The Lesbian Film Archive
1990-1999
Nicole Conn directs this beautiful, if at times cheesy, erotic 90s film. Claire of the Moon stars Trisha Todd as a famous author struggling with her sexuality at an all-female writers' retreat. The film is generally a mix of intellectuals discussing queer theory, shots of the beach, extremely 90s soundtrack, and women staring into each other's eyes.
This controversial film, which met protests from gay and lesbian groups when it was released, follows Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a crime novelist suspected of killing her partner in the exact manner described in her most recent novel.
Based on a Tom Robbins novel by the same name, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is an almost universally disliked film. Cowgirls follows Sissy (Uma Thurman) as she hitchhikes across the country with her abnormally huge thumbs, becoming a model before being sent to a ranch to shoot a commercial. Featuring California, cranes, and Keanu Reeves, the film is a confusing mix of weirdness and beauty.
A lesbian movie about dykes! And dyke drama! Go Fish follows roommates Kia (T. Wendy McMillan) and Max (Guinevere Turner, in her first turn in what will become a long lineage of lesbian acting and writing) navigating their relationships and friendships in Chicago. A crucial film for lesbian film history, one that is constantly discussing the archive and lesbian history as it simultaneously writes it. A worthwhile delight, with the low budget, DIY ambiance adding to friendship feel of the film.
Heavenly Creatures is incredibly fun, messy, and genuinely upsetting at points. Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet star as Pauline and Juliet in this coming of age slash gothic film. Filled with hallucinations, intense New Zealand accents, and being so obsessed with your friend that you will kill to stay together, Heavenly Creatures has it all!
A truly lovely and wacky delight of a film. When Night is Falling begins with a meet cute that starts with a laundry mix-up and the death of a dog that proves to Camille (Pascale Bussières) that, maybe, her whole life is passionless. When she meets circus performer Petra (Rachael Crawford) sparks fly. Against a circus backdrop of acrobats and tightropes, Petra pursues Camille ardently, while Camille experiences an aggressive sexual awakening.
A incredibly sweet story of high schoolers finding themselves and falling love. The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love traces the coming of age story of Randy (Laurel Holloman) and Evie (Nicole Parker) as they form an unlikely friendship which blossoms into an even unlikely romance. With a soundtrack that has both Bikini Kill and Mozart, a serious love for Walt Whitman, and a joking engagement with Rubyfruit Jungle, this film is unpretentious in its earnestness.
An Oscar winner for best International Feature Film, Antonia's Line is a love letter to women and community; platonic, romantic, and familial. The film tracks the life of Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) and her daughter, Danielle (Els Dottermans) as they return to to their Dutch hometown after WWII. In a fairy tale style tracking the lives and people in a small community, Antonia and her family grow and continue to pass feminist values between generations.
Much like Go Fish, The Watermelon Woman is a film invested in exploring the lesbian archive while also building in it. The Watermelon Woman follows Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye), a black lesbian filmmaker as she gets invested in the story behind 1940s black actress billed as "the Watermelon Woman". The parallels between their lives grow as Cheryl builds her own archive to the actress, and has a tryst with a customer at her video store (Guinevere Turner, SEE!)
What starts as a cheesy porn plot, a hot plumber coming over to help a breathy housewife with a earring lost in a pipe, evolves into a nail biting thriller. Fresh out of five years in prison for "redistributing wealth" Corky (Gina Gershon) is back in town and intent on staying out of crime, until she is lured into a job with Violet (Jennifer Tilly), one where they could escape with two million from dollars from Violet's violent mob boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano) to start a new life.
One of the first mainstream Bollywood films to explicitly show queerness, Fire (the first of the elements trilogy) caused immense discussion of queerness in India from all sides. The film looks at the relationship between two women (Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi) in loveless marriages with brothers. The two women grow close and eventually find pleasure in each other outside of their stifling marriages.
A group of college friends, made up of lesbians and their token straight friend, reunite for one the bris of the new baby to Katie (Stacy Nelkin) and Victoria (Monica Bell). After the bris, the group of women take a vacation together which reignites long term arguments and crushes, and attempt to solve these issues and form new, deep bonds. Overtly political and funny, Everything Relative is invested in depicted lesbian friendship at its messiest.
A heist movie, a buddy movie, and a genuine drama, Set It Off follows four Black friends (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise) as they begin a life of bank robbing. With high stakes, incredible action, and wonderful chemistry between the four leads, this film is an exploration of a heist movie where the heist is a logical way to fight systemic oppression.
Hysteria abounds in the town of Azalea Springs, Texas, as following the opening of an AIDS hospice house, many men and women in town begin to come out. It's in the Water is a satire of right wing values, as it exposes the hypocrisy of ex-gay movements and embraces the value of queer community. Much like Watermelon Woman, this film also has a crucial scene in a video story where Alex (Keri Jo Chapman) looks to the established lesbian film canon for validation even as this film adds to it.
A story of falling in love with your best friend, having her date a terrible boy, and then moving on to a new cool crush. This movie is a compelling mix of the reality of homophobia, as well as a moving love story between Claude (Alison Folland) and Lucy (Leisha Hailey), and Claude's complicated and intimate friendship with Ellen (Tara Subkoff). With an incredible riot grrrl soundtrack and perfect 90s fits, All Over Me is a rewarding journey through first loves and hard decisions.
Syd (Radha Mitchell) works at a photography as an editor trying to make it. Through a random leak in her apartment, Syd is brought into her neighbors world of drug abuse and addiction of the once celebrated photographer Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy) and her girlfriend Greta (Patricia Clarkson). As Syd and Lucy use each other for pleasure and attempts to get ahead, this film is a artful look at the volatility that can come from addiction, and the heartbreak along with it.
Coming of age in a small town is equally boring and unsatisfying for popular girl Elin (Alexandra Dahlström) and for outcast and rumored lesbian Agnes (Rebecka Liljeberg). Over the course of Fucking Åmål, Elin and Agnes work through their shared experience of first love, coming out, and the everyday dramas of high school.
This tragic, based on a true story film tells the love story between Felice Schragenheim (Maria Schrader), a Jewish resistance fighter in Germany during WWII, and Lilly Wust (Juliane Köhler), a German housewife married to a Nazi. Stitched together through Schragenheim's poetry and the love letters shared between Lilly and Felice where they addressed one another as Aimee and Jaguar, this film illustrates that "love transcends death"
In Out of Season, Micki Silva (Carol Monda) has left her fast paced life to take care of her sick Uncle in Cape May, New Jersey. While there, she meets her Uncle's friend Roberta (Joy Kelly), who loves her small city life. In a classic romance trope, opposites attract for these women, who develop a complex relationship during a beautiful winter in Cape May.
An incredible balance of humor, family issues, and stories about community, Chutney Popcorn follows Reena, a lesbian and henna-tattoo artist, Sarita, Reena's married older sister, and Meenu, their disapproving mother. When Sarita cannot get pregnant, Reena offers to have her child for her instead, which causes all of the women to reevaluate their relationships to themselves and each other.
Better Than Chocolate tracks the story of Maggie (Karyn Dwyer) falling in love with Kim (Christina Cox), just before her mother and younger brother move into her apartment. Not out to her family, Maggie and Kim keep their relationship a secret, and the film tracks their clandestine relationship as well as the friendship between Maggie's mother and Maggie's friend Judy who helps her maintain her relationship with her daughter.
The film that continues to convince girls that Natasha Lyonne is a lesbian. But I'm a Cheerleader centers on Megan (Natasha Lyonne) and her journey at True Directions, a campy converson camp. While there, Megan meets, and falls for, fellow camper and hottie Graham (Clea DuVall). Come for the incredible silliness of Megan's intervention and the stereotypes on display, stay for the sweet love story between Megan and Graham (a classic and perfect hand touching scene!!!)
2000-2009
A sweet German film, Lieb Mich! follows bored housewife Katrin (Julia Richter). However, sparks fly when she meets Elena (Naomi Krauss), her son's new schoolteacher. When Katrin learns Elena is a lesbian, and realizes her attraction is mutual, the two women begin a passionate love affair.
A surrealist pyschological thriller and neo-noir, Mulholland Drive is a complex story, twisted and twisting. Set in a dream-like Los Angeles, the initially film follows "Rita" (Laura Elena Harring) who has been left with no memory following a car crash and Betty (Naomi Watts) as they attempt to solve the mystery of Rita's identity.
