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While local rep theaters are out of commission, we’ll be putting together weekly watchlists of films readily available to stream. It’s officially Pride Month, so we’ve rounded up a plethora of excellent LGBTQ+ films that showcase the community’s wide range of stories and experiences—from 1930s gender-bending nightclub performers to modern-day teen poets.
Totally F***ed Up (1993)
In one of the most underrated cinematic odes to the City of Angels, a group of gay teens navigate their identities and relationships against the backdrop of a quintessentially ’90s L.A. Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s Masculin Féminin (1966), director Gregg Araki infuses his subversive coming-of-age drama with neon-lit monologues that wax poetic on youth, love and the underground queer scene. Kanopy.
Pariah (2011)
Recently inducted into the Criterion Collection, Dee Rees’ Pariah follows Alike (Adepero Oduye), a Brooklyn teenager who begins to embrace her lesbian identity and aspirations of becoming a poet despite her mother’s disapproval. Though it may sound like a feel-bad story, it’s ultimately filled with hope, perhaps summed up best in one of Alike’s poems: “I am not running; I am choosing…I am not broken; I am free.” Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Criterion Collection, Google Play, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube.
La Cage Aux Folles (1978)
Remade in 1996 as Mike Nichols’ The Birdcage, this French-Italian madcap comedy centers on a gay couple forced to play straight for the night when their son gets engaged to a woman with conservative parents. Fortunately, the pair is well-versed in drag since they own a nightclub, so it only makes sense for the more flamboyant husband to don a wig and try to pass as a woman for the dinner, right? Yup, that’s bound to go smoothly. Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Hoopla, Tubi, YouTube.
Victor/Victoria (1982)
Julie Andrews stars as Victoria, a struggling singer in 1934 Paris desperate for a gig—so desperate, she agrees to pretend to be a gay female impersonator by the name of Count Victor in order to secure a performance. Things get complicated when a Chicago gangster (James Garner) sees the act and falls for Victor/Victoria. Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, HBO, HBO Max, Hulu, Sling TV, Vudu, YouTube.
Tomboy (2011)
This quiet little drama from Céline Sciamma follows a nonbinary 10-year-old who gets a chance to experiment with their gender when their family moves to a new town for the summer. Once known as Laure, they adopt the name “Mickaël,” after a new playmate assumes they are a boy. A must-watch for anyone who loved Sciamma’s masterful Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). Kanopy.
