The Top Stories of the Popverse Era
In the past century of cinema, there have been many queer classics that have shaped not only queer cinema but also queer moviegoers. Documentaries like Paris is Burning, comedies like The Birdcage and But I’m a Cheerleader, dramas like Maurice, Happy Together and Brokeback Mountain have all left their mark on film history and queer culture. But what about the new classics?
While it may be too early to call (who really knows what will last in the long run), here are the queer films of the past few years that I think will (or at least should) stick around for a long time.
Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is a special film, a quiet and poetic look at three seasons in one man’s life. It’s a film that focuses on loneliness and fleeting moments of connection, and it’s heartbreaking, even though the film isn’t about sadness itself. Instead, Moonlight is about how our relationships affect our lives, and it tells its story with brilliant restraint and confidence.
Possibly one of my favorite films of all time, Luca Guadanigno’s Call Me By Your Name follows Elio and Oliver, played by Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer, as they circle each other before giving in to the genre of the connection that will change their lives. An adaptation of Andre Aciman’s novel of the same name, the film only tells the first part of the novel’s story, though it feels complete on its own. It’s a beautiful film and, like Moonlight, is dedicated to the theme of human connection.
Flee is a beautiful animated documentary about a man who goes by the pseudonym Amin, who shares his story of fleeing Afghanistan to Denmark. It is an incredible story and complex in its many different aspects about family, personal identity and immigration. Flea won Best Feature at Annecy, won a slew of critics’ awards, and earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, and Best International Feature.
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Plan B may not be on many other reviewers’ lists, but it should be. Directed by Natalie Morales and starring young actors Victoria Moroles and Kuhoo Verma as best friends Lupe and Sunny, the film is about two teenagers finding a Plan B in South Dakota in a wild and absolutely hilarious ‘happening one night’ style. . Yes, the film is topical, of course, but it’s really about two young people figuring it out – what all coming-of-age films should be.
The Half of It follows the classic teen movie adaptation of a classic film, bypassing the general plot structure of Cyrano, as protagonist Ellie takes on the task of writing love letters, on behalf of new boyfriend Paul, to her stunner Aster Flores. The film is quiet and heartfelt and exactly what you want from a film of this genre, tangled with the complications of adolescence, friendship and adulthood.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a French historical film starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel as Marianne, a painter, and Héloïse, an aristocrat whose portrait she is hired to paint. The film is intimate, painful at times and absolutely beautifully crafted, leaving behind images that will haunt you for years.
Now this might be the most controversial choice of the lot, but every list should have a Hot Take, and Lydia Tár as a monster does not detract from her place as one of the most memorable queer leads in recent film history. Fight me.
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