As it is June, Pride Month celebrations have been in full swing—celebrating inclusivity, and highlighting the importance of acceptance. Pride month is a time of fun and joy, but also serves as a reminder of those brave people who have stood up and declared their true selves, making it a time of reflection too.
With it drawing to a close, this is a list of five films to finish off the month with, showcasing LGBTQ stories and history. It is crucial that we showcase these important, emotional and inspiring stories—highlighting the importance of diversity, both on and off screen.
Pride (2014)
Directed by Matthew Warchus, and starring George MacKay, Ben Schnetzer and Bill Nighy, Pride is a based-on-true events story about unlikely friendship and acceptance. Set in the midst of the 1984 Miner’s Strike, Pride is a touching story about the founders of the L.G.S.M charity (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners), and the small Welsh village that they supported. A film that will make you laugh and cry, and will teach you about an important part of British LGBTQ history, Pride is a film highly recommended.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Directed by Luca Guadagino, and based on the book by André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name is a fan favourite. Timothée Chalamet stars as teenage boy Elio, along side Armie Hammer as his older love interest Oliver, in a steamy coming-of-age romance, set in sunny Italy. With themes of desire, jealousy and first-loves, Call Me By Your Name has done the important job of creating a beautiful, bittersweet romance film in a mainstream space, putting LGBTQ stories in the same spotlight that heterosexual ones have been for years.
Bottoms (2023)
Directed by Emma Seligman, Bottoms is a satirical comedy film, set at Rockbridge Falls High School. Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri star as PJ and Josie, unpopular lesbian virgins who are lining after the popular cheerleaders. After a rumour about PJ and Josie’s violent tendencies spread around school, the pair decide to start a fight club to twist the narrative into a story of female empowerment and self defence. The club gains popularity, creating mischief and drama, and even attracting the attention of a couple of cheerleaders. A funny, dramatic and sometimes violent teen rom-com, with excellent lesbian leads, Bottoms makes a strong addition to the list.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)
Directed by Céline Sciamma, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is a lesbian romance, set in 18th Century France. The film centres around Marianne (Noéme Merlant), an art teacher, and Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) a young girl who Marianne is commissioned to paint a portrait of. The pair soon embark on a passionate secret affair, before Héloïse’s is expected to marry a man. The affair continues until Héloïse’s mother, the Contessa, returns and sends Marianne on her way, resulting in a heartbreaking farewell. This intense, emotional and raw film highlights the importance and beauty of queer romance stories.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The list is finished off by cult classic movie-musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Directed by Jim Sharman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show centres on a young couple whose car breaks down near a castle. They approach the castle, in search of help, and end up accidentally crashing a party full of eccentric characters. There they meet Dr Frank-N-Furter, who invites them to stay overnight. During their stay the couple encounter some strange events, including the creation of a man named Rocky. They are also each seduced by Frank, who reveals himself as a ‘Transvestite’ from planet ‘Transexual’. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a flamboyant and bonkers film, with a killer soundtrack and awesome costumes. The film has become a fan favourite, with a stage show adaptation also gaining extremes popularity. It’s longevity as a fan favourite and it’s cultural impact makes it the perfect film to round off the list.
This list has been a joy to compile, even though it was extremely difficult to whittle down so many amazing LGBTQ films into just five. It is so important to highlight queer stories, fact or fiction, and to work towards a more accepting, inclusive and equitable world.
Thank you for reading, and Happy Pride!
