Gay Movies
22 March 2007
J. McRee Elrod and Richard J. Violette
The following is a selected list of movies in which gay male characters and themes are central to the story, or have important supporting parts.
Some of the earlier films contain characterizations that might be considered stereotypical or offensive today, but are important to gain an historical perspective on the changing perceptions toward gays. These films to a greater or lesser degree reflect our reality and help us see ourselves. Most of the films are in English, with some better known foreign- language films and TV movies represented.
Not included are gay porn, movies about lesbians (e.g., “Silkwood”, “Desert Hearts”, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing”, and the more recent silly spoof of gay deprogramming “But I’m a Cheerleader”), campy and/or homoerotic cult films with male or female gay icons lacking explicit gay content (e.g., “The Women”, “Auntie Mame”, “Mommie Dearest”, most John Waters’ films, Steve Reeves’ “sword and sandal” films), or movies in which transsexuals or transvestites are used as a plot device with little reference to homosexuality (e.g., “Glen or Glenda?”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Tootsie”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean”, “The World According to Garp”, “Crying Game” and even “Different for Girls”). Drag queens are, however, well represented by such films as “The Adventures of Priscilla …”, “To Wong Foo .” and “Torch Song Trilogy”. Also omitted are movies in which the gay element although important is largely suppressed, e.g., “Suddenly Last Summer”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “The Servant”, as are films in which the gay element is subordinate to some other subject such as murder, e.g., “Rope”, “Swoon”, and “Compulsion”; again, there are exceptions such as “Cruising” (a controversial film deserving of reappraisal) and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”.
Some films have a gay sensibility, address our issues, and have helped form our attitudes, but have no clear gay content, from “Show Boat” (especially that rendition of ‘Bill”), “The Member of the Wedding”, and “Auntie Mame”, to the more recent “Billy Elliot” and “Good Will Hunting” (although lacking an overt gay character, reflects its gay director’s sensibility, and addresses issues important to gays such as alienation and mentoring). On the other hand, “American Beauty” is listed here because of its gay sensibility, the fact that the gay couple briefly appearing in it is shown as the best-adjusted, most “normal” relationship, and the key role homosexuality plays in the climax. The one brief gay encounter in “Full Monty” wasn’t considered quite enough for inclusion, nor the gay character(s) in “Titus”, “Big Daddy”, “Flirting with Disaster”, and “Plunkett and McCleane”. The inclusion of all films with gay characters would create too long a list.
It is interesting to watch these films and see how the portrayals of gay men have evolved, from the early portrayals of repressed, self-loathing, and often suicidal characters in films like “Advise and Consent”, “The Sergeant”, “Reflections in a Golden Eye”, and “The Boys in the Band”, through more sympathetic, yet still often stereotypical, characters in the last twenty years, though such films as “Longtime Companion”, “Jeffrey”, “The Birdcage”, and “Philadelphia”. Recent common themes have been coming out or coming of age stories, coping with AIDS, and the social and amorous couplings of a group of friends à la “Love! Valour! Compassion!” Foreign films offer surprisingly unusual perspectives; some of the most original and enterprising portrayals of gays have come from Catholic countries like France and Spain, or repressive societies such as China, while such liberal cultures as those of Scandinavia or the Netherlands have yielded few. English Canadian film makers lag behind their Québécois and even First Nations cohorts in examining gay characters and issues.
This list is selective, subjective, and far from comprehensive; any suggestions for additions are welcome. An asterisk (*) indicates those we find particularly enjoyable (e.g. “Beautiful Thing”) or significant (e.g. “Bent”).
24 Nights (1999)
Gay book store clerk expects Santa to provide Mr. Right.
200 American (2003)
Gay man decides to hire a hustler.
*A corps perdu = Straight from the Heart] (1988; Canadian[French])
Bisexual photographer’s male and female lovers pair off and leave him.
A toute vitesse [aka Full Speed] (French : 1998)
Three men and one woman are inter related by unrequited loves.
Adam & Steve (2005)
Comedy concerning two New York gay men in their 30’s building a relationship despite embarrishing one night stand 18 years earlier.
Adored (Italian : 2003)
Story of a porn star.
Adventures of Felix see Drole de Felix
*Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994; Australian)
Gay man travels Australian outback with drag queen friends to visit son. Cf. To Wong Foo …
Advise and Consent (1962)
Closeted gay senator blackmailed for political purposes.
All Over the Guy (2001)
Rocky relationship of two gay men who meet on blind date set up by friends
All the Rage (1998)
Gay man in Boston South End.
Almost Normal (2005)
Gay man in coma rexperiences highshcool as straight, when being gay is the norm.
*American Beauty (1999)
Suburban man’s mid-life crisis has a few gay twists.
Amnesia: The James Brigham Enigma (French Canadian : 2005)
Gay bashed young man wakes up naked in a Montreal partking lot with amnesia.
Amour ataire see Love to Hide
And the Band Played On (1993; made-for-TV)
Docudrama based on Randy Shilts work on reaction to AIDS crisis.
