June marks Pride Month, a time not only for celebration but for reflection, resistance, and visibility. And few mediums capture the complexity of queer life as powerfully as film. From quiet moments of self-discovery to stories of defiance, joy, and longing, LGBTQ+ movies continues to challenge norms and offer narratives too often left out of the mainstream.
MOVIES
Whether you’re revisiting classics or discovering new voices, these ten films span decades and genres, but all speak to the enduring power of queer storytelling.
1. Blue Jean (2022)
Set in 1988 during the UK’s Section 28 debate, this quietly powerful film follows a closeted PE teacher navigating her private and public lives under the pressure of a homophobic law. With nuanced performances and sharp period detail, Blue Jean captures the emotional cost of institutional silence and the quiet courage it takes to resist.
2. All of Us Strangers (2023)
Andrew Haigh’s hauntingly intimate film blurs the line between memory and desire. Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott play two men drawn to each other in a near-empty London apartment complex, but the real heartbreak lies in the unresolved grief that shadows every encounter. Poetic and devastating, it’s a meditation on love, loss, and the ghosts we carry.
3. The Watermelon Woman (1996)
Cheryl Dunye’s groundbreaking mockumentary remains just as relevant today. The film follows a young Black lesbian filmmaker (played by Dunye herself) as she searches for a forgotten Black actress from 1930s Hollywood. It’s smart, funny, and political, offering a radical take on visibility and the rewriting of queer history.
4. Mutt (2023)
A breakout at Sundance, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt takes place over one hectic day in the life of Feña, a young trans man in New York, who unexpectedly reconnects with his ex-boyfriend, father, and half-sister. Told with urgency and empathy, it captures the emotional complexity of transition and identity in motion.
5. Pariah (2011)
Dee Rees’s directorial debut remains one of the most vital queer coming-of-age stories. It follows 17-year-old Alike, a Black teenager in Brooklyn, as she quietly embraces her identity as a lesbian while navigating family pressure and secrecy. Raw and lyrical, Pariah is one of the essential LGBTQ+ Movies for its honesty, tenderness, and timeless relevance.
6. Carol (2015)
Todd Haynes’ adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt is a masterclass in restraint and longing. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara deliver unforgettable performances as two women falling in love in 1950s New York, navigating social expectations and personal sacrifice. It’s quiet, precise, and visually hypnotic, romance, refined.
7. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Céline Sciamma’s slow-burning historical romance remains one of the most powerful sapphic films of recent years. Set on a remote French island, it follows the brief, passionate relationship between a painter and her subject. Every glance, every silence carries weight. This is queer cinema told through patience and fire.
8. Moonlight (2016)
Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning masterpiece traces the life of Chiron, a Black man growing up in Miami, across three distinct chapters. Quiet, tender, and visually rich, Moonlight captures the intersection of sexuality, masculinity, and vulnerability with rare precision. It’s not just a film, it’s a cultural touchstone.
9. Tangerine (2015)
Shot entirely on an iPhone, Sean Baker’s gritty, energetic comedy follows two transgender sex workers on a wild Christmas Eve in Los Angeles. With unforgettable performances by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, Tangerine is both raw and joyous, a defiant love letter to chosen family and everyday resilience.
10. Happy Together (1997)
Wong Kar-wai’s emotionally charged portrait of a relationship unraveling between two men in Argentina captures the ache of dislocation, geographic, romantic, and personal. With Christopher Doyle’s dreamlike cinematography and a fractured love story at its core, Happy Together remains a landmark of queer Asian cinema.
Whether you’re in the mood for love, loss, rebellion, or introspection, these LGBTQ+ movies offer a prism through which to experience the richness of queer lives. This Pride Month, let cinema remind us that visibility comes in many voices, and all of them matter.
