In my daily life, I’m a list maker. Reminders to pick up this or that item at the market, send a birthday or anniversary card, take the dog to the groomer, email an interview to my various editors, and so on.
Professionally, it’s another story. I will admit to enjoying making end-of-the-year “best of” lists more than I used to. But there’s still some hesitation. Which is why making a list of what I consider to be the 10 best LGBTQ movies is such a loaded task. The guilty feelings that come from leaving this or that movie off the list fills me with such anxiety that I must take a walk around the block to calm my frayed nerves. Regardless, I committed to doing it, and here it is. Please feel free to agree or disagree.
“Parting Glances” (1986) – I never doubted for a moment which movie would be in the first position. Written and directed by the late gay filmmaker Bill Sherwood (1952-1990), the significance of “Parting Glances” cannot be overstated. Not only did it launch a pair of careers – that of Steve Buscemi and Kathy Kinney – but it was the only movie Sherwood ever made before succumbing to AIDS complications. A layered gay love story with some of the most unforgettable characters you will ever encounter, “Parting Glances” is essential viewing.
“My Beautiful Laundrette” (1986) – Queer cinema aficionados often refer to two years in the 1980s as defining moments. In 1982, we were presented with this sextet: “Making Love,” “Victor/Victoria,” “Personal Best,” “Deathtrap,” “Querelle,” and “Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.” 1986 was the year in which “My Beautiful Laundrette,” “Parting Glances,” and “Desert Hearts” (see below) were released, setting the standard for years to come. The first screenplay by queer writer Hanif Kureishi, “My Beautiful Laundrette” is set during the turbulent Thatcher years in England, and not only addresses the racial tensions of the time, but also the homophobia. The performances by the lead actors, a young Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke, are exceptional and erotically charged.
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001) – Writer/director/star John Cameron Mitchell’s film adaptation of his acclaimed stage play finally got the rock musical right by incorporating live performance into the concept. The story of a trans rock singer’s journey from East Germany to the U.S. is one for the ages with unforgettable songs (go ahead, try not singing along with the anthemic “Midnight Radio”), and acting performances to boot. Mitchell’s follow-up, “Shortbus” (2006), is another must-see.
“Desert Hearts” (1986) – Lesbian filmmaker Donna Deitch’s “Desert Hearts” went a long way in helping our lesbian sisters forget about straight filmmaker Robert Towne’s “Personal Best” (1982), referred to by many lesbians as Personal Worst. It also set the stage for the renaissance in indie lesbian filmmaking (excluding the execrable “Claire of the Moon”), paving the way for “Bound,” “Saving Face,” “Carol,” “Pariah,” and others. Based on a Jane Rule novel, “Desert Hearts” is set in Reno in 1959 and features memorable performances by Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau, as college professor Vivian and artist Cay, respectively, and the love affair between them.
“Moonlight” (2016) – Based on a story by award-winning Black, gay playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, and directed and written by Barry Jenkins, Oscar-winning “Moonlight” deserves to be remembered for more than just the debacle that occurred at the Academy Awards ceremony. Featuring some of the most stunningly created Black queer characters, the breathtaking “Moonlight” elevated 21st-century LGBTQ cinema to an unprecedented level. Depicting life in Liberty City, Florida, “Moonlight” not only illuminated a place and a segment of the population that has been overlooked, but it did it in a way in which it became indelible.
“The Bubble” (2006) – I still get choked up (as I do with “Parting Glances”) when I think about Eytan Fox’s “The Bubble.” Fox, known for movies such as “Yossi & Jagger” and its devastating sequel “Yossi,” may not have realized it at that time, but “The Bubble” would turn out to be incredibly timely and meaningful again in October 2023. Set in Tel Aviv, “The Bubble” is about the unexpected sexual relationship that develops between gay Israeli Noam (Ohad Knoller) and Palestinian Ashraf (Yousef “Joe” Sweid). An emotional rollercoaster ride, but one that is worth strapping in for and taking.
“Go Fish” (1994) – Ten years before lesbian filmmaker Rose Troche went on to be a co-executive producer and writer for the celebrated Showtime series “The L Word,” she made her feature film debut with the black and white brilliance of “Go Fish.” Set in Chicago, the movie focuses on the beginning of a 90s-style lesbian relationship between Max (out actor Guinevere Turner) and Ely (V.S. Brodie). Small, indie, and uber-hip, “Go Fish” spawned countless imitations in the years that followed, especially the famous “honeypot” scene, featuring four women laying on the floor, head-to-head.
“The Wedding Banquet” (1993) – When people think of Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee’s movies with gay content, most will immediately come up with the Oscar-winning “Brokeback Mountain” (2005). That makes sense because of the acclaim the movie received, as well as the high-profile cast including Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, and the late Heath Ledger. However, it’s Lee’s second full-length feature, “The Wedding Banquet,” which received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film, that deserves equal attention. As funny as it is serious, “The Wedding Banquet” is the love story of a gay couple Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein) and Wai-Tung (Winston Chao), who not only have to hide their relationship from Wai-Tung’s conservative parents who are coming to America for a visit, but also must play along with Wai-Tung’s staged marriage to a woman to placate them.
“Uncle Howard” (2016) – These days, you can’t swing your lesbian best friend’s dead cat without hitting a queer documentary, including masterpieces such as “The Times of Harvey Milk” and “Paris Is Burning.” Aaron Brookner’s affectionate and revelatory tribute to his late, gay uncle Howard Brookner packs an emotional wallop. Howard was a filmmaker in his own right, directing a William S. Burroughs doc and the Madonna comedy “Bloodhounds of Broadway,” before passing away from AIDS complications. As informative as it is touching, “Uncle Howard” is a gem, and you’ll never listen to the Pretenders’ “Hymn to Her” in the same way again.
“Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss” (1998) – Released in the same year that “Will & Grace” debuted on NBC, a good 12 years before actor Sean Hayes actually came out as gay, “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss” was part of the double delight that introduced many of us to the comic genius of the Tony-winning actor. Writer/director Tommy O’Haver’s sweet and affectionate story of unrequited love belongs on everyone’s radar. Richard Ganoung, who played one of the leads in “Parting Glances,” also appears in “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss.” Talk about coming full circle.
Other highly recommended LGBTQ film titles include “Femme,” “Outrageous!,” “High Art,” “Taxi zum Klo,” “Making Love,” “The Watermelon Woman,” “All of Us Strangers,” “Torch Song Trilogy,” “Strawberries and Chocolate,” “Bound,” “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” “The Birdcage,” “Love is Strange,” “120 BPM,” “Tangerine,” “A Single Man,” “Pain and Glory,” and “Come Back to the Five.”
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