And Your Mother Too see Y tu mama tamien
*Angels in America (2003: HBO))
Kushner’s two part apocalyptic view of America at the turn of the century.
Another Country (1984)
How British private school treatment created a spy.
Another Gay Movie (2006)
Ridiculous attempt at a gay “American Pie”, with gay high school graduates trying to get laid.
Antes que anochezca see Before Night Falls
Apartment Zero (1988)
Prim young man takes on identity of street hunk.
Apo tin akri tis polis [aka From the Edge of the City] (1998;
Greek) Young male Kazakhstan immigrant in Greece takes up hustling and pimping.
As Good as It Gets (1997)
Obsessive-compulsive homophobe comes to befriend gay artist.
As Is (1986; made-for-TV)
Male couple reconsiders relationship when one is revealed to have AIDS.
As Luck Would Have It (Swiss French : 2005)
Older university professor complicates his life by attempting to remain in the closet.
Bad Education (Spanish : 2004)
Movie within a movie concerns relationships begun in Catholic school.
Bear Cub see Cachorro
Beau Travail (1999)
“Billy Budd” in French penal colony. Beautiful Thing (1996) The story of two British gay teens in love in a housing estate.
Bedrooms & Hallways (1999)
Gay man joins new-age men’s group and falls for Irish member, who experiences his first gay relationship.
Beefcake (1999)
Semidocumentary about models in homoerotic muscle magazine of the fifties and early sixties.
Being at Home with Claude (French Canadian : 1992)
Hustler explains why he killed john whom he loved.
*Before Night Falls = Antes que anochezca (2000)
Life of gay Cuban poet and novelist Reynaldo Arenas.
*Bent (1997)
Tragic gay love in a Nazi concentration camp.
Best in Show (2000)
Dog show mokumentary.
Bewegte Mann, Die = Maybe, Maybe Not (1994; German)
Thrown out by his girlfriend, a womanizer moves in with an appreciative gay friend.
*Big Eden (2000)
New Yorker returns home to Montana to discover a too-good-to- be-true gay-friendly rural community, and the love he has been missing.
Billiot Elliot (2001)
Young boy wishes to dance, not box.
Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998)
Young gay photographer has unrequited love for hunk.
Birdcage, The (1996)
Unconventional gay parents cope with son’s marriage to daughter of conservative Senator; Americanized version of La Cage aux Folles (q.v.).
Birds of a Feather see Cage aux Folles, La
Boca a boca = Mouth to Mouth (1995; Spanish)
An aspiring actor becomes involved with a repressed homosexual and his alleged wife in Madrid.
Boyfriends (1996)
Relaxing English country weekend for gay friends turns out to be anything but.
Boys in Cellblock Q, The (1992; Australian)
All the boys in a prison work farm are gay.
Boys in Love (1998)
Three gay fictional shorts
Boys in the Band, The (1970)
Tragicomic revelations at a gay birthday party; outmoded and stereotypical, but a milestone.
Boys Life (1995)
Three short coming-of-age films: “Pool Days”, “A Friend of Dorothy”, “The Disco Years”
Boys Life 2 (1997)
Four more short coming-of-age films: “Must Be the Music”, “Nunzio’s Second Cousin”, “Alkali, Iowa”, “Trevor”
Boys Life 3 (2000)
Five more short coming-of-age films: “Majorettes in Space”, “Hitch”, “Inside Out”, “Just One Time”
Boys’ Shorts: The New Queer Cinema (1993)
Six short films of gay life.
Breaking the Code (1997)
Homophobia and its effect on cryptography genius Alan Turing. Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1996; made-for- TV) Movie-of-the-week treatment of the gay Olympic diver.
Broadway Damage (1996)
Two gay would be actors and woman friend tackle New York, with mixed but comic results.
*Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Two western cowboys find love in a mountain wilderness.
Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, The (2000)
Gay buddies fall in and out of love in West Hollywood.
Brother to Brother (2005)
Young gay Black artist discovers Harlem Renaissance through eyes of older man.
Business of Fancydancing, The (2002)
Tensions develop when Native American gay writer returns to reservation for friend’s funeral.
*Cabaret (1972)
Gay man has bisexual affairs in Berlin as Nazis rise to power.
*Cachorro = Bear Cub (2004 : Spanish)
Spanish bear uncle and grandmother fight of custody of young boy.
Cage Aux Folles, La (aka Birds of a Feather) (1978; French)
Gay male parents cope with marriage of son.
Cage Aux Folles II, La (1980; French)
Gay couple becomes entangled in espionage plot.
Cage aux Folles III – “Elles” se marient, La (1985; French)
Partner in gay couple will inherit a fortune if he marries a woman within a year.
California Suite (1978)
Multiepisode film includes one with Oscar-nominated actress and her gay husband.
Camp (2003)
Summmer musical theatre camp; a gay “Fame”.
Carrington (1995)
Artist Dora Carrington’s relationship with gay writer Lytton Strachey.
*Celluloid Closet, The (1995)
Documentary on the history of portrayal of gays in film.
