From modern masterpieces to cult classics, your pride essentials watchlist begins here
Photos via IMDB. Collage by Sage Blackwell.
From indie darlings to mainstream marvels, queer cinema isn’t just about sexuality and identity — it equally captures themes surrounding resilience, joy, and self-discovery.
Whether you’re craving a slow-burn romance, a slapstick, foul-mouthed comedy, or an immersive tearjerker, this is your queer cinematic syllabus. From cult classics to household names to hidden gems, this list of recommendations solidifies that representation matters, and has never looked this bold or excellent.
MODERN LOVE, MODERN LENS (2010s 2SLGBTQIA+ Essentials)
Moonlight (2016)
With the rare ability to capture even the most minimalist of moments with profound sensitivity and tenderness, the 2016 Best Picture winner Moonlight is a pivotal moment of 2010s queer cinema. The film chronicles the life of Chiron, a young black man, from childhood to adulthood in drug-ravaged Florida, all while struggling to understand his sexuality.
Beauty, empathy, and humanity leak into every scene, allowing the film to exude authenticity and inviting audiences to deeply resonate with Chiron. Moonlight catapults itself into mastery through devoted performances by its cast, brilliant direction, and a naked, unglamorous portrayal of sexuality.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Call Me By Your Name became a household name in queer literature and cinema thanks to a delicately romantic masterclass by director Luca Guadagnino, led by a star-making performance from Timothee Chalamet. Taking place in the most beguiling of scenery in northern Italy, Call Me By Your Name follows a teenager’s infatuation with his father’s house guest over the summer. This tragic melodrama delivers a bittersweet romance with a burgeoning desire, tackling both lust and unrequited yearning. The way the relationship untangles is both emotionally exhausting and highly provocative — an all too timeless and familiar motif in the history of queer romance.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
The tension around the film is all about the gaze — according to director Céline Sciamma — and Portrait of a Lady on Fire unfolds as a blazingly brilliant romance that utilizes its slow-burn narrative to heighten the importance of every word, glance, and touch. This French film observes a young woman commissioned to paint a bride day-by-day, and a spark in their relationship blossoms into a glorious fire. The unspoken nuances are brought to life through meticulous visuals and a gradual building of dynamics. With sharp chemistry and astute execution, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is passionate, reserved, and refreshing.
BEFORE IT WAS COOL – BUT MAYBE EVEN COOLER THEN (Cult Classics)
But I’m A Cheerleader (1999)
But I’m A Cheerleader is intensely 90s — but in a strangely comforting way — and works on so many levels, due to its belly-laugh-inducing humour, perfect colour palette, and heartwarming perspective. An entertaining comedy which follows Megan (Natasha Lyonne), an American teenager who is sent to a “sexual redirection” school, where she must learn to be straight, this cult classic is tactful and ahead of its time.
Boasting a broad scope of 2SLGBTQIA+ characters, and a message on learning to love yourself, this film somehow doesn’t feel manufactured, due to its campy aesthetic and empowering energy. Delightful, visually impressive, and boasting tasteful music choices, But I’m A Cheerleader thrives on demonstrating pride, and the absurdity of conversion camps.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
One of the best romance movies of all time. Period. This staple, heart-breaking, queer tragedy for the ages is crafted with such delicate nuance and genuine care for its characters, brought together remarkably by director Ang Lee, and features gloriously devoted performances by Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, and Michelle Williams. An Oscar-winner for best adapted screenplay, this 2005 drama follows two cowboys from the 1960s to 1980s, keeping their love affair hidden amidst change and trauma.
Expertly paced, with the perfect amount of melodrama, grappling with identity, and isolation, the story is brought to life through poignant, careful direction, cementing Brokeback Mountain — even 20 years later — as a cathartic masterclass in queer cinema.
Paris Is Burning (1990)
An essential viewing in queer filmmaking, and a critical work of art, Paris Is Burning follows the 80s drag scene in New York, and its documentation of the queer scene during that period is fundamental (like reading). A multi-layered exploration of African-American and Latino subcultures serving as a microcosm for fame, celebrity, and glamour — during a time when members of the community were rarely offered a part in mainstream culture. Paris Is Burning will leave you breathless, mesmerized, devastated, inspired, and above all, surrounded by love. Family is whatever you want it to be. Love is whatever you want it to be. Living is whatever you want it to be. There is so much beauty, hope, empathy, and kindness in this film that it denies any room for judgment, just love.
CLASSICS IN THE MAKING (New Queer Hits)
Bottoms (2023)
Irresistibly charming, Bottoms is an outright hilarious film, led by Gen-Z comedic geniuses Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennot. Packed with rib-toughening laughs, Bottoms follows high school lesbian best friends who start a fight club to flirt with girls. This clever comedy hooks you with its original and ridiculous humour, then hits you over the head with heartbreaking (and heart-melting) on-screen relationships. It has everything you need in a modern queer comedy; an Avril Lavigne needle drop, cars being blown up, a hysterical, improvised monologue, and girls kissing to “Party 4 U” by Charli XCX.
The Wedding Banquet (2025)
A remake of the 1993 Ang Lee classic rom-com, this heartfelt 2025 story starring Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone paints a simple yet magnificent portrait of modern queer romances, dealing with issues like navigating IVF and isolation from one’s family. A touching depiction of the dynamics and contemporary complications of being in mature queer relationships, The Wedding Banquet manages to be both deeply humane and outrageously ridiculous, all while glistening with charm.
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
An outstandingly original psychological horror doubling as an exploration of the transgender experience, I Saw the TV Glow delivers a captivating slow burn which follows the journey one character takes upon discovering their identity doesn’t correlate with what appears on the outside. It’s sizzling execution and thought-provoking creative direction will haunt you late at night and linger long afterwards. Director Jane Schoenbrun’s artful portrayal of the queer and trans experience in I Saw the TV Glow leaves you with bittersweet nostalgia and the urge to give protagonist Owen (Justice Smith) the world’s biggest hug.
All of Us Strangers (2023)
Modern yet timeless, and bleak yet ravishing, All of Us Strangers follows lonely writer Adam (Andrew Scott) whose family trauma is rekindled upon meeting his new neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal). Led by immensely heartbreaking and nuanced performances, this melodrama is easily one of the most gorgeous, haunting, and layered portraits of queer loneliness and yearning on screen. Eerily lustful and inescapably raw, All of Us Strangers is a tear-jerking romance with an emotionally compelling narrative that rarely is executed with such allure and authenticity for queer films.
