Beginners (2011): Despite its problematic pacing, Beginners is a very unique demonstration of how to live it up while you still can like with the main character's dying gay father, played by Christopher Plummer who took home a much deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Tangerine (2015): There's a lot to love about Tangerine. One thing is that it progressively stars two actual trans women as its leading stars and another is that it shows how by hitting the Record button on your smartphone, you can create movie magic. If you watch this, be sure to watch it with a box of donuts. When you watch the film, you'll see why.
Carol (2015): Carol is a very strong aesthetic exercise,with beautiful cinematography, luscious costume designs, etc.. But at its core, it is about two lesbian women attempting to find love and carve out their own happy ending which is something that we don't often see in mainstream cinema. Even though it is set in the 1950's, Carol feels interestingly progressive.
Weekend (2011): The film is mostly two gay men engaging in conversation for 90 minutes yet I am still head over heels in love with this film. It's got humor, it's sexy, it's got heart, and I won't lie but I almost got misty-eyed at the end. In fact, I wouldn't want this weekend to end!
Brokeback Mountain (2005): Now onto more serious territory. Brokeback Mountain is a mostly unsentimental yet understated look at a doomed gay romance that may not have won the Oscar for Best Picture but is still a love story for the ages.
Pariah (2011): Pariah is a very underrated film about the theme of growing up and figuring out your identity. It's hard to watch at times but it keeps you glued to the screen thanks to a nuanced star turn from lead actress Adepero Oduye.
Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013): Blue Is The Warmest Color is not just a film. It is also an experience. It feels like we are simply watching a young woman slowly come of age. Despite the film being three hours, you'll want the journey with our main heroine to go even longer. It's been a while since I've seen it and I can still say that it is absolute perfection.
The Way He Looks (2014): The Way He Looks is another coming of age story. But it's one that'll surely leave a smile on your face by the time the credits roll. The beauty of it is that if it were about two straight teenagers, it wouldn't have an effect on the film's plot. So it's really a story for everyone.
The Kids Are All Right (2010): It is a rather rare film that depicts a same-sex marriage on screen and manages to do so without incorporating a politicael agenda, asking whether same-sex parents are fit to raise children or anything like that. Instead, it simply portrays the main couple as they are while we watch them go through their ups and downs.
Pride (2014): Pride manages to be many things at once: a portrait of a real-life event, a story about the courage to be yourself, and what happens when different people come together to achieve their common goal. It does all those things while being both entertaining and poignant.
Honorable Mentions:
The Skeleton Twins (2014)
Laurence Anyways (2013)
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
Stranger By The Lake (2014)
Please be sure to write down any recommended films for Pride Month in the comments section if you have any and be sure to share your thoughts on the top 10 list. Thanks for reading and in honor of Pride Month, I plan to post reviews of LGBTQ films over the course of June.
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