The Top 100 LGBT+ films of all time countdown! scoring complete! GET READY!!!

[solaris]

I made a top 15 if that counts:

 

1. Flee

An animated documentary about an Afghan refugee narrated mostly in Danish has no right to be this good. When the film arrives at a particular moment (in a nightclub)... I haven't sobbed so much in years. 

2. Brokeback Mountain 

Very obvious yes, but it really does hold up so well nearly 20 (20!) years on. Ledger and Gyllenhaal have never been better (yes, including TDK). Again, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to shed a tear by the end.

3. Far From Heaven

Todd Haynes deserves to be very high on this list. Of his more overtly gay films, this is a personal favourite. Dennis Quaid is excellent (and zaddy af) as the tormented, closeted all American dad coming to terms with his homosexuality (and love of twinks). Plus, it's got Julianne Moore's campest performance (and deliberately so). And it's utterly gorgeous.

4. God's Own Country 

Brokeback but made in Yorkshire and with much rougher and more gratuitous sex. Yes.

5. Stranger by the Lake

Probably the least seen film on the list but one that's stayed with me for years. Part psychological thriller, part languid romance, this French film is horny af. Perfectly encapsulates the electricity of casual gay sexuality.

6. Birdcage

Probably the first 'gay' film I ever saw. Looking back, it seems kind of miraculous that a film like this existed. In 1995 too! One of the best gay films to explore the fractious and complex relationships gay people have between found and 'real' families. Also still hilarious af. Robin Williams is so so good here.

7. Bad Education

Almodóvar is another director who needs to be on this list. He's made better films (and better ones with gay characters), but this is one of the very best at capturing the danger and excitement of being young and gay.

8. Pride

A very VERY British comedy set at the height of the coal miners strikes in mid 80s Thatcher UK, this is just a lovely, gentle joyous ensemble film. 

9. Cloud Atlas 

Ok, so the gay storyline is technically only one plotline out of several, but that doomed romance feels like one of the most consequential out of all of them. Also, the New Seoul stuff with Doona Bae is cool af.

10. Behind the Candelabra

I know, I know - another hetero directed and acted Hollywood take - but this one works so well mostly because of the casting and Damon and Douglas. On top of being a wonderfully camp biopic, it's a brilliant look at the seductively vain side of gay life - where chasing youth, beauty, and hedonism can become consume everything.

11. Weekend

12. Paris is Burning

13. Carol

14. Priscilla Queen of the Desert

15. Milk

[Jake Gittes]

fyc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Potiki]

1. The Handmaiden (2016) Dir. Park Chan-wook
2. Happy Together (1997) Dir. Wong Kar-wai
3. Farewell My Concubine (1993) Dir. Chen Kaige
4. Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche
5. Crush (2022) Dir. Sammi Cohen
6. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) Dir. Satoshi Kon
7. Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994) Dir. Stephan Elliott
8. Turning Red (2022) Dir. Domee Shi
9. Booksmart (2019) Dir. Olivia Wilde
10. The Half of It (2020) Dir. Alice Wu
11. The Birdcage (1996) Dir. Mike Nichols
12. Saving Face (2004) Dir. Alice Wu
13. I Love You, Phillip Morris (2009) Dirs. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
14. Potrait of a Lady on Fire (2020) Dir. Céline Sciamma
15. Heavenly Creatures (1994) Dir. Peter Jackson
16. My Own Private Idaho (1991) Dir. Gus van Sant
17. Boys Don’t Cry (1999) Dir. Kimberly Peirce
18. Brokeback Mountain (2005) Dir. Ang Lee
19. How o Survive a Plague (2012) Dir. David France
20. Tangerine (2015) Dir. Sean Baker
21. Show Me Love (1998) Dir. Lukas Moodysson
22. Shiva Baby (2021) Dir. Emma Seligman
23. Farewell My Queen (2012) Dir. Benoit Jacquot
24. The Fallout (2021) Dir. Megan Park
25. Moonlight (2016) Dir. Barry Jenkins

