While Hollywood has a long way to go in terms of representation — and not just for the LGBTQ+ community — the past few years have seen an uptick in queer-centric movies, from Moonlight to Call Me By Your Name and Love, Simon. One of the most significant changes is that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and non-binary people are no longer relegated to side characters, background roles, or included just as subjects for jokes and mockery. Instead, they’re leading the charge as sympathizable protagonists and heroes.
But what’s even more exciting is that this isn’t just a trend. It’s a lasting movement! The industry has made it clear that it’s getting committed to telling authentic stories (and not just for the sake of representation), making them relatable and real for all kinds of audiences. And with that, we’re seeing some of the most complex and compelling LGBTQ+ characters in film history — people who exist outside of their sexuality and gender identity. They aren’t tokens or accessories put there to meet the “diversity quota”; they’re important members of an ensemble cast.
This is a huge step forward for LGBTQ+ visibility in Hollywood. But it’s also important to note that these movies are just the tip of the iceberg. One of the challenges in LGBTQ+ cinema today is ensuring that queer actors get to play queer roles — roles that have historically been played by straight actors, undermining real representation of the community in fictional media.
While waiting for the change to happen, we can still enjoy these films for what they are: a huge step forward in queer history. From coming-out dramas to cult comedies and blockbusters — our list includes LGBTQ+ movies that are mostly authentic, nuanced, and honestly just super fun!
#1 Moonlight
2016 | 1h 51m | Directed by Barry Jenkins
Moonlight has been described as one of the best films of the 21st century, and it’s easy to see why. The movie explores masculinity, loneliness, and identity through the eyes of Chiron, who we see grow from a young boy to his adult life as a drug dealer in Atlanta. It became the first LGBTQ+ film with an all-black cast and the second-lowest-grossing film domestically to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
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#2 Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
2019 | 2h 2m | Directed by Céline Sciamma
Set in the 18th century, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is a French LGBTQ+ movie from the capable hands of Céline Sciamma. It’s centered on the affair between Héloïse, a well-to-do aristocrat, and the talented painter Marianne, commissioned to paint her portrait. The film won the Queer Palm at Cannes, making history as the first film directed by a woman to receive the award.
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#3 Call Me By Your Name
2017 | 2h 12m | Directed by Luca Guadagnino
A staple among the best LGBTQ+ movies. Set in 1983 in northern Italy, Call Me By Your Name chronicles the bittersweet romance between Elio, a precocious and artsy 17-year-old, and Oliver, an American doctoral student who temporarily moves to Italy to work for Elio’s father. As summer moves along, the fervent love between the two young men grows and deepens, impacting their lives forever.
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#4 Booksmart
2019 | 1h 42m | Directed by Olivia Wilde
Ready for some lighthearted comedy? Booksmart is the story of Amy and Molly, best friends who realize, just before graduation, that they’d focused too much on studying and cast aside all the fun experiences two teenagers should enjoy. But it’s not too late: On their last day of classes, they set out to break all the rules and have the time of their lives!
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#5 The Handmaiden
2016 | 2h 25m | Directed by Park Chan-wook
In Japanese-occupied Korea, a con man plans to steal the inheritance of Lady Hideko, a wealthy Japanese heiress, by marrying her and then committing her to an asylum. To help him, there’s the young pickpocket Nam Sook-hee, hired as Hideko’s maid. Everything seems to go according to plan until Sook-hee and Hideko start developing feelings for each other.
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#6 Pain And Glory
2019 | 1h 53m | Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
If you’re a long-time fan of Almodóvar’s movies, you can surely recommend this one. It tells the story of Salvador, an aging film director who hasn’t worked on new projects for a long time. His decaying mental and physical health leads him to reflect on his past mistakes and the best moments of his life. Slow but incredibly heartwarming.
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#7 Everything Everywhere All At Once
2022 | 2h 19m | Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Released in March 2022, this absurdist movie immediately received widespread acclaim. Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant dissatisfied and overwhelmed by her life. Everything changes the day she gets embroiled in a crazy adventure where she must connect with different versions of herself from other universes to save the multiverse.
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#8 Battle Of The Sexes (2017)
2017 | 2h 1m | Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Emma Stone and Steve Carrell star in Battle Of The Sexes, a dramatization of the events that led up to the legendary 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. The match turned into a media sensation and a cultural touchstone for the recognition of women’s worth in sports. Some movie critics considered this Emma Stone’s best performance in her career.
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#9 The Power Of The Dog
2021 | 2h 6m | Directed by Jane Campion
Based on Thomas Savage’s novel, The Power Of The Dog is one of the most interesting LGBTQ+ movies on Netflix. It’s the story of two wealthy rancher brothers who become increasingly estranged after one of them marries a widowed woman who already has a teenage son. It’s often cited among the best movies of 2021, and the outstanding performance of its main cast has a lot to do with it.
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#10 Love, Simon
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#11 Parallel Mothers
2021 | 2h 3m | Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar’s latest movie stars Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit as two single women who meet in a hospital room, both waiting to give birth. While one doesn’t regret it, the younger one is utterly scared and uncertain of what the future holds for her. The two form a strong bond as they try to navigate motherhood, and a new meeting months later takes their relationship to a new level of intimacy.
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#12 Flee (2021)
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#13 A Fantastic Woman
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#14 Carol
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#15 Mädchen In Uniform
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#16 BPM (Beats Per Minute)
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#17 Welcome To Chechnya
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#18 God’s Own Country
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#19 Shiva Baby
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#20 Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend Of Walter Mercado
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#21 The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert
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#22 The Birdcage
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#23 Milk
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#24 Philadelphia
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#25 Boys Don’t Cry
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#26 Victor/Victoria
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#27 Brokeback Mountain
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#28 The Imitation Game
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#29 Dallas Buyers Club
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#30 Circus Of Books
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#31 The Crying Game
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#32 Behind The Candelabra
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#33 Blue Is The Warmest Color
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#34 Hedwig And The Angry Inch
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#35 Angels In America
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#36 The Half Of It
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#37 A Secret Love (2020)
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#38 Passing
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#39 Tangerine
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#40 Victim
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#41 Titane
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#42 Grandma
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#43 Paris Is Burning
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#44 Disclosure (2020)
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#45 We Were Here
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#46 The Kids Are All Right
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#47 Portrait Of Jason
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#48 Word Is Out: Stories Of Some Of Our Lives
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#49 All About My Mother
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#50 My Beautiful Laundrette
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