Lost and Delirious showcases the friendship of three teenagers in a posh, private boarding school. Told from the perspective of Mary (Mischa Barton), she observes her friends Pauline (Piper Perabo) and Victoria (Jessica Paré) secret relationship progress. Dealing with both the light and dark side of friendship and love, the film is an exploration of coming of age when the world is against you.
Formerly uppercrust Casey (Angela Redman) has rejected her old lifestyle to restore old boats and live with her social worker girlfriend Alex (Nina Landey). However, just across the bay, her family wants her home for Christmas, without Alex. In Treading Water, Christmas becomes a battleground for old fights and new ones as Casey brings Alex home with her.
Kissing Jessica Stein is a classic neurotic Jewish comedy, but with some queerness imbued. Two women who are done with men decide to give each other a chance, after Jessica (Jennifer Westfeldt) finds Helena (Heather Juergensen) through her personals ad. Despite the ending, this is still a sweet romcom with a lot of warmth and love in it.
In 1923, Virgina Woolf (Nicole Kidman) is struggling with depression trying to finish her novel. In 1951, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) is unhappy with her life, and becomes enamoured by her female neighbor. In 2001, Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) is preparing an award party for her long time friend, a poet. In The Hours, these three stories are tied together across the decades through queerness and the book Woolf's eventually finished novel, Mrs. Dalloway.
April(Maria Cina) wants the perfect wedding shower, and asks her maid of honor Alex (Trish Doolan) to plan it for her. What starts out well intentioned quickly goes awry, as Alex reveals her former history with April, and the love that she still has for her. With pizza delivery men, fire fighters, and more crashing the shower, what else could go wrong in April's Shower.
This touching and intimate story shows the stregth in specificty. Saving Face tells the love story of Wil (Michelle Krusiec) and Vivian (Lynn Chen), as they flirt, navigate their budding relationship, and think about their future. The film also goes beyond this love story to tell a wonderful story about family as well, as Wil takes in her mysteriously pregnant mother (Joan Chen).
Single Dubliners desperate for sex and love fall in and out of relationships speedily and messily in Goldfish Memory. A light-hearted jaunt around relationships, as each character tries to cure their heartbreak with new lovers, to varying success.
Based on a true story, Monster tells the story of Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron) a sex worker and serial killer who killed seven men, at first in self defense but eventually intentionally and brutally. The film also charts the relationship between Selby Wall (Christina Ricci) and Aileen, as Selby begins putting the pieces of the murders together.
New lovers Lou (Michelle Wolff) and Sassafras (Daniele Ferraro) move to San Francisco where they learn abut the city's bdsm scene. This film is messy in some places, with a lot of age-play exploration, but has a lot of compelling background characters and actual exploration of non monogamy as well as different subcultures.
Venla (Minna Haapkylä) wants a child, unlike her speed skater boyfriend who is worried a child will affect his career. Still motivated to become pregnant, Venla goes to a female fertility doctor Satu (Minttu Mustakallio) who she quickly falls in love with.
Based on a real story, this Malayalam film set in the South Indian state of Kerala is the story of two young women who share a deep friendship that develops into a tender love affair. Kiran (Suhasini V. Nair) and Delilah (Shruthy Menon) navigate their feelings for each other in secret, in this heartbreaking and wonderful film.
Tanya (Isha Koppikar) is in love with her best friend Sapna (Amrita Arora) who just thinks they share a physical relationship when drunk. What starts as best friendship soon warps after Rahul (Aashish Chaudhary) comes into Sapna's life, and Tanya becomes jealous. Girlfriend is not kind to lesbians, but it is still important in the context of Indian representations of lesbians in particular/
An incredibly fun, action comedy with teenage girls as bad ass spies, and a lesbian love story where Amy (Sara Foster), spy extraordinaire, falls in love with the criminal (Jordana Brewster) she is supposed to catch. D.E.B.S is a true delight and a cult classic for a reason.
Adapted from the stage musical, Rent follows an ensemble cast of struggling artists, dancers, a lawyer, and a professor in New York City as they grapple with their careers, their love lives, AIDS, and each other. Rent also brings the incredible lesbian break-up song Take Me or Leave Me to the big screen!
Set in the British countryside, My Summer of Love follows working-class Mona (Natalie Press) and spoiled rich girl Tasmin (Emily Blunt). As the girls confess their love for one another among other family secrets, they draw each other down dark paths through suicide pacts, lies, and violence.
Loving Annabelle takes classic lesbian tropes to the extreme, with an illict romance between student and teacher at a Catholic boarding school. Annabelle (Erin Kelly) has been kicked out of two schools for bad behavior, before ending up at a strict Catholic school. She shocks her teacher (Diane Gaidry) and classmates with her behavior, but despite (or because) of her teacher is drawn to her, and they begin their questionable affair.
As she is walking down the aisle, Rachel (Piper Perabo) spots a new face in the crowd, and does a double take. What follows is a love story between newly married Rachel and flower-shop owner Luce (Lena Headey), and a case for love at first sight. Imagine Me and You is a romantic comedy invested in happy endings for all, even with rocky starts.
Love My Life is a Japanese film based on a Manga of the same name, about Ichiko (Rei Yoshii) a young student who wants to be a translator. The film follows the three most important relationships in Ichiko's life: her girlfriend (Asami Imajuku), her best friend (Issey Takahashi), and her father (Ira Ishida). All four main characters are queer, and the film prioritizes building a queer community.
In Puccini for Beginners, Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser) is in the center of a complex love triangle. Allegra meets Phillip (Justin Kirk), who breaks up with his girlfriend, Grace (Gretchen Mol), in order to date Allegra. In a messy twist, sparks fly between Grace and Allegra after a chance meeting, and Allegra begins seeing both Grace and Phillip, without realizing they used to date each other.
Jane Hawkins (Dreya Weber) suffers a devastating injury that affects her gynmastic career, but after learning about an acrobatic aerial performance, she has a second chance at her dream. Training with her partner, Serena (Addie Yungmee), Jane unlocks her passion for performance, as well as her attraction for her partner. The Gymnast showcases the beautiful aerial routines as well as Dreya Weber's talent and athleticism in particular.
Set in China, Les Filles Du Botaniste tells the story of Li Ming (Mylène Jampanoï) an orphan sent to live with a botanist and his daughter An Chen (Xiaoran Li). The two girls quickly form a friendship that grows into a forbidden relationship. The girls form a risky plan where Ming will marry An's brother so that they can continue to spend their lives together. With a heartbreaking ending, Les Filles Du Botaniste is a depiction of how far two girls in love will go to try to stay together.
Brother and sister Sam (Tom Cavanagh) and Gray (Heather Graham) are extremely close, to the point of codependency. After being mistaken for a couple, they realize they need to change. Sam falls into a whirlwind romance with Charlie (Bridget Moynahan), who Gray realizes she is also attratced to. After a Vegas wedding between Charlie and Sam, and a drunken kiss between Charlie and Gray, Gray has to figure out her sexuality, her relationship with her brother, and attraction to her new sister-in-law
In The Secrets, Noemi (Ania Bukstein) convinces her Rabbi father to delay her arranged marriage for an additional year so she may study at the Jewish seminary for women. While there, she meets Michelle (Michal Shtamler) a student who is equally smart as she is headstrong. While the girls are tasked with taking care of an ailing French woman (Fanny Ardant), they partake in Kabalistic cleansing rituals that open new horizons, for themselves and their relationship.
In 1950s Cape Town, progressive and free Amina (Sheetal Sheth) co-owns a cafe with a black man named Jacob. One day, a beautiful housewife named Miriam (Lisa Ray) visits the cafe, and Amina is instantly smitten. Miriam runs a store outside of town with her husband, Omar (Parvin Dabas), and feels increasingly stifled in her conventional life. She cannot help but give in to her desire when Amina comes calling.
A delicious tale of Scottish love, Nina's Heavenly Delights follows Nina (Shelley Conn) as she attempts to save her father's resturant by winning a Best of the West curry compeition. Lisa (Laura Fraser), Nina's childhood friend and business partner, agrees to help as they experiment with food and each other. With more musical numbers and food than expected, this delightful film is an easy watch.
Recent high school grad Anna (Melonie Diaz) feels like life is moving on without her, until she finds her true purpose as a political acitvist as part of the C(i)A (Clits In Action). Though some of the politics have aged badly, as a whole Itty Bitty Titty Committee still has some great moments, like the C(i)A blowing up a phallic statue on the Washington monument, as well as an incredible riot grrrl soundtrack.