Change of Heart, A (1998; made-for-TV)
Woman is shocked to discover her husband is a closeted gay man.
Cheun gwong tsa sit = Happy Together (1997; Hong Kong
[Chinese]) Hong Kong Chinese gay lovers make-up and break-up their way across Argentina.
Chicken tikka masala (2005)
Gay South Asian considers marriage with land lady to remain with his lover and please family.
Chorus Line, A (1985)
Prospective dancers, some gay, tell their stories.
Chuck & Buck (2000)
Social misfit’s crush on childhood friend.
Closet, The see Placard, Le
Clueless (1995)
Vapid, rich, spoiled high school student matures a bit when the boy she fancies turns out to be gay.
Cock & Bull Story (2004)
Southside Chicago young man attempts to box his way out of poverty amidst homoerotic attraction and homophobia.
Come Undone see Presque rien
Common Ground (2000; made-for-TV)
Three stories of being gay in a small Connecticut town through the years.
Company, The (2003)
Diffuse account of a ballet company, including gay members.
Connie and Carla (2004)
Women hide as drag queens among gay men.
Consenting Adult (1985; made-for-TV)
Mother has difficulty coming to terms with son’s homosexuality.
Cosas del Quere, La = Love’s Doing (1989 : Spanish)
Gay Spanish singer is persecuted in Franco’s Spain.
Cowboys & Angels (2003)
Naive young Irish man is remade by gay roommate, with stumbles along the way.
C.R.A.Z.Y. (French Canadian ; 2005)
Growing up relunctantly gay in a large Quebec family with a homophobic father.
Crocodile Tears (1998)
Man with AIDS makes a deal with the Devil.
Cruising (1980)
Straight cop goes undercover in New York’s gay leather community to investigate serial killings; controversial at the time due to objection to gay stereotypes; cf Partners.
Crying Game (1992)
Gender confusion in midst of Ireland violence.
*De-Lovely (2004)
Cole Porter’s bisexual life set to his songs.
Death in Venice see Morte a Venezia
Deathtrap (1982)
Gay playwright and lover plot to kill the playwright’s wife.
Deep End (2002)
Mother defends gay son. Defying Gravity (1997) Closeted gay fraternity member deals with gay bashing of lover.
Devil in the Holy Water (2001)
Confused documentary concerning the Gay Pride demonstration in Rome during the year of Jubilee.
Different Story, A (1978)
Gay man and lesbian in marriage of convenience.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Gay man holds up bank to pay for lover’s sex change.
Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992; made-for-TV)
College student brings his fiance home to meet his dysfunctional family and faces his true sexuality.
Dong gong xi gong [aka East Palace, West Palace] (1999;
Chinese) Chinese gay man, questioned by police, recalls his repressed life.
Donna Herlinda y su Hijo (Mexican)
Mother builds menage including gay son, his wife, and his lover.
Don’t Tell Anyone see No se lo digas a nadie
Dorian Blues (2005)
Coming of age story of the relationship of gay and straight brothers dealing with father’s favouritism
Drift (2000)
Gay Asian Canadian writer, illegally in L.A., has relationship problems and imagines various outcomes.
Drole de Felix [aka The Adventures of Felix, Funny Felix]
(French : 2000) HIV positive man hitchhikes across France in search of his father.
Due er Ikke Alene = You Are Not Alone (Danish : 1978)
Two precocious boys explore their sexuality at boarding school.
Dying Gaul, The (2005)
Gay screen writer has tragic affair with bisexual movie executive. Early Frost, An (1985; made-for-TV) Young man comes to terms with AIDS and homosexuality.
East of the Wall = Westler
East Palace, West Palace see Dong gong xi gong
Eating out (2005)
Straight man with gay roommate pretends to be gay to get to female roommate of gay man, resulting in comedic mix up.
*Eclipse (1994; Canadian)
Bisexual variation on “La Ronde” in Toronto during a solar eclipse.
Edge of Seventeen (1998)
Gay coming-of-age in mid-eighties midwest.
Edward II (1991)
The story of England’s 13th century homosexual king filtered through a late 20th century sensibility.
Entertaining Mr. Sloan (1970)
Amoral bisexual hustler seduces brother and sister.
Escorte, L’ (1996; Canadian [French])
Gay couple gets male “escort” as a “gift”.
The Event (2003)
Why are there so many deaths in fashionable Chelsea, New York’s gay community? Intrepid reporter, Parker Posey discovers the truth.
Everyone (2004)
Vancouver gay couple and extended family have difficulties the day of the couple’s planned union ceremony.
Fag Hag see Okoge
Family Stone, The (2005)
A prospective fiancee upsets an extended family which includes a deaf gay son and his Black lover.
Fantasma, O = The Phantom (Portugese : 2003)
Young Lisbon trash collector has strange sexual ecounters at night, and become obsessed with motorbike owning young man on his route. Farewell my Concubine (Chinese ; 1993) The more than 50 year friendship of two Chinese opera stars, one of whom plays female roles.
