Torch Song Trilogy was one of the first LGBT movies I ever saw. It’s adapted from Harvey Fierstein’s play of the same name and stars him, Matthew Broderick and Anne Banecroft. The story takes place in 3 different periods in time relating what the main character, Harvey Fierstein, is going through. I really enjoyed it and would love to see a theatrical performance some day.
Bird Cage is still a fun movie. You could always watch La Cage aux Folles instead or watch both to see the differences. I was lucky to see a theatrical performance of La Cage with George Hamilton.
Beginners: Stars Christopher Plummer and Ewan MacGregor.
Philadelphia: Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Really good if you like legal dramas. Hanks won his first Oscar and I love the song Bruce Springsteen did for it.
In & Out: Sweet and funny movie starring Kevin Kline who plays a teacher in a small town who accidentally gets outed by a former student during their Academy Award speech. A lot of good names in it. Tom Selleck , Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Wilford Brimley, Bob Newhart.
Sorry, I’ve created a big ole tome of a post. For TL;DR just copy/paste links LOL.
Drei (Three), directed by Tom Tykwer:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517177/
All of Tykwer’s movies are excellent, but Drei is a standout for me. Definitely worth a watch.
Strangers on a Train (European Version) directed by Alfred Hitchcock:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044079/
So, yeah, it’s not overt, but how obvious could you really get in 1951? Well, obvious enough that American censors demanded the removal of a couple scenes and shortening of a couple shots which were clearly suggestive of a same-sex interest between the two main characters. Respect to Hitchcock for pushing the envelope in those times.
Milk, directed by Gus van Sant: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1013753/
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, directed by John Cameron Mitchell: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248845/
Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/
I hope so!
TV series I’ve loved:
Six Feet Under
Orange is the New Black
The ‘L Word’ (Original series; I haven’t seen the new one yet, if its out.)
Tales from the Loop (Episode 6, “Parallel” - absolutely excellent.)
Black Mirror (Episode “Striking Vipers”)
The Black Mirror episode stands on its own and needs no knowledge of the series or other episodes, so you could just view that one and get the full experience.
On the other hand, while the Tales from the Loop episode stands OK on its own, the impact is much more intense if you watch the whole series up to that point. It’s great entertainment, I highly recommend it in its entirety.
Well it isn’t the main focus, but some LGBT themes are explored in ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’. I’d recommend it to anyone who appreciates good editing and feels.
Portrait of Jason (1967) - A documentary that is an interview with Jason Holliday. A bit of a hard watch given the age of the picture and how he’s treated but important to see.
Je, Tu, Il, Elle (1974) - French Drama about a woman who has a bit of a psychological breakdown after a break up.
Keiko (1979) - Japanese Drama about a woman who starts a happy relationship with a fellow female co-worker but feels pressured by her father and society to not do so.
Paris is Burning (1990) - Documentary about the lives of a wide variety of folks, including many LGBTQ+ members and goes deep into some topics.
Orlando (1992) - British Drama about an ageless person who goes through many different experiences, based off of the Virginia Woolf novel.
Bound (1996) - American crime thriller written produced and Directed by the Wachowski Twins.
The Watermelon Woman (1996) - A film directed by a Black lesbian filmmaker Cheryl Dunye about the history of black women and lesbians in film.
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A (2006) - Japanese Drama about a troubled youth who kills another boy.
Carol (2015) Romance Drama about a woman who falls for an older woman.
The Handmaiden (2016) Korean Drama that is fairly complex and tackles many themes and ideals.
Well thankfully you posted here so you will get more updates as movies are posted! There is a whole thread now for you to see if you enjoy any of them.
Rocky Horror and Hedwig and the angry inch are great places to start if you haven’t seen them