Representation of LGBTQ in film

Heres a list of movies with representation of the LGBTQ+ community. They are followed by a brief summary and review. Hopefully you find something you like!

FIRE

Release date: 5 November 1998 (India)

Director: Deepa Mehta

The first entry in Deepa Mehta’s “Elements” trilogy, broke ground and ignited protest in 1998 for being one of the few Bollywood movies to depict a queer relationship. The film centers on two Indian sisters-in-law, Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi), who are chained in loveless, arranged marriages and in turn fall for each other. “Fire” hugely challenged middle-class, conservative society in the place that, for many audiences, it hit the most: home.The movie is a personal favorite and shows the complexity of an extramarital affair between two women .

Water Lilies

Release date: 15 August 2007 (France)

Director: Céline Sciamma

Everyone knows “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” but 'Water Lillies' was Céline Sciamma’s screenwriting and directing debut from 2007 which established her reputation for intimate portraits of female relationships and sexuality. The title in French means “Birth of the Octopuses,” an evocative name for a tale set during a torrid summer in France where young Marie yearns to get close to the rebel of the swim team, Floriane. The movie supersedes the popular but controversial movie 'Call Me by your Name' in its depiction of homosexuality and the fragility of young love and self exploration.Again a personal favourite

TANGERINE

Release date: 10 July 2015 (USA)

Director: Sean Baker

Sean Baker's Tangerine is a special kind of cinematic piece, hiding its intentions until the whirlwind style makes you dizzy. It breathes and lives in the same world as its characters, with the (now) famous iPhone imagery casting a relentless vision unto an ideal aesthetic. The movie features a diverse cast and never fails in portraying the true and raw LA spirit . Tangerine despite its stunning visuals features a somewhat dull screenplay, which stagnates at times almost boring the watcher. However when it comes to the representation of the LGBTQ+ communtity Tangerine doesnt miss out on a single mark.

The Handmaiden

Initial release: 14 May 2016

Director: Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook’s twisty (and very erotic) thriller transports a Victorian gothic aesthetic to Japanese-occupied Korea in adapting Welsh author Sarah Waters’ novel “Fingersmith.” Explicit but never exploitative, “The Handmaiden” tangles a thief, an heiress, and a con man, who are all one-upping each other amid a web of psychosexual mind games, with Kim Tae-ri and Kim Min-hee balancing the film’s constant teetering between revenge tale and love story. In terms of potrayal of the LGBTQ communtity The Handmaiden devels into the complex reations between the female characters my establish sexual tension through intimate actions .

Your Name Engraved Herein

Release date: 25 September 2020 (Taiwan)

Director: Kuang-Hui Liu

Set in 1987, as martial law ends in Taiwan, Jia-han (Edward Chen) and Birdy (Jing-Hua Tseng) fall in love amid family pressure, homophobia, and social stigma and soon find themselves battling with their feelings. Your Name Engraved Hereinis a collection of love scars put to film. It's a bittersweet tale showing the nature of a relationship that develops between two young school-going boys. The softness with which this is told makes it is intoxicating and the tone of the movie set by beautiful backdrops and dialogs plays into its themes. This movie deserves to be at the top of everyones must watch list.