*Far From Heaven (2002)
1950’s-set drama of the effect of husband coming out on traditional wife, who turns to Black gardener for comfort and understanding.
Fate ignorante, Le (Italian : 2001)
Roman widow discovers and becomes friend with dead husband’s gay lover.
Faustrecht der Freiheit = Fox and His Friends (German : 1975)
Fassbinder’s acidic film is about a gay carnival performer’s lottery win and subsequent social rise = and fall.
Feluettes, Les see Lilies
Finding North (1998)
Kooky straight woman befriends suicidal gay man whose lover has just died of AIDS.
Five Senses, The (1999; Canadian)
Five individuals, one gay, each has a failing sense, creating relationship problems,
Flawless (1999)
Former cop undergoes stroke rehabilitation with the help of a drag queen.
Fluffer, The (2001)
Young man enters sex trade to get close to straight star of gay porn movies.
Food for Love (2003)
Based on David Leavitt’s novel “The Page Turner”, a young piano students falls for a concern pianist and has passionate affair in Barcelona.
For a Lost Soldier see Voor een verloren soldaat
Forbidden Letters (1976)
Erotic letters between a young man and his jailed male lover.
Fortune and Men’s Eyes (1971)
Young man goes to prison and is initiated into gay sex.
*Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Friends attending these events include a gay couple.
Fourth Man, The see Vierde man, De
Fox and His Friends see Faustrecht der Freiheit
Fresa y chocolate [aka Strawberry and Chocolate] (1993; Cuban
[Spanish]) Cuban gay falls for straight man who becomes his friend.
Friends & Family (2003)
Comedy featuring gay couple as mob enforcers.
From the Edge of the City see Apo tin akri tis polis
Full Speed see A toute vitesse
Fun Down There (1988)
A week in the life of Buddy, newly arrived in Manhattan from upstate New York and ready to fall in love.
Funny Felix see Drole de Felix
Garcon Stupide (French Swiss : 2005)
Pretty young gay man has emotional relationship with female friend, while aimlessly having sex with multiple men.
Get Real (1998)
Teenage boys in an English school fall in love.
Giornata particolare, Una [aka A Special Day] (Italian : 1977)
Roman housewife and gay man form friendship on the day in 1938 that Hitler visited Mussolini.
*Gods and Monsters (1998)
In 1950s Hollywood, gay movie director James Whale is attracted to his straight gardener.
Gohatto [aka Taboo] (2000; Japanese)
Homosexual desire among samurai in 1865 Kyoto.
Gone but not Forgotten (2003)
Mystery romance and amnesia.
Gosford Park (2002)
Murder in a country house, with young man who plays on both teams. Gouttes d’eau sur pierres brulantes [aka Water drops on burning rocks] (French ; 1999) A young man, who is sexually confused, falls in love with an older man who mistreats him.
Graffiti Artist, The (2004)
Two Seattle graffiti artists of differing ethnic and class backgrounds hook up.
Grand Sons see Petit Fils, Le
Green Plaid Shirt, The (1996)
Gay man recalls his relationship with recently deceased lover and friends.
Hamam (Turkish director : 1997)
A Frenchman goes to Turkey to see a steam bath he has inherited, and discovers gay affection.
*Hanging Garden, The (1997)
Gay man, formerly a fat, troubled teen, revisits Nova Scotia home for sister’s wedding.
Happy Birthday (2002)
Snippits from the lives of some urbanites sharing the same birthday, including several gays, and an “ex-gay”.
Happy Endings (2005)
Comedy of mistaken parentage, including gay couple and young man just coming out.
Happy Together see Cheun gwong tsa sit
Harry and Max (2004)
Pop musician brothers have troubled love/erotic relationship.
Head On (1998; Australian)
Young Greek man in Australia struggles with gay identity, family relationships.
Hey, Happy (2001; Canadian)
Gay ravers party in a Winnipeg junkyard.
His Secret Life see Fate Ignorante, Le
**History Boys, The (2006)
Remarkably homophobic free presentation of the joys of teaching and learning, in an atmosphere homoeroticism between agreeable boys and gay teachers.
Hollow Reed (1996)
Child is caught between gay father and his mother’s abusive lover.
Home at the End of the World, A (2004)
Menage a trois (2 men, 1 woman) have a baby; based on Cunningham’s novel.
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Thanksgiving with dysfunctional family which has gay son.
Hsi yen = Wedding Banquet] (Taiwanese : 1993 [English/Mandarin])
Taiwanese Chinese gay man in marriage of convenience. Early Ang Lee.
I Think I Do (1997)
Gay man comes out to best friend at wedding.
Ice Men (2005)
Five long term friends, including two at odds brothers, one gay man, and one sexually ambivalent man, gather for a traumatic winter weekend.
In & Out (1997)
Gay teacher outed by former student’s Oscar speech.
In the Flesh (1997)
Troubled hustler suspected of murder saved by detective who falls in love with him.
In the Gloaming (1997; made-for-TV)
Gay man with AIDS causes emotional upheaval when he returns to his suburban family to die.