 

Edit: Top 25 now

Edited July 25, 2023 by Potiki

[Kalo]

13 hours ago, Potiki said:

1. The Handmaiden (2016) Dir. Park Chan-wook
2. Happy Together (1997) Dir. Wong Kar-wai
3. Farewell My Concubine (1993) Dir. Chen Kaige
4. Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche
5. Crush (2022) Dir. Sammi Cohen
6. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) Dir. Satoshi Kon
7. Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994) Dir. Stephan Elliott
8. Turning Red (2022) Dir. Domee Shi
9. Booksmart (2019) Dir. Olivia Wilde
10. The Half of It (2020) Dir. Alice Wu

Here is my Top 10

 

I will edit it with more films if I get a chance but going to take a break and wanted at least getting at least get a top 10 in before the deadline. 

 

Thanks for the list. but I am sorry TURNING RED is NOT LGBT. 

 

It's about bunch of boy crazed teenage girls. good movie. but they were all VERY straight in that movie. If you can't put another movie I'll accept the list. but I'm not giving turning red points.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Kalo

[Potiki]

10 hours ago, Kalo said:

 

Thanks for the list. but I am sorry TURNING RED is NOT LGBT. 

 

It's about bunch of boy crazed teenage girls. good movie. but they were all VERY straight in that movie. If you can't put another movie I'll accept the list. but I'm not giving turning red points.

 

In case you can't see the twitter link, it is from Andrea Goh (who works at Pixar) in reference to a queer moment with Priya:

 

"My first Cultural Trust credit: The team already knew what to do since they ARE those characters, so it’s more just tweaks for specificity here and there. I am proud of this moment because as nerve wrecking as it was, I asked for a slice of queer representation anyways. #priya"

 

If that still isn't enough feel free to just cut it out of my list, I have also edited in an additional 15 films for a top 25 now. 

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Potiki

[Kalo]

2 hours ago, Potiki said:

 

In case you can't see the twitter link, it is from Andrea Goh (who works at Pixar) in reference to a queer moment with Priya:

 

"My first Cultural Trust credit: The team already knew what to do since they ARE those characters, so it’s more just tweaks for specificity here and there. I am proud of this moment because as nerve wrecking as it was, I asked for a slice of queer representation anyways. #priya"

 

If that still isn't enough feel free to just cut it out of my list, I have also edited in an additional 15 films for a top 25 now. 

 

 

I honestly don't remember that scene. I mean it technically makes it count. I really appreciate that you are making an effort. it's just I feel like some people are missing the point of this countdown, it is a about queer stories being told front and center, not your favorite movies that have blink and you'll miss it LGBT nods.

[von Kenni]

13 hours ago, Kalo said:

 

I honestly don't remember that scene. I mean it technically makes it count. I really appreciate that you are making an effort. it's just I feel like some people are missing the point of this countdown, it is a about queer stories being told front and center, not your favorite movies that have blink and you'll miss it LGBT nods.

This is very subjective but I'm also looking at LGBT films where it's a centric theme and not films that might have some side characters, scenes, or even lead characters that are LGBT but where the LGBT isn't a throughline or meaningful theme throughout the film. Beverly Hills Cop, Jackal, Sex in the City, and Star Trek Into Darkness had all gay characters but in my books aren't LGBT films. Even Birdcage might not be. I don't remember being gay being so much of a theme than a stage in the films (the remake and the original) but I might remember it wrong and maybe it goes over the threshold of featuring a lot of certain gay lifestyles.

[Kalo]

19 minutes ago, von Kenni said:

This is very subjective but I'm also looking at LGBT films where it's a centric theme and not films that might have some side characters, scenes, or even lead characters that are LGBT but where the LGBT isn't a throughline or meaningful theme throughout the film. Beverly Hills Cop, Jackal, Sex in the City, and Star Trek Into Darkness had all gay characters but in my books aren't LGBT films. Even Birdcage might not be. I don't remember being gay being so much of a theme than a stage in the films (the remake and the original) but I might remember it wrong and maybe it goes over the threshold of featuring a lot of certain gay lifestyles.

