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Representation matters. When audiences see themselves on screen, it’s an opportunity to prove that one’s lived experiences coincide with universal truths about navigating life, love, loss, and everything in between. And at a time when the rights of marginalized communities are being threatened, bearing witness to these stories feels more important than it ever has before.
If you’re settling in for a home viewing, we have a few relevant streaming titles to add to the queue — each of which are little-known poignant LGBTQ+ films with vibrant characters and memorable stories.
Maybe you heard about the sweepingly romantic film Portrait of a Lady on Fire but haven’t watched it. Well, now is the perfect time. In the mood for a film that celebrates what it means to be a Black trans girl living her best life? Anything’s Possible is the ideal watch. There are so many great options we’ve gathered for you here — from international features to documentaries and more.
For Pride month, treat yourself and check out our list of 15 little-known LGBTQ+ movies you can stream right now.
A version of this article was originally published on Nov 2022.
‘Elisa & Marcela’
Elisa & Marcela follows the true events of Elisa Sanchez Loriga (Natalia de Molina) and Marcela Gracia Ibeas’ (Greta Fernández) love story. Rewind back to 1901, where Elisa takes on the identity of a man to marry her lover, and kept up the charade for literal years. This intense love story was praised for giving viewers an intimate glimpse into the first same-sex marriage in Spain.
Watch it on Netflix.
‘Princess Cyd’
Princess Cyd is a coming-of-age film following a young girl named Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) who falls for a nonbinary friend of hers named Katie Sauter (Malic White), who teaches her so many new things about life, love, and connection. Throughout, Cyd and her aunt Miranda Ruth (Rebecca Spence) challenge each other’s notions of love.
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Duck Butter’
Duck Butter follows two women named Naima (Alia Shawkat) and Kate (Lindsay Burdge), who make an interesting pact. While they’re both unhappy in their relationships, they make a pact to spend 24 hours together to see if something blooms, and if they can find a whole new level of intimacy neither have explored.
Watch it on Netflix.
‘Anything’s Possible’
Kelsa (Eva Reign) is a fierce young Black trans teen navigating her senior year of high school, applying to college, and starting a new relationship in Billy Porter’s directorial debut Anything’s Possible. When Kelsa’s budding romance with Khal (Abubakr Ali) becomes the talk of their school, everything starts to change for the better and for the worse. But Kelsa is brave enough to meet any challenge that comes her way. With family, friends, and a community that loves her, Kelsa lets her light shine in this delightful teen comedy.
Watch on Prime Video.
‘Colette’
Colette tells the true story of the titular French writer and her husband. Colette (Keira Knightley) writes novels that her husband Willy (Dominic West) puts his name on. But when Colette decides to take her work into her own hands, she goes about it by breaking gender norms, stereotypes, and assumptions of the time in more ways than one.
Watch on Netflix.
‘God’s Own Country’
Johnny (Josh O’Connor) spends his days drinking and tending to his farm duties until he meets Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu) in God’s Own Country. What ensues between the two is an intense love affair that sets them both on a new path in this stunning film.
Watch on Hulu.
‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’
In Céline Sciamma’s sumptuous Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is tasked with painting a wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel). But during their limited time together, the two women form an attachment on par with any Greek myth (if you know, you know).
Watch on Hulu.
‘Disclosure’
Pivoting from narrative films and moving into documentary, Disclosure is necessary viewing to further understand the history of trans representation in entertainment media. With voices like Laverne Cox, Yance Ford, Jen Richards, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, among others, sharing their stories and revisiting films and TV series of the past, Disclosure is entertaining, educational, and essential.
Watch on Netflix
‘Tangerine’
Written and directed by Sean Baker (and shot completely on an iPhone, by the way) and starring two trans women in the leading roles, Tangerine is a wild ride through Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) are out for revenge, searching for the person who broke Sin-Dee’s heart.
Watch on Prime Video.
‘Pariah’
In Dee Rees’ directorial debut feature Pariah, teenage Brooklynite Alike (Adepero Oduye) struggles with sexual identity, romantic relationships, and family in this moving portrait of a young person coming into their own. As the truth about Alike’s journey to self-discovery comes to light, tensions rise and Alike comes to terms with the path that lies ahead.
Watch on Prime Video.
‘The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson’
Much like how Disclosure offered a history lesson on trans representation in entertainment media, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson tells the story of one of the most influential figures of the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement and the circumstances surrounding the activist’s mysterious death. Marsha P. Johnson was a vibrant figure in New York, whose mission revolved around gay liberation. This documentary highlights how full of life Johnson was, along with collaborations with fellow activists like Sylvia Rivera, and the fight to keep activists’ names and stories part of the ongoing movement.
Watch on Netflix
‘BPM’
We’re going international for another one of our picks. BPM(Beats Per Minute) is a French film that follows members of the advocacy group Act Up Paris at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the early ‘90s. BPM artfully captures the essence of the movement — one full of love and defiance in equal measure.
Watch on Prime Video.
‘The World to Come’
Featuring powerful performances from lead actresses Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston, The World to Come is a fiery love story set against the backdrop of the frontier. Two couples, Abigail (Waterston) and Dyer (Casey Affleck) and Tallie (Kirby) and Finney (Christopher Abbott) live next door to each other on the American East Coast. As Tallie and Abigail get to know one another, their connection becomes stronger and a romance blossoms. But what will become of their relationship in the new world?
Watch on Hulu.
‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post’
Based on the novel by Emily M. Danforth, the film adaptation of The Miseducation of Cameron Post stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a teenage girl sent to God’s Promise, a conversion therapy camp, in 1993. The film handles its characters with such tenderness and delicacy, while also highlighting the vile nature of conversion therapy camps. This coming-of-age film is all about embracing who you are, and rebelling against those who aim to take that from you.
Watch on Hulu.
‘Supernova’
Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci star in Supernova, a breathtaking and achingly touching film about one couple’s journey into the unknown. Tusker (Tucci) has been diagnosed with dementia, and as his disease progresses, the love of his life Sam (Firth) enriches their lives with a trip across England to visit family and friends before Tusker’s illness worsens. It’s a beautiful film about love and patience, and the importance of time — mostly, time with the ones we love.
Watch on Hulu.
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