Innocent (2005)
Young gay Hong Kong immigrant to Toronto has difficulty dealing with family breakup and his homosexuaity.
Interview with a Vampire (1994)
Anne Rice’s homoerotic vampire story
It’s In the Water (1996)
Improbable comings out in the midst of a small town reaction to an AIDS hospice.
It’s My Party (1995)
Gay man dying of AIDS plans his suicide.
J’en Suis! = Heads or tales (French Canadian : 2006)
Architect must pretend to be gay antique dealer to keep high paying job.
Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster = Yes Nurse, No Nurse (Dutch : 2002)
Zany musical about rest home for eccentrics, with bitter landlord and neighbour, whose former lover opens a beauty parlour across the street.
Jeffrey (1995)
Gay man finds it difficult to accept love in time of AIDS.
Jerker (1991)
Erotic film from the AIDS era about phone sex.
Johns (1996)
Male prostitute spends Christmas Eve turning tricks.
Just a Question of Love (French : 2005)
Gay college student has trouble coming out to parents.
Just One Time (1999)
Prospective bride substitutes gay man for groom’s fantasy of a threesome.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Spoof of Hollywood mystery, with former thief prospective actor being given sleuthing lessons by a gay detective, with multiple killings.
Kiss Me Guido (1997)
Straight hunk looking for apartment thinks GWM means guy with money.
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Gay man entertains cell mate with movie stories.
KM.0 (2000 : Spanish)
Mixed up meetings at the kilometer zero marker in Madrid lead to some odd and interesting couplings.
L.I.E. (2001)
Young boy whose mother is dead, father in legal difficulty, is helped by pedofile. Labor of Love (1998; made-for-TV) Gay man and woman best friend decide to have a baby together.
Latter Days (2003)
Morman missionary encounters gay LA.
Law of Desire =3D Ley del deseo, La
Leather Jacket Love Story (1998)
Twinky young poet falls for older working-class leather stud.
Leaving Metropolis (2002)
Well-known gay painter has affair with straight, married, diner owner. Outstanding love scenes.
Ley del deseo, La [aka Law of Desire] (1987; Spanish)
Young Spanish man stalks a gay film director.
Lie Down with Dogs (1995)
A man spends a summer sleeping around in Provincetown.
Like It Is (1998)
A young gay English boxer takes out his frustrations by fighting.
Lilies = Les feluettes (1996)
Prison inmates in 1952 Quebec reenact tragic young love affair.
Line of Beauty, The (2006)
Excellent adaption in made for TV segments of Alan Holinghurst’s novel, in which a gay graduate student moves in with the rich conservative political family of his best Oxford University straight buddy.
Lion in Winter, The (1968)
Richard I of England has affair with Philip II of France amid 12th century royal squabbles.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Gay professor, after attempted suicide over failed love affair with student, recovers with his sister and her zany family.
Living End, The (1992)
Two HIV-positive gay men go on a murderous spree.
Locked Up (German : 2004)
Interracial, international, gay love in prison.
Loggerheads (2005)
Interlocking stories surrounding adoped gay man who leaves home at 17, his birth mother, his adoptive parents, and a motel owner who takes him in.
Longtime Companion (1990)
AIDS takes its toll on group of friends in New York gay community.
*Lost Language of Cranes, The (1991; UK; made-for-TV)
Gay son causes bisexual father to come out.
Love and Death on Long Island (1997)
Middle-aged widowed English author becomes obsessed with young actor; cf Morte a Venezia
Love In Thoughts (German : 2006)
Sexual antics and attractions among beautiful young Germans between the world wars leads to tragedy. Based on actual events.
Love Is the Devil (1998)
British painter Francis Bacon dominates working-class model/lover.
Love to Hide, A = Une Amour Ataire (French : 2006)
Lovers hide Jewish girl, but are betrayed by one lover’s brother.
*Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)
Group of gay friends gather at country house throughout the seasons.
Love’s Doing see Cosas de Querer, La
M. Butterfly (1993)
Male female impersonator fools diplomat
Madagascar Skin (1995)
Scarred young gay man falls for older, supposedly straight man.
*Making Love (1982)
Married doctor decides he is gay.
*Mambo Italiano (2004)
Italian family in Montreal is upset when son comes out as gay.
Man of No Importance, A (1994)
Closeted, middle-aged bus conductor in 1963 Dublin takes Oscar Wilde as his hero and role model.
Man of the Year (1995)
Semidocumentary account of what happens when Playgirl’s Man of the Year turns out to be gay.
Matrimonium (2005)
Spoof of reality TV, in which straight man fools parents and friend into thinking he is gay and marrying a man, to win million dollars.
*Maurice (1987)
When English university students’ repressed love is thwarted, one takes a gardener as lover.
Maybe, Maybe Not see Bewegte Mann, Die
Men, Men, Men see Uomini, uomini, uomini
Mexican, The (2001)
Gay hit man kidnaps woman while her boyfriend seeks a mysterious Mexican gun.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Bisexual New York hustlers attempt to escape to Florida.
