in new season
Mama’s Boy
Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black takes a candid look back at his childhood in the moving doc Mama’s Boy. Raised Mormon, Black used to believe his attraction to men meant he was going to hell. But when we finally came out to his mother Roseanne—who overcame polio as a child—the pair had an eye-opening discussion that would change their relationship forever, and inspire his career as both a storyteller and an activist. Laurent Bouzereau (Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind) directs, featuring interviews from Black’s husband Tom Daley, and many of their loved ones.
Premiered October 18 on HBO, now streaming on HBO Max.
Related: DLB & Tom Daley, making the world safe for gay dads everywhere by staring down the trolls
Shall I Compare You To A Summer’s Day?
Filmmaker Mohammad Shawky Hassan’s queer contemporary musical sounds like a truly one-of-a-kind cinematic experience. Inspired by his diaries, Hassan spins sexy stories of love and longing into gorgeous folk tales, threading them all together with the sounds of Egyptian pop music. This imaginative approach to autofiction lures its audience in with gorgeous colors, handsome actors, and imaginative editing. And though it’s been banned in Hassan’s home country of Egypt for portraying homosexual relationships, we’re thrilled to have an opportunity to stream it stateside.
Now streaming exclusively on Dekkoo.
Related: This movie about homosexuality in the Middle East is sparking major outcry in Egypt
The Young Royals, Season 2
The first season of Netflix’s steamy Scandinavian teen drama left us hanging with its star-crossed lovers—prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) and his classmate Simon (Omar Rudberg)—pushing each other away. Now, after 15 months of waiting, season two picks up right where we left off, with students returning to the halls of the prestigious Hillerska Boarding School. Can Simon trust Wilhelm ever again? How will August (Malte Gårdinger) deal with the fallout of blowing up their relationship? And who’s this handsome new guy (Tommy Wättring)? He looks like he’ll be a problem for “Wilmon” ‘shippers!
Premieres November 1 on Netflix.
Related: ‘Young Royals’ stars are headed back to boarding school for a steamy second season
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down A Dynasty
We’re sure you’ve heard the one about the young pool boy who was (allegedly) involved in a seven-year illicit affair with anti-LGBTQ activist Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his wife Becki, right? Well, the fallen Falwells have shared their side of the story, but now it’s the pool boy’s turn. Giancarlo Granda is in the hot seat for this shocking doc from the filmmaker behind Cocaine Cowboys. It’s the movie the Falwells don’t want you to see, exposing how this romantic entanglement had an outsized effect on both the Evangelical church and the 2020 election.
Premieres November 1 on Hulu.
Related: Hello, pool boys! Our dream cast for the new Jerry Falwell Jr. sex scandal series
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed
This stunning documentary explores the life of LGBTQ photographer and activist Nan Goldin, honing in on her bold fight to bring down the pharmaceutical company that effectively started the opioid crisis. From award-winning director Lauren Poitras, All The Beauty And The Bloodshed wowed audiences at the Venice International Film Festival, where it took home the top prize, and is already being hailed as a frontrunner for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. In other words, everyone’s going to be talking about this one—don’t miss it.
Opens in NYC and LA on November 23, then expands to more theaters on December 2.
Related: 10 LGBTQ docs with high Rotten Tomatoes scores streaming now
Golden Delicious
In this Canadian charmer, senior Jake (Cardi Wong) feels like he’s drowning in expectations—his dad wants him to join the basketball team, his girlfriend wants to have sex for the first time, and he just wants to figure out where he’s headed in life. Things get even more complicated when he meets his confidently gay new neighbor, Aleks (Chris Carson), a star athlete who just might convince Jake to try out for the basketball team after all. From director Jason Karman, Golden Delicious uses Jake’s burgeoning queer romance as a springboard to explore potent themes like family, legacy, and authenticity.
Now playing the film festival circuit, Golden Delicious next heads to the Vancouver Asian Film Fest on November 6. Further release details are yet to be announced.
Related: Hopelessly devoted: movies that relish the joy of first love
Horseplay
Provocative Argentinian filmmaker Marco Berger continues to poke and prod at the limits of queer desire with Horseplay. The film invites viewers along on a holiday retreat with a group of “straight” men, who have no problem getting naked around one another, taunting and teasing in a constant game of homosocial one-upmanship. Sexy, sure, but wildly problematic, the charged playfulness between friends is infused with homophobia, and the darkly comic film plays like a a ticking time bomb of toxic masculinity, asking the viewer to consider: Is this the kind of masculinity we want to lust after?
Now playing the film festival circuit, Horseplay next heads to the Melbourne Queer Film Fest on November 13. Further release details are yet to be announced.
Related: 10 NC-17 films with full frontal male nudity and where to stream them
Just.my.opinion
I watched the first episode of The White Lotus (second season) last night. It was absolutely awful. Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White are both grossly overrated.
Cam
As always, the right wing troll farm has it’s accounts ready to come on to ANY post here about any LGBTQ celeb coming out, or any LGBTQ themed shows so it can say something bad about it.
Your trolling is sad, weak, and worst of all….boring.
Peter
Am I the only one who can’t get these videos to play? If they start at all they play 5 seconds and stop, etc. It’s not my iMac, and Xfinity just doubled my download speed, so I suspect the problem is on Queerty’s end.
MacAdvisor
I, too, am on an iMac, running OS 10.15 Catalina (yeah, I am behind). Sometimes, too much of the time, the codex in Safari gets lost. Try restarting your Mac or try launching a different browser. I keep Chrome around to run Netflix and Disney+, as they won’t run on Safari. They are supposed to, but they don’t. Worst comes to worse, make an appt. for the Genius Bar.