The first time I saw any portrayal of women on women action onscreen was through the music video for t.a.t.u.'s song "All the Things She Said."
Since then, LGBTQIA+ women representation in films has increased significantly. Not only has the volume of films featuring lesbian characters increased, but the quality and realism of these films have also improved. In particular, I find that I can now relate to many of these films in a way that I couldn't before.
So I wanted to share with you (as a gay girlie) some of the best lesbian movies I've watch - the lesbian movies that are actually good. So without further ado, in no particular order, here's a list of the best lesbian movies. Seriously, you need to watch these.
1. Carol
Carol is a 2015 romantic period drama film that follows Carol Aird (played by Cate Blanchett), a wealthy divorceé, as she encounters a young store clerk Therese Belivet (played by Rooney Mara) and they fall in love in New York City in the early 1950s.
2. Happiest Season
The Happiest Season is a 2020 lesbian holiday romantic comedy.. Lesbian holiday movie?? Finally!
The movie follows Abby (played by Kristen Stewart), a young woman who plans to propose to her girlfriend, Harper (played by Mackenzie Davis), during their annual Christmas visit to Harper's family. However, Abby's plans are derailed when she discovers that Harper has not yet come out to her parents.
3. But I'm a Cheerleader
But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 American satirical teen romantic comedy film. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential in-patient conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and, despite the therapy, comes to embrace her sexuality.
4. Saving Face
Saving Face is a 2004 romantic comedy-drama. Wil (played by Michelle Krusiec) is a lesbian, but she's afraid to come out to her widowed mother, or her incredibly traditional grandparents. To her surprise, she uncovers that she isn't the only one in her family with romantic secrets but she not dare tell her widowed mother, or her very traditional grandparents. She's shocked, however, to find out she's not the only one in her family with romantic secrets
5. Ammonite
Ammonite is a 2020 romantic drama film. The film is set in 1840s England and explores the relationship between Mary (played by Kate Winslet) and charlotte (played by Saoirse Ronan). They find themselves to be drawn to each other the more they spend time together, despite their significantly different backgrounds and personalities.
6. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a 2019 French historical romantic drama film. Set in 1770s France, a painter, Marianne, is hired to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse - a reluctant bride-to-be who does not want to have her portrait painted. Marianne has to paint her without her knowledge. They begin to share a mutual attraction as they spend more time together.
7. The World To Come
The World to Come is a 2020 American drama film that tells the story of two farmers' wives who find themselves drawn to each other in spite of the harsh and isolating landscape in which they live.
8. The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a 2018 coming-of-age drama film that follows a teenage girl (played by Chloë Grace Moretz) who is forced into a gay conversion therapy camp after she gets caught having sex with her friend on prom night.
9. First Girl I Loved
First Girl I Loved is a 2016 American romantic drama film about Anne, a young woman who falls in love with the most popular girl in her high school, Sasha. When Anne confesses her feelings to her best friend, Clifton, he does everything he can to sabotage Anne's potential romance.
Now.. Run! Don't walk.. Go off on a lesbian movie binge watching night. Check out some if not all of the movies I mentioned in this blog post because you won't regret it!
The representation of lesbian characters in film has come a long way in recent years. There are now more movies that feature lesbian characters in leading roles, and these movies are often well-made and critically acclaimed. This is a positive development, as it helps to normalize lesbian relationships and show that they are just as valid and important as heterosexual relationships.