Set in a French suburb, Water Lillies showcases the teenage angst of discovering one's sexuality and attraction. Marie (Pauline Acquart) becomes interested in Floriane (Adèle Haenel) after observing her swimming compeition, while Anne (Louise Blachère) develops a crush on François (Warren Jacquin) who is currently seeing Floriane. The three girls love lives and friendships entangle with one another as they spend the summer in the swimming pool and in the privacy of the locker room.
I Can't Think Straight, the second film by Shamim Sarif starring Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth, follows the two women as they naviagte their Palestinian and Indian backgrounds to break up their relationships and expectations to instead choose each other.
In Victorian England, upper-class Margaret (Anna Madeley) adrift after her father's death. After becoming a visitor to a woman's prison, Margaret grows attached to one inmate, disgraced medium Selina (Zoe Tapper). What develops out of this initial attachment and attraction is a convoluted escape plan supposedly based on love, but as Affinity twists and turns, it is unclear who is actually in charge of the plan.
Sparks fly when Jess (Hannah Hogan) meets Casey (Dre Carrwgton), an out lesbian as well as her queer friends and accepting family. Jess loves her kind-hearted husband, but her world is turned upside down when she realizes her potential with Casey. To Each Her Own is a story about internalized and externalized homophobia, and making hard decisions for love.
After his wife's death, Arthur (Hans Piesbergen) stifles his daughter Lucille (Janna Lisa Dombrowsky) by locking her inside a mansion. Desperate for relief, Lucille attempts suicide but instead ends with most of her face bandaged. Arthur hires Joan (Susanne Sachße) as a live-in nurse, where in Bandaged, the lines between care, lust, and kink blur together.
In a 19th century Italian village, Angela (Valeria Solarino) is determined that nothing will stop her from loving her best friend Sara (Isabella Ragonese). In Viola Di Mare, the women complicate expected gender roles through their love foreria Solarino) is determined that nothing will stop her from loving her best friend Sara (Isabella Ragonese). In Viola Di Mare, the women complicate expected gender roles through their love for one another, despite the impossibility of flourishing in this life.
Sydeny (Kathleen Benner) has been given six months to live unless she can afford an expensive medical treatment. While her husband tries to get money together for the treatment, Sydney begins to question her existence and life when she meets Jane (Rachel Owens), a new single mother in the neighborhood. Falling in love despite her religous upbringing, husband, and son, Sydney must make hard choices about what she wants, against the ticking clock.
Told mostly through flashback, Eloïse begins with Asia (Diana Gómez) in a coma after a devastating accident. Through the flashbacks, the story of Asia and her love Eloïse is told, as well as her life in university, her unhappiness in her relationship with her boyfriend, and what has led to her accident.
2010-2019
Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina, controlled in every part of her life by her desire for perfection. When she is cast as the prima ballerina in "Swan Lake," her dark side begins to emerge.
One of the first mainstream movies to show a same-sex couple raising teenagers, The Kids Are All Right follows the Allgood family, made up of Nic (Annette Bening), Jules (Julianne Moore), and their kids Laser (Josh Hutcherson) and Joni (Mia Wasikowska). Laser is curious about his biological father, a sperm donor Nic and Jules used for both of their children. When they discover their sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) and bring him into their family, dynamics shift to accommodate him in their lives.
This dark comedy begins when Gailia (Lili Mirojnick) accidentally kills her drug dealer. Panicking, she calls her friend Sotiria (Katerina Moutsatsou) to help her dispose of the body, not realizing there's another woman in the apartment (Maria-Elena Laas). In this messy buddy comedy, the three women must scramble to avoid people looking for their drug dealer, cops, and more as they try to smuggle out a dead body.
A musical biopic about Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) as they form the band The Runaways, this film into Curirie's tumultuous relationship with the band, as well as her relationship with Joan Jett. Following the ups and downs of rock star life, the film continues to be praised for Stewart's and Fanning's portrayals of Jett and Currie.
Elena Undone focuses on the soul-mate relationship between Elena (Necar Zadegan), a pastor's wife, and Peyton (Traci Dinwiddie), an out lesbian writer. Both women are drawn to each other again and again through random encounters, and eventually pursue their relationship, while Elena struggles with her feelings, duties of motherhood, and wanting another child.
Room in Rome tells the story of a single night in a hotel room in Rome, filled by two women on their last night in the city. Alba (Elena Anaya) is a Spanish engineer, with a partner and a child at home. Natasha (Natasha Yarovenko) is a Russian tennis player, soon to be married to a man back home in Russia. The two women tell each other stories and spend their last night together, as they debate starting new lives together.
Jackie Kirk (Sarah Stouffer) is a former child actress, who just wants to attend college as a normal student. Instead, she quickly becomes involved with her professor, Catherine Stark (McAtee). Bloomington depicts Jackie and Catherine navigating their questionable relationship alongside challenges like preferential treatment for a scholarship, Jackie returning to acting, and their age gap.
Greg (Daniel Carlisle) has just moved to live with his girlfriend Molly (Emily Peck), when they meet brother and sister Trip (Todd Kubrak) and Bridget (Marja-Lewis Ryan) at a local bar. While the four become friends, Molly and Birdget begin to develop something more. An untidy romcom in NYC, The Four-Faced Liar showcases growing up and making hard choices for love and friendship.
Alike (Adepero Oduye) is a Black lesbian and poet, comfortable in her identity but not sure about how it will affect her relationship with her parents. Heartbreaking and deeply affecting, Pariah follows Alike in her choices of love, companionship, and her poetry. A film explicitly about Black queerness, writer and director Dee Rees lovingly pens this semi-autobiographical film.
An Iranian family is coming apart at the seams in Circumstance. Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) is a rebellious teenager, who develops feelings for another girl as she also partakes in drinking, drugs, and western music. Meanwhile, her brother Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai) is becoming increasingly religious, and also obsessed with the object of his sister's desire (Sarah Kazemy).
A dark film about systemic abuse, Cracks is one of many lesbian films about elite boarding schools. Miss G (Eva Green) is an idolized diving instructor, who is admired by a popular clique of girls, in particular Di Radfield (Juno Temple), who has a crush on her. When Fiamma Corona (MarÃa Valverde) arrives at school and draws Miss G's attention, jealousy flares in the school and from Di. Upsetting and brutal, Cracks is an effective film about the reality of abuse.
When Dot's (Brenda Fricker) granddaughter puts her in a nursing home, her long time lover Stella (Olympia Dukakis) breaks her out for a road trip to Canada, hoping to end in their marriage that will keep them together, in each other's care. When they pick up a hitchhiker (Michael McPhee) along the way, this (at times) touching comedy promises more hijinks.
Simultaneously the story of one night as well as a lifetime of friendship, hardships, and love through flashbacks, Lipstikka follows two London based Palestinian women as they reunite. Former best friends, confidants, and lovers, Nataly Attiya) work their way through a tangle of memories.
Mia (Ruth Vega Fernandez) and Frida (Liv Mjönes) are stepsisters-to-be when they instantly connect at the engagement party for their parents. Mia is engaged to Tim (Joakim Nätterqvist), but after meeting Frida, her feelings begin to shift. Mia must decide if her life is worth turning upside down for Frida.
Joe + Belle is a dark comedy about two women who meet through an absurd murder. As they attempt to dump the body and escape the police, drug dealer Joe (Veronica Kedar) and Belle (Sivan Levy) who was recently released from a mental hospital, work together and fall in love.
American teen Janie Sawyer (Shantel Van Santen) is living in Russia becuase of her father's job. Through a fansite for the nihlistic band t.A.T.u., Janie meets Lana (Mischa Barton), another lonely teen. Through their love of t.A.T.u's music, the girls develop an instant connection and continue to bond online.
Jamie (Jax Jackson) is moving to New York with big, Broadway dreams, leaving behind roommate and best friend Jessie (Jessica London-Shields). Jessie is in unrequited love with Jamie, and as the two roommates pack up boxes, Jessie attempts to stoke Jamie's jealousy by going on date after date. With musical dance numbers, Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together is a story of friendship, love, and lust.
A Perfect Ending is anything but, in a story that follows the wealthy Rebecca (Barbara Niven who is dying of cancer. Unhappy in her marriage and life, she confides in her lesbian best friends her desire to be with a woman. Following their advice, she meets Paris (Jessica Clark), a high class escort and artist. As she experiences true happiness with Paris, she also encourages Paris's artistic pursuits.
