Top 10 Most Important LGBTQ+ Films of the 21st Century

1. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Now considered a ‘classic’ gay movie (even though, arguably, both protagonists are bisexual), Brokeback Mountain’s importance can never be underestimated, since it “entered the mainstream consciousness like no other widely distributed gay-themed independent film before it” (Gary Needham, 2010), grossing over $100,000,000 at the box office.

The film follows Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) as they meet and fall in love with each whilst sheep herding. Ultimately, the film is a quietly devastating but beautiful piece of cinematic art.

2. Weekend (2011)

After a house party Russell (Tom Cullen) heads out to a gay club; just before the lights come up and everyone goes home, he picks up Glen (Chris New) and they have a one-night stand. That same weekend, the two men get to know each other in a brief encounter that will resonate throughout their lives.

Weekend is important as it ushered in a new wave of filmmaking that centred on the contemporary gay male experience, and as Robin Baker noted, it “is the very best kind of relationship drama – gay or otherwise”.

3. Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Shrouded by controversy (mainly relating to the ‘male gaze’), and completely denounced by some, Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a slow but visceral experience, which contains a seven-minute (relatively explicit) sex scene and one of the most raw and emotional break-ups in film history.

The film mainly revolves around Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and her relationship with the blue-haired Emma (Léa Seydoux), and overall it is a poignant coming-of-age story, which also bagged a Palme d’Or (Best Film) at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

4. Appropriate Behaviour (2014)

Appropriate Behaviour is the only film included in this list that centres on a protagonist who explicitly identifies as bisexual, and this is ultimately what makes the film so important, since overt bisexual representation in cinema is somewhat rare.

The film is based around a Fleabag-type character, Shirin (played by the fantastic Desiree Akhavan, who also wrote and directed the film), who tries her best to be ‘woke’, the ideal Persian daughter, and an unapologetic bisexual all at once.

A sharp, witty film, which also contains, as Alex Davidson writes, a “threesome scene which is destined to become a classic”.

5. Carol (2015)

Carol, directed by the celebrated queer filmmaker Todd Haynes and featuring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, was voted the greatest LGBTQ+ film of all time by the BFI in a 2018 poll conducted at that year’s Flare Film Festival.

Even though it is only six years old, Carol has quickly gathered a reputation of being an incredibly important lesbian film for a number of reasons: it does not play into (straight) male desire, it contains a gorgeous visual design, and it, as Justin Chang states, “teases out every shadow and nuance of its characters’ inner lives with supreme intelligence, breath-taking poise and filmmaking craft of the most sophisticated yet accessible order”. The term “must-see”, then, is synonymous with Carol.

6. Tangerine (2015)

Tangerine is one of two films in this list that centres on trans* protagonists. Set in contemporary LA around Christmas, this comedy-crime-drama mainly follows Sin-dee (a trans sex-worker, played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and their friend Alexandra (played by Mya Taylor), as they try to find the pimp who broke Sin-dee’s heart by cheating on her whilst she was in prison.

Produced on a minor budget and shot mainly on an iPhone 5, Tangerine is a compassionate, funny, raunchy, “bracing slice of American Indie filmmaking” (John Hazelton, 2014).

7. Moonlight (2016)

Whether you have seen the film or not, you have probably heard of Moonlight because of the controversial moment at the 2017 Academy Awards when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced that La La Land had won Best Picture, when really it was Moonlight. This moment, arguably, overshadowed the sheer triumph of Moonlight, a film that offers nuance around the intersections of sexuality, race, class, and masculinity.

The film is based around three moments in the protagonist Chiron’s life (childhood, adolescence, and adulthood), and as Gregory Ellwood writes: “Like Brokeback Mountain a decade ago, Moonlight is a piece of art that will transform lives long after it leaves theatres”.

8. 120 BPM (2017)

120 BPM is an unapologetic, fierce piece of filmmaking that focuses on members of ACT-UP in Paris who demand action by the French government and international pharmaceutical companies to combat the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s.

Moreover, the film is educational as the audience get to witness debates and issues surrounding both HIV medication and activism, which gives spectators the chance to learn about the struggles and issues that HIV-infected LGBTQ+ people faced in the past. Just one of many reasons behind the film’s importance.

9. A Fantastic Woman (2017)

A Fantastic Woman, a Chilean film directed by Sebastián Lelio, tells the story of Marina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and nightclub singer, played by Daniela Vega. Stunned by the death of her older boyfriend, the film explores Marina’s grief – and the reactions of her boyfriend’s family – following this tragic event.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2018, and features a powerhouse performance by Vega, as well as a remarkable representation of grief, alienation, and oppression.

10. Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Alongside Brokeback Mountain, Call Me by Your Name is one of the most famous gay-themed films in the history of cinema. Starring Timothée Chalamet as the teenager Elio and Armie Hammer as the twenty-something Oliver, the film charts their blossoming romance over a summer in Italy in 1983.

Instantly revered by critics and adored particularly by gay men and straight women, Call Me by Your Name is a stunning, emotionally intense film that will endure as a stand-out LGBTQ+ film for many decades to come.