 

The Birdcage was definitely gay. but it was more mainstream and accessible. I honestly think general audiences had more good will towards gays in the late 90s/early 00s then they do now. 

[lilmac]

Please remove me from this distro. asap...please. 

Edited July 26, 2023 by lilmac

[von Kenni]

11 hours ago, Kalo said:

 

The Birdcage was definitely gay. but it was more mainstream and accessible. I honestly think general audiences had more good will towards gays in the late 90s/early 00s then they do now. 

True for the first point. As a goodwill question, what makes you think the latter?

 

Some countries have gone backward such as Russia, Uganda, and Hungary but overall there's been huge leaps forward in the last 20+ years, not just in Western countries or liberal democracies with freedom of speech and press such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand but less democratic countries as well. The acceptance of gays in the army and overruling the don't tell, don't ask, or how in the not-so-tolerant country as Ukraine they are treating equally gay and trans soldiers in arms. How gay marriage and legal rights including adoption have been widely adopted while 23 years ago nowhere. How popular culture and public discourse are filled with positive gay matters and defenders. How there are openly gay heads of state, mayors, and other political leaders. How there is an explosion of publicly open celebrities and athletes compared to 20+ years ago. Personally, I remember well how hidden being gay still was at that time. I was first openly gay in my own cross-disciplinary student faculty in 2005. Now there are plenty and it's normal. The list can go on and on.

 

That said, I believe that there is a backslash and a pendulum swing going backward now and in the near future in some parts of the general public. IMO the reason is that proponents of LGBT matters have gone too far, too fast, and more and more with righteous, judgemental, and silencing attitudes. Negative attitudes toward LGBT people have in the past been more or less because of fear of the unknown which has colored people's perceptions of what kind of people they are. From my own experience, most people change their views when they learn that LGBT people aren't that different but they are the same and share the same human needs and wants as everyone else. Just the sexual orientation is different.

 

Now there are extreme views on LGBT people but I think that it's counterproductive to identify the general public based on the extremes and name-call them ignorant which is a fancy way of saying stupid. Or shouting homo/transphobia when someone is criticizing progressive gender or transition views. That just stops all constructive discourse. It just suppresses those fears of the unknown and brews them more. Another thing is showcasing LGBT in-your-face-manner by wearing just harnesses or even having public displays of naked affection in some LGBT events or showing naked breasts on White House lawn. These don't earn sympathy from people who don't know any LGBT people personally.

 

I can understand some of the perceptions of these matters due to this starting backslash and how the mainstream media reports them in alarmist ways while not celebrating the huge progress that we've made in the past 20+ years.

[WrathOfHan]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:46 PM, lilmac said:

Please remove me from this distro. asap...please. 

[Eric S'ennui]

On 7/25/2023 at 12:36 AM, Kalo said:

 

I honestly don't remember that scene. I mean it technically makes it count. I really appreciate that you are making an effort. it's just I feel like some people are missing the point of this countdown, it is a about queer stories being told front and center, not your favorite movies that have blink and you'll miss it LGBT nods.

Everything is gay if you squint at it long enough.

[Kalo]

On 7/26/2023 at 2:31 AM, von Kenni said:

True for the first point. As a goodwill question, what makes you think the latter?

 

Some countries have gone backward such as Russia, Uganda, and Hungary but overall there's been huge leaps forward in the last 20+ years, not just in Western countries or liberal democracies with freedom of speech and press such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand but less democratic countries as well. The acceptance of gays in the army and overruling the don't tell, don't ask, or how in the not-so-tolerant country as Ukraine they are treating equally gay and trans soldiers in arms. How gay marriage and legal rights including adoption have been widely adopted while 23 years ago nowhere. How popular culture and public discourse are filled with positive gay matters and defenders. How there are openly gay heads of state, mayors, and other political leaders. How there is an explosion of publicly open celebrities and athletes compared to 20+ years ago. Personally, I remember well how hidden being gay still was at that time. I was first openly gay in my own cross-disciplinary student faculty in 2005. Now there are plenty and it's normal. The list can go on and on.

