After decades of being sidelined and shuffled off to the corners, it seems that a golden age of LGBTQ films has finally dawned. The decade of the 2010s saw numerous films focusing on this community being released, many of which are profoundly moving, beautifully shot, and superbly acted, illustrating the power of love to inspire art.
Many of them have also been favorably received by both critics and audiences, as revealed by their scores on the Internet Movie Database.
Weekend (2011) - 7.6
So many LGBTQ films seem to fall on either one side or the other of the happy/tragic binary. This film, however, manages to fall somewhere in the middle, providing a bittersweet ending to a brief love affair that springs up between two men who hook up with one another.
It’s a moving and thoughtful film about the nature of gay male desire and whether, in fact, one needs a long term relationship in order to feel fulfilled.
Love, Simon (2018) - 7.6
For a long time, there were very few films that focused on queer teens. Thank goodness, then, for this film, which focuses on the titular Simon as he contends with the possibility that one of his peers might out him to the rest of his school.
It’s one of those films that wears its heart on its sleeve, with characters that are endearing and a love story that is sweetly and simply rendered.
Laurence Anyways (2012) - 7.7
This film focuses on a powerful but tragic romance between a cisgender woman and a transgender woman who, as the film begins, hasn’t begun to transition yet. It is a stylistically beautiful film, and critics have drawn comparisons between its style and that of Stanley Kubrick.
Though the film is a bit long (running at almost three hours in total), it nevertheless has the power to draw the viewer in, to grab them, and to not let go until the final moment.
God’s Own Country (2017) - 7.7
Called by some the British version of Brokeback Mountain, this film focuses on the powerful, and fraught, love between a northern English farmer and an immigrant Romanian farm worker. It is one of those films that is powerful without being overstated and that explores the unexpected intimacies that can occur between two men who exist on the outskirts of society.
It was praised by critics and is now seen as one of the staple gay films of the decade.
Pride (2014) - 7.8
If the thought of a group of gay men and lesbians banding together to support striking miners strikes some as an incongruous image, that is exactly what happens in this film, which is based on a true story.
It’s one of those films that manages to be heartwarming but not cloying, and a great deal of this is due to both the great writing and the outstanding performances delivered by such British stars as Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton.
The Way He Looks (2014) - 7.9
Sometimes the most effective way of storytelling is the simplest. This film, which actually began as a short but was later expanded, focuses on two teenage boys who gradually find love. The twist: one of them is blind.
It’s a sweet and charming film, with magical performances from the two leads who ably capture the frustrations and the joys associated with young love. It was well-received by both American and Brazilian critics and was selected as Brazil’s entry for the Academy Awards.
The Normal Heart (2014) - 7.9
Regardless of what anyone thinks about the powerhouse Ryan Murphy, the man knows how to tug at the heartstrings, as he does in this film, based on the Larry Kramer play of the same name. The film is a searing and emotionally devastating look at the early days of the AIDS crisis, when so many gay men were dying and yet so few seemed to care.
With outstanding performances from Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, and Julia Roberts, it’s a haunting reminder of the price of a pandemic.
Call Me By Your Name (2017) - 7.9
2017 was something of a golden year for young actor Timothee Chalamet, and this film illustrates why. In it, he plays the teenage Elio, who gradually finds himself falling in love with the older graduate student Oliver (played by Armie Hammer).
It’s another of those films that makes the most from a relatively simple story. More than that, though, it is simply exquisitely shot, immersing the viewer in the beautiful world of northern Italy.
The Handmaiden (2016) - 8.1
This film from South Korea is both a feast for the eyes and a compelling story about the nature of love. Loosely based on a novel set in Victorian Britain, the film takes place in Korea during the time when it was ruled by the Japanese.
In particular, it focuses on the burgeoning love between a noblewoman and her handmaiden. It is in many ways a haunting film, plumbing the depths of the human psyche.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) - 8.1
Of all film genres, it is perhaps the period drama that is most able to capture the fleeting and intense nature of human desire, and that is exactly what this film does.
It focuses on a young painter who is summoned to paint the portrait of another young woman who has been betrothed to be married to an Italian. It is a gorgeously shot movie but, more than that, it explores the nature of the desire between two women, as well as the fleeting nature of romance.