Midnight Dancers see Sibak
Midnight Express (1978)
Jailed Westerners experience homosexuality in Turkish prison.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
Trial of gay man in Atlanta who shot his working-class lover.
Morte a Venezia = Death in Venice (1971; Italian)
Middle-aged composer becomes obsessed with beautiful boy in Venice; cf Love and Death on Long Island.
Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green (2006)
Comic strip based romatic misadventures of 26 year old gay man.
Mouth to Mouth see Boca a boca
Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler (2003)
Young hustler hired for company by late middle aged man on the run, the real reason coming out later.
Music Lovers, The (1970)
Tschaikowsky in love with men and women.
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Young woman fails to break up her best friend’s wedding and winds up with charismatic gay man.
*My Beautiful Laundrette (1986)
Punk and Pakistani find romance in Thatcher-era London.
My Father Is Coming (Gernan : 1991)
German lesbian in NYC enlists gay male roommate to pose as her husband when her father visits.
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Hustlers have difficulty with love.
Next Best Thing, The (2000)
Alternative family of gay man, straight woman, and child falls apart.
Nico and Dani (Spanish : 2000)
Coming-of-age story of two gay and straight Spanish teen friends.
Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me (2002)
David Drake’s one man stage show about growing up gay, effectively filmed and sparingly enriched by sound and visuals.
Night Listener (2005)
Night radio show host, while his relationship crumbles, becomes obsessed by ‘phone relationship with a young fan, who may or may not exist.
No One Sleeps (2000)
German graduate student searches San Francisco for evidence that the virus causing AIDS was created as part of a biological weapon experiment, but his prospective witnesses keep being murdered. No Ordinary Love (1994) Ambisexual household copes with death, pregnancy, robbery, and mixed relationships with tragic results for some.
No se lo digas a nadie = Don’t Tell Anyone (}eruvian : 1999)
Young gay Lima student survives coming out with prejudiced father, overly devout mother, and closeted lover.
Noah’s Arc complete first season (2006) [TV series]
A Black Queer as Folk.
Normal (2003)
Late middle age married man goes through gender change.
Norman, Is That You? (1976)
Gender confusion with Red Foxx.
O Fantasma see Fantasma, O
Object of My Affection, The (1998) Straight women hopes to create family with gay man.
Okoge [aka Fag Hag] (1992; Japanese)
Woman falls in love with gay couple.
On_Line (2004)
Mixed up Internet sex lives of interlocking group of malcontents with various sexual persuasions, including on-line sex workers.
Opencam (2006)
Gay detective and gay artist whose sex partners are being murdered on Internet camcamera have torrid explicit affair.
Opposite of Sex, The (1998)
Unscrupulous teen girl seduces her gay half-brother’s lover.
Ordinary Sinner (2003)
Young prospective priest has crisis of faith when attempts to help a gay street youth fails. Complications in a love triangle and death of mentor further challenge him.
Our Lady of the Assassins see Virgen de los sicarios, La
P.S. Your Cat is Dead (2002)
A relationship develops between disgruntled actor/author and young Latino who robs him.
Page Turner, The see Food for Love
Parting Glances (1986)
AIDS affects and ends relationships.
Partners (1982)
Straight and gay cops go underground in gay community to solve murders; cf Cruising.
Paul Monette: the Brink of Summer’s End (1996)
Biographic documentary about gay writer Paul Monette Pecker (1998) Counter cultural photographer makes it big in spoof of cultural fads. Sister is gay bar hostess featuring male strippers.
Perfect Son (2002)
Straight addicted son reconciles with gay dying brother after death of father.
Petit Fils, Le = Grand Sons (French : 2005)
Slightly dotty grandmother and her gay grandson.
Phantom, The see Fantasma, O
Philadelphia (1993)
Gay lawyer with AIDS hires homophobe to sue law firm that fired him.
Passing Strangers (1976)
San Fransicans’s ad quoting Walt Whitman leads to his mentoring young gay man.
*Placard, Le [aka The Closet] (2001; French)
Dull man pretends to be gay to keep job, and finds his life becomes interesting.
Poison (1990)
Sexually obsessive relationship between two prison inmates.
Portrait of a Marriage (1990; UK; made-for-TV miniseries)
Marriage of bisexual authors Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West.
Poster Boy (2006)
Son of conservative Republican senator in close race is gay.
Pourquoi Pas! [aka Why Not!] (1977; French)
Gay couple become menage =E0 trois, then menage =E0 quatre.
Presque Rien (French Belgian : 2001)
Nineteen year old has difficulty accepting his mutual homoerotic attraction with another young man, while his family disintegrates.
Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
Biography of British gay playwright Joe Orton.
Priest (1994)
Gay Roman Catholic priest in England faces moral and ethical dilemmas.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert see Adventures of Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert, The.
Prom Queen (2004)
Gay high school student sues to take boy friend to prom.