Nepal's first lesbian film, Soongava: Dance of the Orchids follows Diya (Deeya Maskey) a strong-willed traditional Nepalese dancer. Despite an upcoming arranged marriage, she begins falling for her best friend Kiran (Nisha Adhikari). Through this heartbreaking tale, finding love in a place where queerness is regarded as immoral is explored.
Full of cliches and essentially soft core porn, The Guest House follows the recently dumped Rachel (Ruth Reynolds) and her quick infatuation with Amy (Madeline Merritt), a college graduate staying in her family's guest house. This film has everything you don't want: a dead mother, a goth girl who used to be a cheerleader, a father sleeping with a woman his daughter will also sleep with.
Daniela (Alicia RodrÃguez) was raised in a strict Evangelical household, but at 17 she wants to learn more about bodies and sex. Through blogging, Daniela explores her bisexuality with other teens around Chile, attempting to be young and free (the English translation of the film's title Joven y Alocada).
Ambrosia brings the predatory lesbian trope into the 2010s, with Iranian couple Ali (Camyar Chai) and Leila (Sahar Biniaz) moving to Canada for a new future. When Leila begins her new job, her boss (Heather Doerksen) takes an interest in her, causing her to question her current relationship.
Based on the true story of the Pulitzer winning poet Elizabeth Bishop (Miranda Otto), Flores Raras illuminates Bishop's affair with Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares (Glória Pires). Despite distance, alcoholism, and a military coup, their love deeply impacted both artists.
After the sudden death of her estranged brother, Lucia accidentally meets his fiancée and falls in love with her.
Tru Love is hard to find for Tru (Shauna MacDonald), a serial one-night-stander who refuses to commit. However, when she meets her friend Suzanne's (Christine Horne) mom Alice (Kate Trotter), sparks fly. What starts as a friendship quickly turns into more for Tru and Alice, despite Suzanne's attempts at sabotage.
After the titular Concussion, Abby Ableman (Robin Weigert) reconsiders her life with her wife Kate (Julie Fain Lawrence) and kids. Trying to find meaning, she creates a new persona, Eleanor, to pursue sex work. As she experiments with a variety of new clients, she begins a more intense infatuation with the similarly married mom Sam (Maggie Siff).
Blue is the Warmest Color is an infamous classic, a film that essentially every lesbian has seen, or at least knows about. The film follows younger Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) getting involved with the older Emma (Léa Seydoux). A melancholic journey to adulthood filled with aggressive sex scenes, the two come together and apart in Blue is the Warmest Color.
A lesbian twist (and more twists to come) on Strangers on a Train, two college students (Agnes Bruckner, Madeline Zima) vow to kill each other's enemies. In Breaking the Girls, the girls in question seduce and betray each other in turn, desperate to come out on top and stay out of jail.
Unfreedom follows two largely unrelated and exploitative stories, one focusing on the brutality of torture in New York City where jihadist Husain (Bhanu Uday) is on a mission to kill a Muslim scholar for being too liberal. The other takes place in New Delhi, Leela (Preeti Gupta) flees her arranged marriage, reunites with her ex-lover Sakhi (Bhavani Lee) and kills Sakhi's current boyfriend. Political without any real message, Unfreedom delights in violence and the torturing of women.
In a rare film about lesbians with disabilities, Margarita with a Straw is a sweet, trans-national coming of age film. Laila Kapoor (Kalki Koechlin) is a student and musican with cerabal palsy studying at Delhi University, who recieves a scholarship for a semester at NYU. While there, she meets Khanum (Sayani Gupta), an activist who is blind. Despite problems, the girls begin a secret relationship, that continues to grow as time passes.
A group of friends are celebrating Liz's (Patricia Velasquez) birthday at a lesbian resort, when Eva (Eloisa Maturen) stumbles into their stay after experiencing car trouble. A quick romance blossoms between Liz and Eva, even though Liz is keeping a devastating secret illness from her friends and new lover. Liz en Septiembre allows for queer friendship and love, but ultimately the ending is just one of many where a happy ending is impossible.
Summer (Zomer in Dutch) is always a time of potential, and 16-year-old Anne (Sigrid ten Napel) is desperate to escape her small town and do something! When Lena (Jade Olieberg) comes to town on a motorcycle, Anne quickly begins searching her out. When she realizes her feelings are mutual, the two girls begin a summer of sexual awakenings and shared teenage angst.
Girltrash: All Night Long follows a group of lesbians attempting to get to a battle of the bands, all while being distracted by crushes, hijinks, ex-girlfriends, and sorority girls. With musical numbers, so many cameos, and the early 2000s feel despite coming out in 2014, this film is a must watch with a group of friends to experience the insanity for yourself.
Zoe (Sharon Hinnendael) and Mal (Jill Evyn) are both actresses, who fell into a whirlwind relationship after shooting a lesbian sex scene. After five months together, Mal breaks up with Zoe. However, just weeks after their breakup, a lucrative deal for their movies appears, but with a caveat: they must reshoot their sex scene. Brought back together by what brought them together in the first place, Anatomy of a Love scene tells the messy story of love in a film and in real life.
Sasha (Leighton Meester) and Paige (Gillian Jacobs) are codependent best friends. When Paige meets Tim (Adam Brody) and starts to leave Sasha behind, Sasha goes on dates with some of the worst women possible. In a story about friendship, reconciliation, and holding onto to the pettiest of grudges, Life Partners is a testament to growing up and not leaving your friends behind.
Lesbian couple Anna (Simona Molinari) and Marina (Jessica Resteghini) want a baby, and have asked their friends, a gay couple (Graziano Scarabicchi, Marco Vannini) to help. With twists and turns like a soap opera, Beyond Love asks audiences to think about how far two couples would go for friendship, love, and parenthood.
This Thai film follows Pim (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk) as she grows dissatisfied with her boyfriend. When he decides to study abroad, Pim dumps him and meets Pat (Isabella Lete) who she quickly falls in love with. As they begin their relationship, they plan a wedding much to the disgust of Pat's parents.
The film that launched 1000 lesbian stan accounts dedicated to Cate Blanchett. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt, Carol follows Therese (Rooney Mara) an aspiring photographer currently working as a shop attendant. Near Christmas, she meets the glamourous Carol (Cate Blanchett), who is currently going through a messy divorce and custody battle with her husband. As the two women gravitate towards each other, the stakes of Carol's divorce become higher.
Set in 1971 in the French countryside, Summertime finds Delphine (Izïa Higelin) on her family farm, harboring a secret lesbian relationship. When she is broken up with, she runs away to Paris, heartbroken. While there she meets Carole (Cécile de France), who is part of a feminist activist group. She and Carole begin an affair, that continues to the countryside when Delphine is called home. However, as Delphine is not out to her family or town, their relationship must become a secret.
In Bare, Sarah Barton (Dianna Agron) passes her days in her small Nevada hometown by living with her mother and working as a cashier. After she loses her job, she meets Pepper (Paz de la Huerta) an exciting drug dealer and drifter in town. As she gets drawn into Pepper's world of stripping, drugs, and conning, Sarah finds herself intoxicated by Pepper and her lifestyle.
E (Mandahla Rose) is a successful DJ, headlining at a top Sydney nightclub. In a marriage of convience with her gay best friend Matt (Brett Rogers), their lives are turned upside down when they discover a bag of cash. Fleeing Sydeny, E and Matt set out on a roadtrip leading towards to E's ex-girlfriend Trish (Julia Billington) in the outback of Australia. All About E is a road trip comedy that focuses on rebuilding bridges and connection.
Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) is a detective who has spent the majority of her life on the police force. When she is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she wants to leave all of her pension benefits on to her younger partner (Elliot Page), but same-sex unions are not recognized by local law. Based on true events from 2005, Freeheld tells the story of partners attempting to gain legal recognition and validation for their love.
Charlie (Kacey Clarke) and Cerina (Anya Monzikova) have a loving relationship and are ready for a baby, when they decide to turn to Cerina's ex-boyfriend Josh (Michael Worth) as a live in donor. Seeking Dolly Parton attempts to illustrate the complex dynamics between these current and former partners.
Finally, just what the Italian American community needs: a movie about a mob boss's daughter falling in love with a singer-songwriter in New Jersey. Frankie (Diana DeGarmo) meets Nicolette (Natalie Knepp) after she finds a body in her car and attends the funeral. After seeing Frankie perform, Nicolette tries to get her on the hit TV Show "Mob Hit" (yes...). Alto is a movie about coming out to family while also dealing with the pressures of the mob, a perfect so-bad-its-good watch.