 

That said, I believe that there is a backslash and a pendulum swing going backward now and in the near future in some parts of the general public. IMO the reason is that proponents of LGBT matters have gone too far, too fast, and more and more with righteous, judgemental, and silencing attitudes. Negative attitudes toward LGBT people have in the past been more or less because of fear of the unknown which has colored people's perceptions of what kind of people they are. From my own experience, most people change their views when they learn that LGBT people aren't that different but they are the same and share the same human needs and wants as everyone else. Just the sexual orientation is different.

 

Now there are extreme views on LGBT people but I think that it's counterproductive to identify the general public based on the extremes and name-call them ignorant which is a fancy way of saying stupid. Or shouting homo/transphobia when someone is criticizing progressive gender or transition views. That just stops all constructive discourse. It just suppresses those fears of the unknown and brews them more. Another thing is showcasing LGBT in-your-face-manner by wearing just harnesses or even having public displays of naked affection in some LGBT events or showing naked breasts on White House lawn. These don't earn sympathy from people who don't know any LGBT people personally.

 

I can understand some of the perceptions of these matters due to this starting backslash and how the mainstream media reports them in alarmist ways while not celebrating the huge progress that we've made in the past 20+ years.

 

We definitely in a better place when it comes to laws in american. but there is a lot more polarization than there used to be, I feel like lots of acceptance of the masses, mostly conservatives which I feel where starting to come around, but have backed tract a lot, I blame the views of some of the media for focusing on some of the most extreme and worst parts of the LGBT community to divide us. I feel there is alot of people in positions of power who really want this country to be divided so that we will not grow. 

[Kalo]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:46 PM, lilmac said:

Please remove me from this distro. asap...please. 

 

from the what now? I copied and pasted a blurb from someone for names, I don't expect everyone to participate, but I'm too lazy to remove names, just ignore my tags lol 

[Kalo]

Just watched Suavage.. wow if you don't like extremely graphic sex scenes or are sensitive to violence, especially sexual, it's not for everyone, but it was really really well made and thought provoking.

 

 

FYC 

Sauvage/Wild (2018) 

 

[Kalo]

My list (to be updated)

 