Queer as Folk [both UK (1999-2000) and US (2000- ) [TV
series] Life in the gay fast lane in Manchester (UK)/Pittsburgh (US)
Querelle (1982; German)
French sailor makes bet with couple: if he wins, he has sex with wife; if he loses, he has sex with husband.
Quinceanera (2006; some Spanish)
LA gay teen, even though life complicated by insensitive gay couple, assists his pregnant 14 year old cousin.
Raising Heroes (1996)
Prospective gay parents who witness crime stalked by hit men.
Reality Bites (1994)
Gen-X friends coping with life include young gay man coming to terms with his sexuality.
Red Dirt (2000)
Young Mississippi man tempted from incestuous love affair by homoerotic attraction.
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)
Repressed army officer in 1940s South lusts after soldier, who is sleeping with the officer’s wife.
Relax… It’s Just Sex (1998)
Relationship, personal, and social problems of a group of gay and straight urban friends, including retaliation for gay bashing.
Rent (2005)
“La Boheme” as a rock musical telling one year in the lives of New Yorkers including one gay couple, with AIDS replacing consumption.
Rites of Passage (1999)
Gay son of homophobic father falls for convict.
Ritz, The (1976)
Man hides out from gangsters in a bathhouse.
Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975)
“Sweet transvestite transsexual Transylvanian” Dr. Frank N. Furter beds innocents Brad and Janet and creates muscleman Rocky Horror as boy toy.
Rope (1948)
Hitchcock’s version of the Leopold/Loeb case features two obviously gay characters played by two gay actors (John Dall and Farley Granger) and was written by gay playwright Arthur Laurents. Contrast with Swoon.
Roseaux sauvage, Les [aka Wild Reeds] (1994; French)
Boy loves boy, but loses to girl in 1960s Provence.
Rules of Attraction, The (2002)
Sexual and other misadventures of college students, inlucing a gay guy.
Running with Sissors (2006)
Gay young man grows up with crazy mother and her crazier psychiatrist.
*Salut Victor! (French Canadiand : 1989)
Unexpected gay love in a retirement home.
Saved! (2004)
Girl has sex with boyfriend to “save” him from gayness.
Say Uncle (2006)
Gay man seeking connection with children mistaken for pedophile.
Sergeant, The (1968)
Closeted gay army officer trying to seduce a young recruit.
Shortbus (2006)
New Yor metrosexuals include Chinese Canadian sex therapist who can have an orgasm, and gay couple who experiment with third sex partner; the most explict sex ever apart from pornography.
Sibak = Midnight Dancers (1995; Filipino)
Filipino country boys attempt to make it as homoerotic dancers.
Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
Young gay Black man cons rich WASPs by pretending to be Sidney Poitier’s son.
Sleepin’ Round (1985; Australian)
A man comes to grips with his new relationship status.
Something for Everyone (1970)
Ambitious servant seduces female and male members of noble Bavarian family.
*Sordid Lives (2000)
Bizarre death of Texas grandmother changes lives of her gay son and grandson.
Special Day, A see Giornata particolare, Una
Staircase (1969)
Middle-aged gay couple’s relationship is strained when one of their mothers comes to live with them.
Steam see Haman
Stonewall (1995)
Fictionalized account of 1969 bar raid seen as beginning of gay liberation.
Straight from the Heart see A corps perdu
Straight Jacket (2004)
1950’s gay Hollywood star is torn between fake marriage and love
Strange Fruit (2005)
Black gay New York lawyer returns to Louisiana to investigate lynching of gay cousin.
Strawberry and Chocolate see Fresa y chocolate
Substance of Fire (1997)
Dysfunctional Holocaust survivor father has trouble with children, including gay son who takes over family publishing business.
Sugar (2004)
Turbulent love affair between a teen and a hustler.
*Sum of Us, The (1994; Australian)
Aussie Dad works a bit too hard at accepting his gay son.
Summer Storm (2004 : German)
Gay rower has unrequited love for his straight best friend team mate.
*Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
Bisexual British artist juggles affairs with a man and a woman.
*Swan Lake (1996; UK; made-for-TV)
Homerotic version of classic ballet, with male swans and black swan as leather queen.
Swoon
The most homo-erotic version of the Leopold/Loeb case in which two gay men feel their intelligence places them above the law. Contrast with Rope.
Taboo see Gohatto
*Tales of the City (1993), More Tales of the City (1998)
Further Tales of the City (2001) Stories of freewheeling 70s San Francisco as TV mini-series trilogy.
Tantrums & Tiaras (1997; made-for-TV)
Behind the scenes with temperamental gay performer and icon Elton John.
Taste of Honey, A (1961)
Gay man wishes to help pregnant friend.
Taxi to the John see Taxi zum Klo
Taxi zum Klo [aka Taxi to the John] (1981; German)
German school teacher explores alternative sex.
Temps qui Reste, Le = Time to Leave (2006: France)
Gay fashion photographer deals with relationships when he learns he has terminal cancer.
Testosterone (2004)
Frantic search for ex-lover noir comedy.
That Certain Summer (1972; made-for-TV)
Son visits his gay father and lover.
Third Man Out
Nystery with gay detective.