With a twist that is clear almost immediately, Alena is a horror film that can't hit quite hard enough. Alena (Amalia Holm) is a new girl at an elite boarding school, bullied by the popular girls, when she is continuously saved by her best friend Josefin (Rebecka Nyman). Based on a graphic novel of the same name, Alena is a Swedish attempt at psychological thriller about the horrors of bullying.
Nhi (Chi Pu) and Tu (Gil Le) were best friends at the age of 10, until they were separated because of distance. Yêu takes place when the girls find each other again as university students, now grown up and ready to explore their feelings toward one another.
Sangaile (Julija Steponaityte) is a teenager fascinated by stunt planes, despite vertigo that makes her dreams of becoming a pilot impossible. When she meets Aust (Aiste Dirziute), another teen who is interested in photography and fashion, the two girls encourage each other to follow their dreams and passions, despite the hardships of being a teen. Sangailes vasara is a sweet coming-of-age love story that shows the beauty in potential and following one's dreams.
Jenny's Wedding dares to ask the question "what if lesbian relationships hinged on legibility to straight people?". Katherine Heigl stars as Jenny, a woman from a conservative family who is engaed to Kitty (Alexis Bledel), a woman her family believes is her roommate. The film focuses on coming out, and the consequences of coming out, particularly for the straight people involved.
À Trois on y Va follows Charlotte (Sophie Verbeeck) and Micha (Félix Moati), who have been driftin apart. Charlotte begins an affair with their mutual friend Mélodie (Anaïs Demoustier), unbeknownst to Micha. At the same time, Micha begins an affair with the same person, leading Mélodie to become a secret lover to both halves of the couple.
Marina (Sabrina Ferilli) and Federica (Margherita Buy) have been together for years, living an idyllic life in Italy. However, their relationship becomes strained when the women encounter an old ex-boyfriend, and they must decide how to proceed as a couple.
Raven (Dreya Weber) and Kate (Thunderbird Dinwiddie) meet in the mountains, where both are attempting to escape their recent trauma. Kate, with two teen kids in town, is drawn to Raven and the two women connect. With shoddy camerawork and awkward acting, Raven's Touch is another reminder that a lot of lesbian movies (even when made by lesbians) are bad.
Jo (Laura Heisler) is struggling with the sudden death of her wife and and her desire for a baby. Jo decides to ask her late wife's brother to be her sperm donor. While dealing with fertility clinics, Jo also finds herself entangled in a love triangle between her two best friends. As Good As You is a dark comedy about grief and new beginnings.
As Leah (Zara Zoe) and Caitlin (Monica Zanetti) wander the street over the course of one night in Australia, these two opposites learn about each other. As both women are able to be themselves with a stranger, this low-budget independent film creates women that you want to care about through the earnestness in Skin Deep.
That’s Not Us follows three couples as they travel to a beach house for an end-of-summer vacation. What should be a carefree getaway turns into group therapy as each of the couples work through their issues with themselves and each other in a realistic manner.
The Girl King tells the story of Queen Kristina (Malin Buska), the extravagant queen of Sweden. Crowned at age six, Kristina is forced to deal with immense pressures and power structures, but finds comfort in her lady in waiting, Countess Ebba (Sarah Gadon), despite pressures to marry and produce an heir from her court.
Anne (Dylan Gelula) has a crush on the most popular girl in her school, Sasha (Brianna Hildebrand). However, when she confides in her best friend Clifton (Mateo Arias), who has a secret crush on Anne, he decides to get in the way. First Girl I Loved tells the story of teenage crushes and best friends.
Sarah (Riley Keough) is tired of her husband, and decides to take a road trip with her young daughter and best friend Mindy (Jena Malone). As the road trip continues, over longing glances, their friendship deepens and morphs into something more. Years after the road trip, Sarah meets with Mindy again to talk about their connection before Mindy's wedding.
In Heartland, a young Oklahoma artist has recently suffered a loss, and she attempts to mourn through an affair with her brother's girlfriend. Dealing with cheating, loss, and queerness, Heartland works to depict a midwest family struggling with a variety of issues.
Everything is not what it seems in Despite the Falling Snow, a cold war spy film. Told over many decades, the film begins in Cold War Moscow, where Katya (Rebecca Ferguson) spies on and then falls in love with Sasha (Sam Reid). Before they are supposed to escape to the US together, Katya disappears. 30 years later, Sasha returns to Russia to learn what happened to Katya.
Two best friends in their final year of college transition into adulthood. One embraces her sexuality and tries to catch up on everything she has missed during her teenage years, while the other ends a long-term relationship with her boyfriend and discovers her life isn't going as planned. Both struggle to keep their friendship together as they begin growing apart.
Jenna (Carollani Sandberg) and Robin (Angela DiMarco) are excited to be getting married, despite Jenna's aniexty. When they arrive to their secluded venue, though, the women will soon be threatened by sinister forces that test their love. Brides to Be is a fairy-tale gone bad, but still with a happy ending.
A Brazilian romantic drama O Perfume da Memória tells the love story between two women who view life in completely different ways. Both are desperate to hold on to each other, memories, and avoid as much pain as possible. In this poetic tale, women choose each other and choose to be apart.
In this dark love story, Charlie (Amber Lee) is a drug mule working for an operation that is run out of an interstate truck stop. After hanging around in town, Charlie meets Heather (Noelle Messier) a truck stop sex worker. Despite the ways that the women have been hardened, Black Tar Road focuses on the solace that Charlie and Heather can find in one another.
Na’ama (Sivan Noam Shimon) is a bored seventeen year old in her sleepy suburb. Her home life is a mess, with absent parents and a rebellious older sister, however when new girl Dana (Hadas Jade Sakori) appears at her school, her life changes. Dana introduces Na’ama to drugs, sex, and other lesbians. As Na’ama meets more people, she realizes her own feelings toward Dana.
An adaption of Sarah Waters's Fingersmith, The Handmaiden has too many good twists to spoil. What starts with a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee) as part of a con, quickly turns into an incredible long con, multi level heist.
Annie (Nichole Sakura) and Jules (Fabianne Therese) meet and quickly realize they both want to escape their small town and intrusive parents. Without money, Jules suggests the pair get into webcamming. Although Annie is at first uncomfortable with the idea, as they begin to make money, they both get drawn deeper into the world of webcamming. At times a thriller, but sometimes flat, Teenage Cocktail attempts to expose the dark world of teen webcamming.
Rara is a touching, domestic family portrait. The film follows 13-year-old Sarah (Julia Lübbert) as she adjusts to life with her divorced parents, where she lives with her mother (Mariana Loyola) and her mother's partner Lia (Agustina Muñoz). As her school and father attempt to get involved in her family life, Rara illustrates the ways in which homophobia can affect a family.
Mid twenties Brooke Miller (Annie Rix) is miserable after cheating on another one of her boyfriend's. As she realizes the problem is her, Brooke sets out on a mission to discover why she cannot maintain healthy relationships with those close to her. As she delves through the past to try and find the answers, she hopes for a better future.
When shy high schooler Sun Hwa (No Jeong-ee) decides to help her friend put on a play, she is shocked when she is cast as Juliet in their all girls version of Romeo and Juliet. Even more shocking is the stunningly cool senior that every girl has a crush on, Ha Nam (Nara), is cast as Romeo. Fantasy of the Girls takes us through high school jealousy, first crushes, and the importance of theater.
A Philippine romantic drama, Baka Bukas tells the story of Alex (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), an out lesbian to everyone except her best friend, Jess (Louise delos Reyes), who she has a secret crush on. When Jess hears a phone call from Alex's ex girlfriend, she is hurt that Alex could have kept this secret from her. As Jess struggles with her identity in wake of learning about Alex, the two navigate where their friendship (and more) should go.
Liberty’s Secret is another lesbian musical that maybe should not exist, but again, I guess yay for a bad movie with a happy ending? The daughter (Jaclene Wilk) of a preacher who seems like the perfect representation of family values for conservatives, becomes a political sensation when she publicly falls in love with a woman (Cara AnnMarie).
In Ava's Impossible Things, Ava (Chloe Farnworth) retreats into an Alice and Wonderland like fantasy world to deal with her mother's upcoming death. Charting the relationship between mother and daughter, estranged family, and former love interests, Ava's Impossible Things deals with the stress of real life by transforming it into a dream world/
When Mary (Seana Kerslake) returns from a short stint in prison, everything has changed. Her best friend Charlene (Charleigh Bailey) is getting married, and while Mary is the maid of honor, Charlene will not grant her a plus one, as she believes Mary cannot find a date in time. Determined to prove her wrong, Mary sets out to find a date and finds a deeper connection than she originally thought. An unexpected gem of a film.