1. Call Me By Your Name (2017) - USA 
2. God's Own Country (2017) - UK
3. Brokeback Mountain (2005) - USA
4. Mysterious Skin (2004) - USA 
5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) - France 
6. Pain and Glory (2019) - Spain 
7. Sauvage (2018) - France 
8. A Single Man (2009) - USA
9. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) -USA
10. Hawaii (2013) - Argentina 
11. Of An Age (2023) - Australia 
12. The Strong Ones (2019) - Chile 
13. The Handmaiden (2016) - South Korea 
14. Rebecca (1940) - USA 
15. Wildhood (2021) - Canada 
16. Great Freedom (2021) - German 
17. Bros (2022) - USA 
18. The Way He Looks (2014) - Brazil 
19. Maurice (1987) - UK
20. Shelter (2007) - USA 
21. Stranger by the Lake (2014) - France 
22. Nimona (2023)
23. Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) - France 
24. Philadelphia (1993) - USA
25. The Power of the Dog (2021) - New Zealand/Australia/UK 
26. The Duke of Burgundy (2015) - Hungary/ UK 
27. Rocketman (2019) - USA
28. Fox and his Friends (1975) - German 
29. Uncle Frank (2020) - USA
30. My Policeman (2022) - UK
31. Your Name Engraved Herein (2020)
32. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)
33. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
34. But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
35. Out in the Dark (2012)
36. Pride (2014)
37. Weekend (2011)
38. Taekwondo (2016)
39. Carol (2015)
40. Querelle (1982)
41. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
42. God's and Monsters (1998)
43. Pink Narcissus (1971)
44. Milk (2008)
45. The Wedding Banquet (1993)
46. Dance of the 41 (2020)
47. The Blonde One (2019)
48. Strangers on a Train (1951)
49. Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)
50. Plan B (2010)
51. Lilting (2014)
52. My Own Private Idaho (1991)
53. Poison (1991)
54. My Best Friends Wedding (1997)
55. Victim (1961)
56. Rebel Without a cause (1955)
57. Tick, Tick, BOOM! (2021)
58. Dating Amber (2020)
59. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
60. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
61. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
62. Those People (2016)
63. The Normal Heart (2014)
64. Operation Hyacinth (2021)
65. Rope (1948)
66. Babylon (2022)
67. Other People (2016)
68. Just Friends (2018)
69. Henry Gable's Birthday Party (2016)
70. Beautiful Thing (1996)
71. Law of Desire (1987)
72. Fire Island (2022)
73. From Beginning to End (2009)
74. Summer of 85 (2020)
75. Cloud Atlas (2012)
76. Theater Camp (2023)
77. Cruising (1980)
78. In and Out (1997)
79. Love, Simon (2018)
80. The Favourite (2018)
81. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
82. Knock at the Cabin (2023)
83. Firebird (2022)
84. Moonlight (2016)
85. Longtime Companion (1989)
86. Boy Erased (2018)
87. Mulholland Drive (2001)
88. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
89. Dry Wind (2020)
90. The Living End (1992)
91. Moffie (2019)
92. Seven and a Match (2001)
93. I Love you Phillip Morris (2009)
94. The Kids are All Right (2010)
95. The Whale (2022)
96. Big Eden (2000)
97. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
98. 4 Moons (2014)
99. Just a Question of Love (2000)
100. Monster Pies (2013)

Edited August 14, 2023 by Kalo

[Speedorito]

@von Kenni I don’t know, it is better legally compared to a few decades ago, but it’s shifting backwards almost everywhere.

 

And I don’t think it’s fair to blame the LGBTQ community for that. I used to feel that way when I was younger. “Straight people would be more accepting if all the flamboyant gays were just ‘normal’ like me.” But then I grew older and grew up, and I realized that’s a terrible way of thinking. All those “flamboyant gays” are just being themselves and shouldn’t be blamed for that.

 

Like @Kalo said, the world is more polarized and the media focuses on certain things to divide people. Right-wing groups have realized that outright homophobia is no longer en vogue, so they’ve shifted to grooming allegations, transphobia, and the “in-your-face-manner” as their new culture wars.

[von Kenni]

3 hours ago, Kalo said:

 

We definitely in a better place when it comes to laws in american. but there is a lot more polarization than there used to be, I feel like lots of acceptance of the masses, mostly conservatives which I feel where starting to come around, but have backed tract a lot, I blame the views of some of the media for focusing on some of the most extreme and worst parts of the LGBT community to divide us. I feel there is alot of people in positions of power who really want this country to be divided so that we will not grow. 

 

3 hours ago, Speedorito said:

@von Kenni I don’t know, it is better legally compared to a few decades ago, but it’s shifting backwards almost everywhere.

 

And I don’t think it’s fair to blame the LGBTQ community for that. I used to feel that way when I was younger. “Straight people would be more accepting if all the flamboyant gays were just ‘normal’ like me.” But then I grew older and grew up, and I realized that’s a terrible way of thinking. All those “flamboyant gays” are just being themselves and shouldn’t be blamed for that.

 

Like @Kalo said, the world is more polarized and the media focuses on certain things to divide people. Right-wing groups have realized that outright homophobia is no longer en vogue, so they’ve shifted to grooming allegations, transphobia, and the “in-your-face-manner” as their new culture wars.

 

Yeah, I agree much with what you both say and I want to be clear that I'm not talking about "flamboyant gays" or similar when talking about "in-your-face" matters but more like what I assume Kalo is here referring.

