10 LGBTQ+ Films For Every Mood to Watch During Pride Month
by Corinne SullivanThink that LGBTQ+ films will only ever break your heart? Think again. In honor of Pride Month, we've rounded up a handful of our favorite LGBTQ+ flicks that are perfect for any sort of mood you're in. While some movies that revolve around openly gay, bi, trans, and queer characters explore themes of secrecy, alienation, and unrequited love, there are plenty of others that are sexy, romantic, and totally hilarious. Some LGBTQ+ movies even have a happily-ever-after ending. It doesn't matter if you're looking to weep, laugh, or get turned on — we have a LGBTQ+ movie you're sure to love.
1 Daring: Lez Bomb
In this underrated comedy, a closeted woman named Lauren decides to finally come out to her family by bringing her girlfriend to her parents' for Thanksgiving. However, she doesn't expect that her male roommate will also show up to dinner — or that her parents will assume he's her boyfriend. What follows series of hilarious misunderstandings, particularly from Lauren's two confused grandparents and her overly curious aunt.
2 Moody: I Am Jonas
This French drama follows the story of the titular Jonas, who can't stop revisiting a turbulent love affair from his teenage years with an impulsive, troubled young man named Nathan. It's moody, broody, and utterly devastating — but that's also exactly what makes it so damn good.
3 Romantic: Elisa & Marcela
This Spanish biographical romantic drama recounts the real-life story of Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas, two women who tied the knot in 1901 in the first same-sex marriage recorded in Spain (though they were only able to pull it off by having Elisa adopt a male identity). Don't ask us why black-and-white movies are more romantic than movies in color — we don't make the rules.
Watch Elisa & Marcela on Netflix.
4 Aroused: Chloe
Julianne Moore stars in this erotic thriller as a woman who — when she suspects her husband (played by Liam Neeson) isn't being faithful — hires a call girl (played by Amanda Seyfried) to see if she can tempt him into cheating. Spoiler alert: the call girl ends up tempting them both, and it's seriously hot.
5 Reflective: Moonlight
This coming-of-age drama follows a young man named Chiron over several years as he grows up poor, gay, and Black in Miami, and it's stunning in just about every way. It's incredibly eye-opening, but please note that you'll need to keep a tissue box on hand for this one.
6 Dramatic: Girl
This revolutionary Belgian drama tells the true story of a 15-year-old transgender student who moves in with her supportive father after she's accepted at a prestigious dance academy in Antwerp, Belgium. Though Lara manages to excel both in her new ballet classes and socially, her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina are challenged by her upcoming sex reassignment surgery. Cue all the tears.
7 High-Spirited: Cherry Pop
Looking to have some fun? Cherry Pop may be a bit too campy for some people's tastes, but there's no denying that a flick revolving around a dive drag bar and its colorful cast of employees is a good time. Plus, the costumes in this one are to die for.
8 Heartbroken: Those People
Set in Manhattan's Upper East Side, this drama tells the story of a young gay painter who finds himself torn between his best friend and roommate — for whom he's always carried a flame — and a new, older love interest, who's a Lebanon-born bar pianist. This one will break your heart over and over again, but if you're in need of a cathartic cry, this one's for you.
9 Happy: The Half of It
This coming-of-age dramedy revolves around Ellie Chu, a shy, straight-A student who agrees to help a popular jock write a love letter to his crush — with whom Ellie is also secretly in love. It totally turns the YA love triangle trope on its head, and it's a rare feel-good LGBTQ+ film that won't leave you devastated at the end.
Watch The Half of It on Netflix.
10 Hopeful: Alex Strangelove
This adorable rom-com follows Alex Truelove, a popular high schooler who is banking on losing his virginity to his girlfriend, Claire, but, in typical high school fashion, nothing goes as planned. Things get a little more complicated when Alex realizes he has a crush on a cute guy from another school. Alex Strangelove offers a modern look at the struggle of coming to terms with sexuality in an age where everything is "progressive" and shows that everyone deserves a right to be true to who they are — even if the journey isn't easy.