An erotic drama (focus on erotic) Below Her Mouth takes place over three days, telling the story of two different women who become infatuated with each other. Jasmine (Natalie Krill) is a successful fashion editor with a fiancé, when she meets Dallas (Erika Linder), a roofer. As the two women begin a passionate relationship, Jasmine must decide if she should change her life.
Olivia (Lucy Punch) and Alex (Faye Marsay) are a lesbian couple, who despite their age gap, are in love. Olivia is desperate for kids, and begins IVF treatment treatment secretly. When Alex finds out, the couple fights and Alex wakes up in the bed of their neighbor, John (David Tennant). When both women become pregant, the couple must figure out what to do, and how John will be included.
Rachel's (Chelsea Morgan) life is all planned out, when she is suddenly dumped by her boyfriend and her most recent manuscript is hated by her agent. Her best friend Nicole (Bryn Woznicki) takes it upon herself to help out, including drinking, drugs and sex. As the lines between friendship and romance blur, both women attempt to figure out what to do in this new gray area of their friendship.
Taking place five years after the popular Youtube series, The Carmilla Movie continues to tell the story of Carmilla, the original lesbian vampire. After vanquishing the apocolypse, the movie starts with Carmilla (Natasha Negovanlis) as essentially human and Laura (Elise Bauman) working as a journalist. However, when Carmilla shows signs of "re-vamping" the women must work together to defeat this new wrinkle in their love story.
Disobedience begins with Ronit (Rachel Weisz), the estranged daughter of an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, returns to her London community following his death. While there, she reunites with her childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams), who is the reason she left the community due to her attraction. As the women rekindle their relationship, they must contend with the Orthodox community.
A Canadian psychological thriller, Allure follows the complicated relationship between Laura Drake (Evan Rachel Wood) and Eva (Julia Sarah Stone). Laura is a troubled young woman, who becomes obsessed with Eva, a disillusioned teenaged pianist she meets. Laura convinces Eva to run away to her house, and through manipulation, abuse, and codependency, the relationship between Laura and Eva becomes unstable.
Manja lives on the outskirts of a city, and she becomes fast friends with Louk. Louk believes in the idea of "no lies, no traces, no fear" and Manja agrees to this idea, at first. However, the more she learns about Louk, the more she realizes this creed comes from a place of hurt. In this poetic and cinematic film filled with lush depictions of nature, Air is a story of first loves.
In My Days of Mercy, two people on opposite sides of political issues fall in love. Lucy (Elliot Page) is protesting the death penalty when they meet Mercy (Kate Mara), who is there with her family that supports the death penalty. Despite these political difference, Lucy and Mercy begin a relationship, and reevaluate their own opinions.
Set in Northern Ontario, Porcupine Lake is the story of a hazy summer where two 13 year-olds become close friends. Bea (Charlotte Salisbury) is desperate for a best friend and finds one in the rowdy Kate (Lucinda Armstrong Hall). The intensity of their friendship increases throughout the summer, as the film explores the world of young girls.
Based on the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). Alongside this historic tennis match, Billie Jean King also is on a journey of self discovery, as she begins an extra-marital affair with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough), her hairdresser.
Thelma is a Norwegian supernatural thriller. Thelma (Eili Harboe) is a repressed student from a religous Christian family. As she moves out of her family home for univesity, she begins having seizures, and eventually uncontrollable psychokinetic powers that are triggered by her attraction to fellow student Anja (Kaya Wilkins). What follows is Thelma's attempts to control her power, before she causes more tragedy.
In this Chinese film, a gay man, Gang Wu (Chen-Kang Tang), and lesbian, Duo Yang (Mo Cheng) enter a marriage of convenience to please their parents. Hijinks ensue from the beginning, that only escalate when the Duo falls in love with the Gang's sister (Ching-Tien Li).
Becks (Lena Hall) plays in a band with her girlfriend Lucy ("lesbian Jesus" Hayley Kiyoko ), until Lucy cheats on Becks, causing their breakup. Heartbroken, Becks moves home to Missouri with her devout Catholic mother. While home, Becks begins a romance with Elyse (Mena Suvari), a bored housewife in town. In this bittersweet romance, Becks shows the unexpected places heartbreak can take.
Told partially through an in-text documentary and partially through the fictional narrative, The Ring Thing explore different views of gay marriage from queer people. When Sarah (Sarah Wharton) accidentally proposes to her girlfriend Kristen (Nicole Pursell), both women realize they have different feelings about marriage. Kristen is excited about marriage, while Sarah is anxious. She begins interviewing same sex couples to overcome this fear.
In The Feels, what should be a casual getaway weekend as part of a bachelorette goes awry when one of the brides admits she has never had an orgasm. The Feels is a mostly improvised comedy, and although at times the dialogue is uneven, overall The Feels is a fun examination of sex, friendship, and love.
A slice of life, coming of age film about a young queer teen and her aunt in Chicago. Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) is bored in South Carolina with her depressed father, and so jumps at the opportunity to spend summer with her aunt (Rebecca Spence) in Chicago. While there, she and her aunt butt heads, while also growing closer. Cyd also develops feelings for a local barista (Malic White).
Cat (Jodie Hirst) is photographer and student in college, who is awkward around her fellow students. Cat processes the trauma in her life, such as her ill mother or a homophobic bully, through her camera lens. When she voyeuristically becomes interested in April (Faye Sewell), the two girls become friends. Quickly, romance blooms between girls as they learn to trust themselves and each other.
In Atomic Blonde, Charlize Theron stars as Lorraine Broughton, an elite spy in MI6. As the Berlin Wall is about to fall in 1989, Broughton must travel into the heart of Berlin to find a priceless dossier that will help MI6 take down a ruthless espionage ring. With double crosses and a grimy 80s aesthetic, Atomic Blonde is a fun and thrilling action film.
In Tennessee in the 1950s, a young Cathleen (Margaret Qualley) becomes increasingly religious, eventually joining a covenant at the age of 17. While the Catholic Church is transition to Vatican II, Cathleen's Mother Superior (Melissa Leo) ignores these notices, choosing to maintain conservative practives. Cathleen, beginging to have sexual desires, stops eating as self punishment, eventually leading to a collapse from malnutrition. While in the infirmary, she finds a confidante in Sister Emanuel
Nima (Alia Shawkat) and Sergio (Laia Costa) are both tired of classic relationships, wishing they could skip past awkwardness to intimacy. Sergio proposes the idea of spending 24 hours together, where they have sex every hour. Nima initially turns this idea down, but after she is fired from her job, she agrees. As the two spend a day together, talking, being vulnerable, and having sex, Duck Butter shows the ups and downs of fast intimacy.
In this 1950s period piece set in rural Scotland, Tell it to the Bees begins when Dr. Jean Markham (Anna Paquin) returns home to take over her late father's medical practice. When a young boy (Gregor Selkirk) comes into her practice due to a scuffle, she shows him her bee hives (not a euphemism). As she becomes friendly with Charlie, his mother (Holliday Grainger) is also brought into her orbit, creating a honeyed romance between the two women.
A Sweetest Kiss portrays the dramatic struggles of Alice, a lesbian in 1950s suburban America. After being estranged from her family, Alice (Stefanie Estes) becomes a sex worker until she is eventually taken in by an upstanding Christian family. She adopts their faith, but Alice soon begins to fall in love with their daughter Annabel (Olivia Howell). As pious relatives attempt to stop their love, Alice and Annabel must decide if they choose each other or choose their repressed but safe lives.
An Italian comedy and drama stars as Linda Caridi and Maria Roveran as a lesbian couple who want to become mothers, but struggle with laws and financial burdens surrounding fertility clinics. Sweet and sincere, Mom + Mom depicts loving women who want to be mothers, and the difficulties of that journey.
Eva (Silvia Varón) + Candela (Alejandra Lara) is told through a non-linear structure that presents, in turn, both happy and sad moments through Eva and Candela's relationships. From awkward family reunions to desiring a child, this film illustrates the myriad of feelings throughout a long term relationship.