Three to Tango (1999)
Straight pretends to by gay, wins girl
These Old Broads (2001; made-for-TV)
Gay son directs mother and two other former stars from the sixties in musical comeback.
Three to Tango (1999)
Man pretends to be gay to get project, wins girl
Threesome (1994)
Gay man, straight man, and woman share dormitory suite and eventually bed.
Time to Leave see Temps qui Reste
Times of Harvey Milk, The (1984)
Documentary about martyred gay San Francisco politician.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)
Drag queens cross U.S. in convertible. Cf. Adventures of Priscilla …
To Be or Not to Be (1983)
Theatrical troupe in Nazi-dominated Poland includes gay hairdresser.
Together Alone (1993)
Two guys hook up for uninhibited sex and conversation.
Tongues Untied (1991)
Documentary about gay Black men.
*Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
Drag queen has and loses beautiful lover, a bisexual lover, and adopts a gay son.
*Total Eclipse (1995)
Stormy affair between French poets Rimbaud and Verlaine.
*Touch of Pink, A (2004)
Blissfully happy Indo-Canadian and British gay couple visted by Indo-Canadian mother. It helps to know Cary Grant movies.
Trembling before G-d (2001)
Documentary of Jewish gay men and lesbians struggling to reconcile their sexuality with Orthodox Judaism.
Trevor (1994)
Short about attemted suicide by gay teen.
Trick (1999)
Boy next door type is attracted to male stripper.
Trio, Das = The Trio (1998 : German)
Gay grifter and daughter attracted to same bi-sexual young man.
Trip, The (2002)
Young Republican discovers he’s gay, after writing homophobic book.
Twilight of the Golds (1997; made-for-TV)
Woman must decide whether or not to abort fetus that will result in gay child.
Unconditional Love (2002)
Housewife finds fulfillment assisting lover of slain singer claim estate and find killer.
Under Heat (1998)
Brothers, one gay, cope with eccentric mother, sensual hired man.
Uomini, uomini, uomini = Men, Men, Men] (1995; Italian)
The problems of four middle aged gay Italian men.
Urbania (2000)
Bereft gay man roams among urban myths seeking revenge on gay basher.
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Investigation of life and faked murder of metosexual glamrock star.
Very Natural Thing, A (1974)
Young teacher has mismatched ideas of relationship with two successive partners.
Victim (1961)
Closeted British MP blackmailed.
Victor/Victoria (1982)
Gay man helps woman pretend to be male drag queen in 1920s Paris.
Vierde man, De = The Fourth Man (Dutch : 1983)
Bisexual man seduces woman, then her boyfriend.
Violet’s Visit (Australian : 1995)
Gay couple lives are disrupted when the adolescent daughter of one of them shows up.
Virgen de los sicarios, La = Our Lady of the Assassins
(2000 Colombian/French) Dark saga of relation of older Colombian poet to two young members of feuding gangs.
Voor een verloren soldaat = For a Lost Soldier (1993;
Dutch) Young Canadian soldier and Dutch boy have affair at end of World War II.
Walk on water (Israeli : 2005)
An Israeli agent sent to assassinate a Nazi war criminal discovers a new outlook on life through interaction with the criminal’s gay grandson.
Water drops on burning rocks see Gouttes d’eau sur pierres
brulantes
We Think the World of You (1988)
Gay man given a hard time by his jailed lover’s family.
*Wedding Banquet, The see Hsi yen
Westler = East of the Wall (1985; German)
Gay Cold War love story with men on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall.
When the Party’s Over (1991)
Sex among friends in LA
Where the Truth Lies (2005)
Atom Egoyan’s tale of male bonding between two entertainers, and the murder which ended their partnership.
Whole New Thing (English Canadian : 2005)
Precocious Nova Scotia teen develops crush on gay English teacher.
Why Not! see Pourquoi Pas!
Wilby Wondeful (2005)
Effort to turn gay crusing area into golf course disrupts island life.
Wild Reeds see Roseaux sauvage, Les
*Wilde (1997)
Biography of Oscar Wilde.
Withnail and I (1986)
Two actor friends pretend to by gay monogamous lovers to escape advances of host
Women in Love (1970)
Platonic homoerotic love with nude wrestling scene in front of fire.
*Wonder Boys (2000)
Academic author’s editor beds star student.
World and Time Enough (1995)
Parental problems, monogamy issues, and HIV threaten a relationship.
Y tu mama tambien = And Your Mother Too (Mexican : 2001)
Two young men explore their sexuality with a slightly older woman on a trip to the beach.
Yes Nurse, No Nurse see Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster
Yossi & Jagger (Israeli : 2004)
Based on true story of doomed love of two Israeli soldiers.
You Are Not Alone see Due er ikke alene
You I Love (Russian : 2005)
Moscow yuppy and girl friend become envolved with sexy street boy.
Your Friends and Neighbors (1999)
Three couples, a douzen relationships.
Zero Patience (1993)
Musical about explorer Sir Richard Burton and the first AIDS patient.