9 Of The Best LGBT Movies Streaming On Netflix Right Now

by Isabel Bartholomew

To celebrate Pride (and beat the heat), we’ve got a killer list of LGBT movies currently streaming on Netflix (and hopefully some you haven’t heard of). So kick back, maybe have a popsicle, and get ready for some awesome, relentlessly gay film—bet you can’t watch just one!

 

The Kids Are All Right (2010) | Directed by Lisa Cholodenko

Featuring a star-studded cast including Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, and Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right is the story of a family: two moms, their kids, and the biological father who the kids decide to bring into their lives. The film was nominated for multiple Oscars and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and Best Performance by an Actress (both for a comedy or musical). The New York Times’ A.O. Scott described the performances in The Kids Are All Right as “close to perfect,” and he’s right about that.

 

Camp (2003) | Directed by Todd Graff

Camp Ovation is a summer theater camp where the campers are, well, a bunch of weirdos. Starring Don Dixon, Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat, and a young Anna Kendrick, this heartwarming and campy (ha ha!) film puts the outcasts in the spotlight, where they are celebrated rather than sidelined. Says Peter Travers of Rolling Stone: “I’d call Camp some kind of miracle.” 

 

Out Late (2008) | Directed by Beatrice Alda and Jennifer Brooke

Out Late is a touching documentary following five individuals who come out as gay, lesbian, or transgender, all after the age of 55. Our girl Gloria Steinem described the film as “very moving—and so important.” It’s a great way to begin the conversation about sexuality and age: too often in our culture, we neglect the fact that sexuality is a part of life, all of life, even as we get older. And that it is a wonderful thing.”

 

 

Beginners (2010) | Directed by Mike Mills

Speaking of which, Beginners is the story of a young man and his elderly father, the father having two pieces of startling news for his son: he has terminal cancer and a much younger boyfriend. Starring stone cold fox Christopher Plummer, dreamboat Ewan McGregor, and superbabe Mélanie Laurent (okay, it’s a beautiful movie for multiple reasons), Beginners will break your heart sweetly and gently. Christopher Plummer won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in the film. 

 

A Single Man (2009) | Directed by Tom Ford

Based on the Christopher Isherwood novel of the same name, A Single Man stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore (hi, again). Firth, in an Oscar-nominated role, plays a middle-aged English teacher dealing with the death of his longtime partner, Jim. Variety describes A Single Man as “luminous and treasurable,” and there is no denying the alluring, grief-infused beauty of this film; Ford’s attention to detail is incredible.

Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) | Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche

Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Blue is the Warmest Colour is a slow-paced, sensual dream of a coming-of-age drama. Though the film’s director received criticism for his exploitation of the actresses during the filming of the most intense sex scenes, it’s still well worth a watch. Léa Seydoux and Adéle Exarchopoulos play a young couple, and the film chronicles the arc of their relationship. A.O. Scott calls Blue is the Warmest Colour “glorious,” and Kristin M. Jones describes the actresses’ performances as “electrifying.”

 

Laurence Anyways (2012) | Directed by Xavier Dolan

Starring Melvil Poupad and Suzanne Clement, Laurence Anyways is a romantic drama from Canada about Laurence, a man in the process of becoming a woman, and his girlfriend Fred. The film spans the course of a decade, painting a vivid picture of the main characters and their lives, together and apart. Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times describes Laurence Anyways as a “big, beautiful, rambling immersion.” 

 

Venus Boyz (2002) | Directed by Gabrielle Baur

Venus Boyz is a documentary about drag kings. Several kings are shadowed over the course of one night at the Club Cassanova in New York, and then some time is spent in London, exploring the world of transgender kings. It is an illuminating portrait that explores dynamics of gender, identity, body, and performance.

 

Stranger by the Lake (2013) | Directed by Alain Guiraudie

This unsentimental French thriller stars Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Pauo, and Patrick d’Assumcao. A murder takes place on a beach that serves as a gay cruising spot, and the drama unfolds from there. The New York Times describes Stranger by the Lake as “seductive and fascinating” and “memorably strange.”

Images via ssninsider.com, aceshowbiz, onixfilms, cnn.com, athenacinema, foreverfilmsinc, newcityfilm, nymag.com, japantimes, thenewyorker

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