Mercy's Girl is a quiet drama that takes place on the North Side of Chicago. Mercy (Emily Lape) is a closeted lesbian and alcoholic, dealing with the pressures from her religious family. When she begins a serious relationship with Jesse (Alison Hixon), she is forced to make decisions about how she wants to live and who she wants to be.
In this psychological horror thriller film, Charlotte Willmore (Allison Williams) is a talented cellist, who was forced to leave an elite music school to care for her dying mother. After her mother's death, Charlotte reaches out to the head of the academy and meets Lizzie (Logan Browning ), the new star pupil that replaced her. The two quickly bond, and have sex. In what begins as a romp around rural China quickly becomes a twisty tale of manipulation, jealousy, and hand mutilation.
Vita & Virginia is based on the true story of Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton) and Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki), and their ongoing affair in the 1920s. While Vita is a socialite and Virginia an author, the two women are quickly drawn to one another and begin their affair within their open marriages.
In this insane crime thriller starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, A Simple Favor becomes much more. Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) runs a mommy-blog. When she beocmes friends with the glamourous Emily Nelson, the two women become immediately close, sharing their deepest secrets and regrets. When Emily disappears, Stephanie becomes obsessed with discovering the truth, including Emily's sordid past.
Set in the early 18th century, the hot-headed Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is controlled mainly by her advisor and lover, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). When Sarah's cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) comes to the castle in search of employment, she quickly seduces the queen and attempts to usurp Sarah's place. In this funny and dark period piece, women rule, and rule each other.
Set in Chile in 1933, Elisa (Lucy Cominetti) has endured years of psychiatric treatment and a marriage, when her childhood crush Rebeca (Antonella Orsini) reappears. Despite the time period and many challenges, Elisa and Rebeca remember their youthful love story, and begin to rekindle even after years apart.
As two Romani women are pressured into marriages, they instead struggle to be together. Carmen (Rosy RodrÃguez) understands her life, but is drawn to Lola (Zaira Romero), another Romani girl who is shy, independent, and interesting. Together, the girls begin to better understand themselves and each other.
In this corny coming out film, Lauren (Jenna Laurenzo) attempts to come out to her family by bringing her girlfriend (Caitlin Mehner) home for Thanksgiving. When her male roommate (Brandon Micheal Hall) also shows up, she convinces him to play along with her farce until she feels confident coming out to her family.
In this campy film, a complicated love triangle between Maya (Madison Lawlor), her internet crush Jasmine (Jasmine Jones), and Jasmine's sugar daddy (Simon Craw) emerges. Daddy Issues is simultaneously weird, high energy, and filled with a queer sensibility about the romantic and the taboo.
Daughters of Fire is an Argentine film following reunited lovers as they traipse across Patagonia, lusting for more from the world than what they have found in their families and patriarchal structures. Daughters of Fire is a brash mishmash of sex and scenery.
When Lena's (Linn Reusse) brother brings home his new girlfriend, it brings forth new feelings for Lena and Eva (Isabel Thierauch). Despite her current relationship, Eva and Lena begin to experience feelings for each other, leading to a new path of self discovery.
In this musical comedy, single father Frank (Nick Offerman) and his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) are talented muscians and music lovers. Despite Sam's clear path to UCLA, Frank wants his daughter to stay in Brooklyn with him, encouraged after a song they write goes viral. Extremely sweet and emotional, Hearts Beat Loud is a lovely movie with catchy songs, as well as two girls flirting through Mitski songs. What's not to love?
Based on a true story, Snapshots is a heartfelt film of an older woman (Piper Laurie) telling her daughter and granddaughter about the love of her life, a woman she was in love with in the 1960s. Told mostly through flashbacks, Snapshots is an emotional picture of what could have been.
Nina (Julia Kijowska), a teacher in her 30s, and her husband want a child. As they search for a surrogate, they beleive they have found the perfect canidate in Magda (Eliza Rycembel). However, Nina begins to develop feelings for Magda in ways that could change her life.
In 1993, Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) is caught having sex with her secret girlfriend. When her devout Christian aunt finds out, she sends Cameron to God's Promise, a gay conversion camp. While there, Cameron befriends two other teens, Jane (Sasha Lane) and Adam (Forrest Goodluck), as the three bond over their skepticism of the program.
In this gorgeous depiction of heartache, the beautiful backdrops of the French countryside become the setting of a tragic love story. Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is a painter who has been commissioned to paint Héloïse's (Adèle Haenel) wedding portrait without her knowledge. As Marianne observes her for the purpose of painting, the two women grow closer, forming a bond that will stay through years apart.
In this Kenyan movie, a political rivalry between Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki's (Sheila Munyiva) families does nothing to stop their close friendship. Despite their socially conservative surroundings, Kena and Zika's friendship blossoms into a romance, as the two girls must choose between their happiness and safety. Filmed in vibrant color, Rafiki is a love letter to the setting of Nairobi and young love.
Elisa & Marcela is based on the true story of tow lovers in Spain who were the first same-sex couple recorded in Spanish history, because one of the women posed as a man. Shot in black and white, the story unfolds as Marcela (Greta Fernández) tells her daughter Ana (Sara Casasnovas) of how she and Elisa (Natalia de Molina) fell in love, got married, suffered for their love, and escaped.
FBI Agent McKenzie De Ridder (Zoe Ventoura) finds herself suspended after erratic behavior following her mother's death. When she returns to a small town she used to visit, she begins a friendship with a boy with a terminal illness. As she befriends Freddie (Cale Ferrin), she also befriends his mother (Kayla Radomski), eventually leading to a relationship between the two women.
Ainsley Sadler (Alexandra Swarens) has returned to her hometown despite the reasons she left it in the first place. While home, she runs into Sophie Michaels (Olivia Bucke) and is forced to deal with her unresolved feelings. City of Trees is a fumbling but ultimately earnest Christmas comedy, where Ainsley and Sophie must address their feelings for one another and begin again.
An over the top holiday film, Season of Love follows three different couples in vignettes set between Christmas and New Years.
2020-Present
Another film of women looking at each other for extended periods of time on a beach, but without the chemistry of other "glance" films. Ammonite stars Kate Winslet as Mary, an overlooked fossil hunter and Saorise Ronan as Charlotte, the ailing wife of a geologist. When Charlotte's husband departs for an expedition, he leaves Charlotte in Mary's care, along with her sick mother, leaving the women to pursue their interest in one another.
In the mid 1850s, two isolated farmers' wives find each other as a way out of their loneliness. In The World to Come, Abigail (Katherine Waterson) and her husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) have just lost their daughter when Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) and Finney (Christopher Abott) move in next door. Abigail and Tallie become entangled and plot ways out of their lives, despite their husbands insistence on the lives they have.
In this sweet, silly, and at times touching film, Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) comes out to her mom and wants to ask her crush, Abbie (Zoe Terakes) to the school formal. But as the title implies, Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) is not just about Ellie and Abbie. As Ellie works up her courage, her dead aunt Tara (Julia Billington) appears from the beyond to give Ellie advice from her own life as an activist lesbian in the 80s.
A coming-of-age, lesbian take on Cyrano de Bergerac has straight-A student Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) helping a delightful himbo (Daniel Diemer) write letters to the object of both of their affections, Aster (Alexxis Lemire). Sweet, awkward, and subtle, this film is a lovely return for director Alice Wu, and features one of the best coming of age song of all time (Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten).
In Happiest Season, its anything but as Harper (Mackenzie Davis) has invited her girlfriend Abby (Kristen Stewart) home, without telling her family Abby is her girlfriend. As hijinks insue from all sides, will Abby and Harper make it through Christmas unscathed?
A tale of addiction, recovery, and relapse Justine tells the story of smart but troubled Justine (Tallulah Haddon) as she wanders through Brighton, kept from the beautiful landscape by herself and the built environment. Eventually, she meets Rachel (Sophie Reid) as there remains some space for optimism and love.
Grief striken and orphaned after her mother's death, teenaged Claudia (Markella Kavenagh) hides in a remote part of her propetry. However, her world soon turns upside down again when she is discovered by Grace (Maiah Stewardson) a rebellious and earnest girl her age. As the two girls make promises to each other, they also learn what love after loss can look like.
I Care a Lot is a weird and twisty film that takes being a girlboss to the extreme (fraud and elder abuse). Rosamund Pike stars as Marla Grayson, a legal gaurdian who swindles her wards out of everything they have, until she finally meets her match in her care of Jennifer (Dianne Wiest) and her son Roman (Peter Dinklage).
