Despite the quality of the top-rated lesbian and queer films of the past 20 years — Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013), The Favourite (2018), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), and Disobedience (2017), to name a few — there are only so many times one can consume the same films. Mixing it up with a bit of grunge, mystery, and subversion might be the move for those who have worked their way through the modern canon.
More than anything, the films on this list are more energetically sapphic than they are true queer love stories, balancing on the precipice of culture's allowances, with little wiggle room to render women's connections artistically. But these movies offer plenty of fashion inspiration, tension, and clever workarounds.
Foxfire (1996)
Over the years, Angelina Jolie has played a few sapphic roles on the big screen, such as in Girl Interrupted (1999) and in Gia (1998) which may be a bit depressing for a fun movie night. But the community will be forever grateful for the looks she served in the 1996 film Foxfire. Jolie plays Legs, a teen on the road with no ties to home. Legs meets a group of girls and encourages them to confront the unjust structures in their lives, i.e., the patriarchy, and they meet in an abandoned house to live out every teen's mischief dreams. Legs tattoos fire on each of the girls, and there is a bit of "platonic" kissing, as well as sexual tension with Goldie, played by Jenny Shimizu, whom Jolie dated off-camera from 1996 to 2000.
Besides being beautifully shot and featuring the eternal femme fatale Angelina Jolie, the film walks a delicate line between friendship and obsession, loyalty and betrayal. In short, it's a provocative think-piece with a vibe that won't disappoint.
Silkwood (1983)
For anyone dying to know the origin story of Meryl Streep and Cher's iconic kiss at the Mamma Mia 2 premiere, Silkwood may give viewers much-needed closure on their cheeky friendship. In the 1983 film, Streep plays the biographical character Karen Silkwood, a factory worker who attempts to expose dangerous working conditions and the threat of radiation. Cher plays Dolly, her lesbian roommate who eventually brings a girlfriend home to live with Karen and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, Karen's boyfriend is suspicious that she is intrigued by other romantic possibilities, and Dolly and Karen's sexual tension is all but consummated.
There was discourse around Silkwood's sexuality in real life, and it was even brought up in the court case investigating her cause of death and the factory's working conditions. Despite the grim real-life story, this is a high-stakes must-watch.
Her Smell (2018)
This film features actress Elizabeth Moss in her most chaotic form, as she channels rockstars in the 1990s queer punk music scene. Though reviews have cited Agyness Deyn, who plays bassist Mari, as the film's true source of androgynous rock and roll energy, she and Moss's character, Becky Something, have a tumultuous sexual and emotional connection.
Though this film is a pretty LGBTQ+ adjacent psychological study in fame and addiction, it leaves a lasting impression on viewers concerning music, gendered power dynamics, and destructive patterns.
The Incredibly True Adventure Of Two Girls In Love (1995)
Randy is a tomboy gas station attendant and high-schooler in a relationship with a married woman. One day, her classmate Evie, played by a young Nicole Arie Parker, comes to the gas station in a fancy car. Despite the teens' apparent differences and disparate social statuses, they connect and begin spending time in a quintessential sapphic meadow and exchanging music.
The girls' following relationship tests the boundaries of outness while remaining strong, even in the face of public dissent. The film is a forgotten relic that depicts queer teen love through a nostalgic lens and represents the range of what love between women can look like.
The Miseducation Of Cameron Post (2018)
This is the film adaptation of the novel by emily m. danforth (who prefers the look of her name when it's uncapitalized). Though the story is loosely based on her life, she told Jason Bovberg to "think of her is as a character built from pieces of my experience growing up gay in Eastern Montana in the early 1990s." In the 2018 movie adaption, Chloe Grace Moretz delivers a grounded performance as Cameron, playing through the claustrophobia of a repressive religious upbringing that aims to stifle her budding queerness.
Though Cameron's conservative grandparents send her to conversion therapy, this isn't a typical queer tragedy. Instead, Cameron bonds with her peers, Jane and Adam, and together they find a way to escape the rigid structures around them. The film is a perfect balance of lighthearted queerness and critical reflection.
The Watermelon Woman (1996)
Cheryl Dunye's 1996 directorial debut is acknowledged as the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian. Dunye plays Cheryl, a woman who works at a video store and develops an interest in the often uncredited Black women who appeared in 1930s films. She sets out to untangle a web of sapphic romance, denial, and broader communal concerns around the intersections of race and sexuality, which ultimately affect her relationship with her white girlfriend.
The Watermelon Woman not only marked a departure from the predominantly white embodiments of LGBTQ+ characters on screen, but it reflected the film industry's attempts to erase Black women whose presence, nonetheless, continues to impact the generations that follow.
But I'm A Cheerleader (1999)
This Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall classic is an absolute must-see for anyone even tangentially connected to the queer community, and it is hands-down one of the funniest LGBTQ+ films to date. Lyonne's character is initially clueless about her sexuality, but everyone in her life conspires to send her to conversion therapy. However, what she encounters at True Directions is a hotbed of young queer energy, making it the perfect place to find love.
In addition to the iconic teenage characters, there's a gay couple who helps the kids sneak out to a club, while RuPaul plays the "reformed gay" gym teacher. The film is as campy as can be, with a bright pink and blue aesthetic, Adam and Eve lovemaking simulations, and sweeping forbidden romances. Plus, the one-liners, including the film's incredible title, are not to be missed.
Clouds Of Sils Maria (2014)
Clouds of Sils Maria is a tense, beautifully shot drama. Maria Enders is a middle-aged actress, played by Juliette Binoche, who had played the role of Sigrid on stage at 18. She is then asked to play Sigrid's older lover, Helena, acting opposite Chloe Grace Moretz as the young starlet.
Kristen Stewart plays Maria's assistant, Valentina, and though Maria asserts her straightness, their dynamic openly mirrors the play's sapphic characters. Though the film has been criticized for its redirection of evident queer desire, there is still potential merit in its charged ambiguity and it's perfect for an arthouse-style movie night.
After Sex (2007)
The film After Sex features conversations between 8 different couples and navigates the nuances of post-coital rundowns and tricky relationship dynamics. Saldana's character, Kat, shows her college roommate, Kunis, as Nikki, how to achieve peak female pleasure, and they engage in a purely sexual relationship. However, Nikki continues to consider herself straight.
Despite the intimate content of the conversation, the characters are at ease with each other and the topic at hand. Their casual discussion normalizes topics relating to queer sex in a way that few pieces of media have ever put into dialogue.
My Summer Of Love (2004)
Emily Blunt steals the show in this 2004 drama exploring the class dynamic and relationship between two teens living in the English countryside. Blunt plays Tasmin, a girl from a wealthy family who shares traits of impulsivity and recklessness with her love interest, Mona. The girls develop a friendship that quickly turns sexual, and the film poses Tasmin's newly-Christian brother as a threat to their relationship.
Though Blunt's character is a bit of a compulsive liar and the film's central relationship never matures, My Summer of Love is definitely worth a cheeky viewing, and its light-hearted sensibility is fit for any LGBTQ+ movie night.