 

And I don't want to demonize or blame certain conservative groups that are more and more raising opposing views against LGBT people, talking about grooming, etc. but I tried to open in my post that I understand where they come from and that LGBT proponents have a role to play it in too and how perceptions are created. We need to try to talk with each other and find common ground all the time but even better is that LGBTQ people can be more and more present in communities of people suspicious and fearful of that unknown in the context that is not about LGBTQ matters. I mean by this that they would be doing something everyday matters as anyone regardless of the orientation that puts them to interact with each other. It can be that they are part of the same charitable cause, trying to get a stop sign to a dangerous crossroads together, part of the same military group, working at the same place, etc. Then if LGBTQ matters come up, we need to also have patience and acceptance to understand how people might not understand the vocabulary and might even use phrases and terms that are bad but we need to understand the context and intentions behind them...and not call them ignorant.

 

I think this kind of everyday interaction is the most important that changes people's views to see that "those" LGBTQ people are fundamentally just as same as we are. Only their sexual orientation might be different.

 

I can also relate if parents who don't personally know any LGBTQ people can start to fear more if they hear discussions of possible legislation that minors could decide with the help of a doctor if they want to transition regardless of their parents' decisions on it. Or if they see children in drag or makeup, etc. Regardless of how we see these, I can understand some people going in the wrong direction but we will just amplify it if we refuse to have civil discussions about these matters, retreat into Twitter or other echo chamber trenches, shout each other with names, and don't pay any attention to context or nuance.

 

I think that's where those manipulators wanting to divide us more come into play. They can and have done that all the way to Russia's influence through good old KGB tactics on this but now with new tools such as social media. I have some intelligence officer background from the military and even though disinformation, hybrid warfare, and propaganda part isn't my focus, my role has gotten me acquainted with that too. Russia has used those in the US and elsewhere effectively to increase racial tensions, division, and same in LGBTQ matters since 2016 and before. The same tactics and dynamics are used internally in the US as well but the school of KGB has perfected it during the last 70 years or so.

 

I think a big part of this is distorted perceptions due to the previous factors and the new legislations are a sign of huge change in public tolerance during the past 20 years or so. Otherwise, those legislations wouldn't have happened. Especially adoption rights. But if we want everything, all at once, and try to suppress or silence opposition without engaging in real conversations, in real life and not on social media we can brew a bigger backslash and pendulum swing backward. And I'm talking about the 70-85% majority now and not the 15-25% more extreme part that can be vocal and therefore distort our perceptions of reality. We might take one step backward momentarily in places like Florida but we should be joyful for the huge leap that we've had in the past 20 years and be very hopeful for the future because of it. Those changes in legislation will impact positively the public majority for generations to come when they get to know more and more married LGBTQ couples with kids, fellow LGBTQ military comrades, or sports teammates while watching LGBTQ characters in popular culture as if they are normal as anyone else without making a number that they are LGBTQ.

 

[Arlborn]

@Kalo

Does Carandiru count? It's not the focus of the movie but Rodrigo Santoro's character is literally the best portrait of what it means to be gay in (Brazilian) prison that I've ever seen.

 

Also, I'm working on my list, but don't expect too much of it, I've been trying to catch up with some classics from the lists I've seen here, but time is an issue

 

 

[Kalo]

34 minutes ago, Arlborn said:

@Kalo

Does Carandiru count? It's not the focus of the movie but Rodrigo Santoro's character is literally the best portrait of what it means to be gay in (Brazilian) prison that I've ever seen.

 

Also, I'm working on my list, but don't expect too much of it, I've been trying to catch up with some classics from the lists I've seen here, but time is an issue

 

 

I think it sounds like it counts. I may be able to extend the deadline a bit more if I know there are more people wanting to give fuller lists. I have some films on my lists that don't 100 percent fit that criteria. and I can't watch everything so I will just have to trust some people to use their own judgement. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Kalo