Kiss Me Before It Blows Up tells two love stories across cultures, one between an Israeli woman and her German partner, and one between an older Israeli woman and her Palenstian lover. This film is sentimental and saccharine rather than political in order to preserve the rom-com aspect, but it presents the questions of cultural conflict for different generations.
In Summerland, Alice (Gemma Arterton) plays a reclusive writer, who is forced to take care of a young evacuee from London (Lucas Bond). After bonding with the boy, she learns his mother is her lost love (Vera), a woman she had an affair with who broke up with her because she wanted a child. In this war-time tale of love, hope, and connection, a happy ending exists despite the circumstances.
Jennifer Ortiz (Nia Fairweather) is set to be married on Christmas to her loving boyfriend, when an angel appears to show Jennifer her a life where she would instead be marrying her childhood best friend Gabby (Adriana DeMeo). Instead, this movie tackles so many issues (all tonelessly): still births, abortion, homophobia in the church, Big from Sex and the City as a Priest, time travel, and more. Truly an off-kilter, confusingly Christmassy film.
Coming of age in the 90s in Ireland, just two years after homosexuality was legalized, Eddie (Fionn O'Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew) decide to fake date to stop any speculation about their sexuality. A story about queer friendship and figuring out your identity together, Dating Amber is heartfelt, sad, and funny and showcases the ups and downs of queer discovery.
Summer of Mesa is a testament to girl in red's lyrics "I don't wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips". A summer in 1985 turns to romance for teenaged Lily (Molly Miles) when she meets Mesa (Andrea Granera). In the lazy heat of Cape Cod, the girls spend their time biking and sharing secrets, forming powerful feelings for one another. Awkward in the way that teens are, Summer of Mesa plays in the lush landscapes of the area for a golden love story.
While at a shiva, Danielle (Rachel Sennott) cannot get a break, confronted by well-meaning but pushy adults about her plans after college, her sugar daddy she has been lying to, her ex-girlfriend, and vegetarianism. Cringing and clever, Shiva Baby is a claustrophobic horror movie dressed up for a funeral, a satisfying anxiety attack of a film.
Sometimes a heist is about rescuing yourself, actually. The dream-like Kajillionaire is an incredible journey through minuscule heists, parenthood, naiveté, and the target returns aisle. Kajillionaire is a true joy of colors, music, and mundane surrealism that marks the odd lives of the characters (Evan Rachel Wood stars, but her name honestly too good to see without context).
While her friends grow up around her, 30-something Emilia (Silvia Varón) feels stuck, living with her mother, unable to define her relationship with Mariana (Diana Wiswell), and teaching acting classes to young students. Shot in black and white, Second Star on the Right is both a heartbreaking and uplifting journey to adulthood, even when it seems like you are already there.
In 17th century Italy, Benedetta (Virginie Efira) is a devout nun with a special affinity for the Virgin Mary. When Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia) stumbles into the covenent, seeking shelter from abuse, Benedetta takes her on, and tries to teach her the ways of God. As Benedetta begins to receive visions of Jesus, she also begins an illicit affair with Bartolomea, leading to lesbian creativity. Benedetta (the film and character) is dramatic and genuinely funny, a little insane, and worthwhile.
Lifetime's first lesbian holiday romance has everything: a high powered marketing genius and a Christmas tree whisperer (with a twist), gingerbread house competitions, u-hauling, and Ricki Lake. This film is a true Lifetime movie that happens to be about lesbians, in that there is very little angst or homophobia and the focus instead is on the relationship and the magic of Christmas.
This is one for the lesbian horse girls. Christmas at the Ranch follows Haley Hollis (Laur Allen) as she returns home to Tennessee to try and save her family ranch from closure. While there she meets, and falls for, ranch hand Kate (Amanda Righetti), and the two begin a Christmas romance.
Birds Paradise, based on the novel Bright Burning Stars, follows Kate Sanders (Diana Silvers) and Marine Durand (Kristine Froseth) at an elite dance academy in Paris. As the students compete for a coveted spot at the Opéra National de Paris, Marine and Kate are enemies turned allies turned psychosexual obsessions for each other.
A high schooler has her life disrupted when her mother decides to move their family from England to a small town in America, where she spent years as a child. Through a slow love story, two girls in town come together to overcome teenage boredom and the uncertainties of growing up.
Erin (Alicia Snee) and Alex (Joanna Gaskell) are new friends that quickly form a mutual attraction. Both friends navigate their feelings and coming out, with Erin refusing to acknowledge her queerness, while Alex tries to figure out her feelings on her own. The two friends and lovers fight and fight for each other in Who Am I Now?
A Japenese film based on a Manga, Ride or Die follows the love story of Rei and Nanae. Rei has been in love with Nanae since school, and learns she is suffering brutal domestic violence, and Rei takes it upon herself to kill Nanae's husband. As the two women go on the run together, their feelings develop and a complex story of obsession and love develops.
In The Fallout, a school shooting disrupts the lives of high schoolers forever. While trapped in a bathroom Vada (Jenna Ortega) hides in a stall with Mia (Maddie Ziegler) and Quinton (Niles Fitch). After the trauma of the shooting, Vada becomes withdrawn from her family and friends, but forms new relationships with Mia and Quinton. The Fallout handles grief and trauma beautifully alongside a tragedy that is too common for teens today.
Based on the R.L. Stine books, Fear Street: Part One-1994 is a 90s era slasher dream with eventual supernatural elements. The trilogy is centered around Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch), and their relationship. Part One is campy, gorey, and neon, and begins the story of the many mysteries and murders taking place in the towns of Shadyside and Sunnyvale.
Picking up where Part One left off, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 recounts the telling of the Camp Nightwing massacre in 1978. More possessions, slashing, and gore plague the towns of Shadyside and Sunnyvale, connecting the past and present.
After attempting to stop the curse in Part Two, in Fear Street Part Three: 1666 the beginning of the curse on Shadyside and Sunnyvale is revealed as the kids investigate in 1994. Eventually, the kids are able to stop the killers and free themselves from any lingering supernatural effects, allowing them pleasant lives, with the film ending with Deena and Sam on a picnic date.
AJ, an awkward and nervous British teen, is dragged to the coast on holiday with her family. While there, she becomes captivated by the boisterous Isla, a popular lifeguard. In the magic of a holiday, where you can be anyone, a quick and exuberant romance blossoms under the summer sun.
Jane (Jeanette Maus) and Fiona (Sara Aminiwere) best friends, and rocked by Fiona's sudden suicide, Jane is adrift. Not knowing what to do, she decides to cope by helping Fiona's widow (Corbin Reed) take care of her son. As the two women bond over their grief, a relationship develops over their loss of Fiona. In My Fiona, the forces of loss pull these women together, and the film explores how grief affects the relationship of two people who loved and lost deeply.
Ma Belle, My Beauty is a gorgeously shot film that takes place in the south of France, where partners and exes reunite. The film follows current partners Fred (Lucien Guignard) and Bertie (Idella Johnson), and their ex Lane (Hannah Pepper) who Fred has invited because he thinks it would be good for Bertie. The film explores the depth of these characters relationships with one another in a beautiful setting, and is focused more on the vibes of a romantic setting than a plot-fueled narrative.
Leading Ladies tells the story of a dinner party between five friends. What at first seems simple gains complexity as the dinner party is told from five different perspectives as each moment is relived, and the gap between reality, intention, and reaction is shown. As the women unpack longtime secrets and lies, Leading Ladies shows the drama left in its wake.
Claire (Kat Graham), a high powered career woman, has a new position at a top real estate agency and a new love interest. However, her life turns upside down when she realizes her lover is her boss's wife, leading to a psychological thriller in Heatwave. young woman, starts working for a successful and rich businessman, but unknowingly gets involved in an affair with his wife.
Badhaai Do is a Bollywood movie that reclaims the idea of lavender marriages. Shardul (Rajkummar Rao), a policeman, and Sumi (Bhumi Pednekar), a PE teacher, decide to get married to please their families. They begin living together, when soon Sumi's girlfriend (Chum Darang) joins them. As they navigate coming out, living together, and more, Badhaai Do shows alternate family and the power in queer community.
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once follows Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) and her family as they encounter the multiverse. Evelyn is an unlikely hero that must save the world, as reality unravels.
Crush rolls together a messy high school love triangle, anonymous pun based graffiti, and artists forced to play sports. In this sweet film, the focus is on crushes, harmless and not, as Paige Evans (Rowan Blanchard) simultaneously tries to solve her school's artistic mystery while also clearing her name.