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Sure, you could spend the next four years dissociating as we prepare for a rapid erosion of hard-won LGBTQ+ rights. It's not like media has been the best ally throughout the struggle for basic acceptance anyway, and given that one of the incoming administration's first executive orders involves pretending that trans people aren't real (an assertion that defies biology, human history, and the lived experiences of millions of people, the future isn't boding well.
Yet while movies and the media can't save us, they can represent us. Movies can move the needle on mainstream acceptance (even if only in small ways), and spunky independent films can make us feel seen, offer encouragement, or get us mad enough to fight back. So maybe squeeze in a movie when you're not throwing bricks or glowering at the wall. Below, I’ve highlighted 30 standouts from the past century, not so much to prove that every one of them broke new ground upon release (though many did), but to illustrate that queer talent has been on display in front of and behind the camera since the medium’s earliest days.
(Rather than list every great movie with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, I’ve tried to throw in some lesser-appreciated movies that are every bit as good—or better—than more well-known favorites.)
Michael (1926)
Carl Theodor Dreyer, best known for his 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc, brought a similar visual inventiveness to his earlier Michael, the story of a love triangle between a sculptor, his model (the title’s Michael), and the sculptor’s long-suffering friend. It’s a doomed romance, but not because of any moralizing about the M4M love. It’s a story of not being able to see what’s right in front of you. And, yes, I realize that Michael just misses the centenary mark based on its German release in late 1924, but its American release wasn't until two years later, so I'm allowing it. You can stream Michael on Kanopy.
Michael (1924) at Kanopy Learn MoreLearn More at Kanopy
Wings (1927)
The very first Best Picture Oscar-winner is the WWI-set story of a pair of rivals who become good friends. Very good friends, if you catch my meaning, though it's just ambiguous enough that it didn't raise suspicions at the time. Throughout the film, the two pilots are competitors for the affections of an ambulance driver played by Clara Bow, typically decked out in her intentionally masc uniform, complete with cropped hair and lace-up leather boots. The famous tracking shot across a number of tables in a bar includes a lesbian couple just on the verge of a kiss as the camera sweeps by, but it's the death scene (sorry about the 98-year-old spoiler) between our two pilots that really seals the deal: If their tender caresses and kiss can't quite be described as overtly gay, the scene is certainly queer in its portrayal of male affection. You can stream Wings on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.
Wings (1927) at Prime Video Learn MoreLearn More at Prime Video
Mädchen in Uniform (1931)
The story of troubled schoolgirl Manuela (Hertha Thiele) who quickly gets hot for teacher at her all-girls school, Mädchen in Uniform arrived at a pivotal moment in German history: Paragraph 175, outlawing homosexuality, had been repealed a couple of years earlier, and what would later be seen as the “decadent” Weimar era was in full swing. With queer women behind the camera and plenty of lesbian longing, and snogging, onscreen, the movie was a hit in much of Europe, while lobbying by no less than Eleanor Roosevelt ensured that American audiences got to see the film (a detail I adore). It’s a beautifully realized film about romantic longing that never devolves into melodrama; it also invites us to imagine the kinds of female-centric movies we might have had if there had been more women behind the camera during the golden age of Hollywood. You can stream Mädchen in Uniform on Plex.
Mädchen in Uniform (1931) at Plex Learn MoreLearn More at Plex
Queen Christina (1933)
However we choose to define Greta Garbo’s real-life gender and sexuality—some say bisexual is closest to the mark, others say lesbian; she referred to herself as male most of the time and signed letters as “Harry,” so there are layers—there’s no question her gender-fluid screen persona, in roles that were at least bisexual-coded, made her a huge box office draw in a very different era. Her, she plays the unconventional, bisexual Swedish Queen involved in not only affairs of state, but also romances with co-stars John Gilbert and Elizabeth Young. All that aside, it’s a beautiful historic romance about a powerful, complicated woman with a killer (and often referenced) final shot. You can rent Queen Christina from Prime Video.
Queen Christina (1933) at Prime Video Learn MoreLearn More at Prime Video
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
While I’m trying to avoid queer coding in favor of movies with aboveboard queer characters and content, doing that gets harder during Hollywood’s so-called golden age, when the rules explicitly forbade any such thing. With Bride of Frankenstein, though, there’s too much gay going on to ignore. The plot revolves around gloriously flamboyant Dr. Septimus Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), an mentor of Victor Frankenstein’s from his school days who sweeps in on the eve of Victor’s wedding night to drag him away (with only mild convincing required) so that the two can conduct some experiments to determine if they can make life together. With that plot, and the queer rep in front of and behind the camera, this one’s very much a gay fever dream. You can rent Bride of Frankenstein from Prime Video.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) at Prime Video Learn MoreLearn More at Prime Video
Rope (1948)
Though Hitchcock’s adaptation of the play of the same name scrubs overt references to its lead characters’ sexuality (which wouldn’t have been allowed at the time), the director was never afraid to push homosexual subtext to the very edge, and a viewer would have to be fairly sheltered to see prissy, fastidious murderers Brandon and Phillip (John Dall and Farley Granger) as mere roommates. The limited setting and experimental filming style didn’t entirely please Hitchcock, but the claustrophobic atmosphere and sharp dialogue rachet up the suspense nicely. You can stream Rope on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.
Rope (1948) at Prime Video Learn MoreLearn More at Prime Video
Un chant d’amour (1950)
Two prisoners are tormented by a voyeuristic prison guard in Jean Genet’s short film, full of homoerotic imagery that might be less shocking in 2023, but no less effective. The two never touch, except in a fantasy sequence, but seeing the two men share a bit of smoke from a single cigarette remains one of cinema’s hottest images. You might also find the movie under the title Song of Love. You can stream Un chant d’amour on Kanopy.
