16 Notable LGBTQ Films for Insight and Inspiration

1. Disobedience 2017，IMDB Rating: 6.6, IMDB Votes: 36645, ID: 6108178
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Sebastián Lelio’s ‘Disobedience’ is a deeply moving drama that delves into the complexities of faith, sexuality, and personal freedom. It is about two women who rekindle their forbidden love in a strictly Orthodox Jewish community. A delicate look at the tension between tradition and desire.
2. The Favourite 2018，IMDB Rating: 7.5, IMDB Votes: 238694, ID: 5083738
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Yorgos Lanthimos’s ‘The Favourite’ is a darkly comedic and visually stunning period drama that explores power dynamics and queer relationships in the 18th-century British court. Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz deliver powerhouse performances, making the love triangle between their characters both compelling and tragic. The film’s bold approach to LGBTQ representation is refreshing and adds a modern twist to historical storytelling.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012，IMDB Rating: 7.9, IMDB Votes: 553188, ID: 1659337
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‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ is the coming of age story of young Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he navigates his way through high school. Charlie is an introverted boy whose mind has just been profoundly affected by the suicide of a friend and the trauma of his family. The complexities of gender identity and love are shown through Patrick’s character.
4. Philadelphia 1993，IMDB Rating: 7.7, IMDB Votes: 260027, ID: 0107818
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Philadelphia is a powerful courtroom drama that tackles the issue of AIDS discrimination with sensitivity and grace. Tom Hanks delivers an Oscar-winning performance as Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who sues his former firm after being fired for having AIDS. The film’s emotional depth and strong performances make it a poignant and important watch, highlighting the struggles faced by those living with the disease.
5. Hedwig and the Angry Inch 2001，IMDB Rating: 7.7, IMDB Votes: 37671, ID: 0248845
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a sparkling rock musical about gender identity and self-discovery. The film’s protagonist, Hedwig, is a gender-cool East German rocker who goes through a complicated period of gender reassignment surgery and then embarks on a musical journey through the United States with hurt and anger. The music and storytelling in the film are also very creative, making it a classic among LGBTQ films.
6. The Kids Are All Right 2010，IMDB Rating: 7.0, IMDB Votes: 134998, ID: 0842926
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The Kids Are All Right is about a lesbian couple dealing with the challenges in their family as they face the complexities of parenthood and marriage. Two children grow up deciding to search for their biological father, bringing a series of unexpected changes to the family.
7. My Own Private Idaho 1991，IMDB Rating: 7.0, IMDB Votes: 62470, ID: 0102494
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My Own Private Idaho is about two young sex workers, Mike and Scott. Mike is a lonely young man trying to find his missing mother and explore his own identity and inner pain. He travels with Scott, who is a rich kid burdened with the pressures of his family. The film is not only about the life of a sex worker, but also presents how these two characters find themselves and explore the complexities of identity, love and intimacy through a fantastic narrative.
8. But I’m a Cheerleader 1999，IMDB Rating: 6.8, IMDB Votes: 42872, ID: 0179116
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But I’m a Cheerleader is a quirky satirical comedy that explores the serious issue of ‘conversion therapy’ with humour and heartfelt writing. The film’s protagonist, Megan, is a dynamic cheerleader who is sent to a ‘conversion therapy’ camp in an attempt to change her sexual orientation. There, Megan comes to realise her true self and meets love at the camp.
9. La vie d’Adèle 2013，IMDB Rating: 7.7, IMDB Votes: 164469, ID: 2278871
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La vie d’Adèle, also known as Blue is the Warmest Colour, Adèle is a young secondary school girl who has a bland relationship with her classmates at school until she stumbles upon Emma, an artsy blue-haired girl. The two quickly fall into a relationship filled with exploration and self-discovery. Emma, an art student, gradually develops inevitable differences with Adele as she explores herself and pursues her dreams.
10. The Normal Heart 2014，IMDB Rating: 7.9, IMDB Votes: 38022, ID: 1684226
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Ryan Murphy’s ‘The Normal Heart’ is about the difficult dilemmas faced by the LGBTQ community in the early days of the AIDS crisis. The film focuses on the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the gay community in the early 1980s, and society’s indifference and fear of the new disease. Through insightful characterisation and historical contextualisation, the film reveals the profound impact of the AIDS crisis on the LGBTQ community.
11. Pride 2014，IMDB Rating: 7.8, IMDB Votes: 62307, ID: 3169706
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‘Pride’ is a moving and uplifting film about the unexpected alliance between LGBTQ activists and Welsh miners during the 1984 miners’ strike in the UK. It’s a history that shows how people can come together to fight injustice and oppression by transcending prejudice and fear.
12. The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975，IMDB Rating: 7.4, IMDB Votes: 168528, ID: 0073629
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It is about a young couple, Brad and Janet, who are lost in a remote mansion after a car accident. There, they meet Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist in a heterosexual costume who is also a gender fluid and complex character. The film was not an instant success on release, but over time grew to become a highly influential cult classic that attracted a huge fan base.
13. The Hours 2002，IMDB Rating: 7.5, IMDB Votes: 140644, ID: 0274558
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The Hours is a deeply moving film that interweaves the lives of three women across different eras, all connected by Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. The stellar performances by Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman bring depth to this exploration of identity, mental health, and the human condition.
14. Maurice 1987，IMDB Rating: 7.6, IMDB Votes: 24026, ID: 0093512
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The film’s protagonist, Maurice, is a young aristocrat who met and fell in love with his classmate Clifford at university. Although the two men share a deep bond, their relationship can never be made public due to the social repression and taboos against homosexuality at the time.
15. Chun gwong ja sit 1997，IMDB Rating: 7.7, IMDB Votes: 34629, ID: 0118845
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Set in vibrant Buenos Aires, Wong Kar-Wai’s Spring Breakers (Happy Together) is a visually stunning exploration of the ups and downs of a relationship between two men. The film revolves around Ho Po-Wing and Liu Feng, a couple who experience intense emotional swings and complex patterns of living together in the field.