Time to snuggle up with some feel-good queer films.
When I sat down to write this piece, I’d just seen “Love, Simon”, a beautiful film about a gay teenager and his journey towards coming out. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me leave the theatre with a big smile on my face. However, some people thought it was incredible that this film had a *SPOILER ALERT* happy ending and some even criticized the movie for not being true to life.
That was a little surprising to me. After all, there are plenty of straight films with happy – and implausible – endings. Pretty Woman, anyone? Why can’t we have happy queer films? I want to see fewer films that kill off LGBTQ+ characters or break up same-sex couples and more that celebrate us being happy.
After all, most of our community have experienced discrimination in some shape or form. We know what a broken heart feels like. Don’t we want to watch films that instead shows us the happy endings that we all want? That’s why I’ve scoured the web for seven feel-good films about LGBTQ+ women to keep you entertained this winter. So grab your favorite girl, load up your streaming service of choice, and relax in front of these lovely films.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
1. But, I’m A Cheerleader!
While a conversion “therapy” camp may not seem like the ideal location for a romance, this 90s rom-com actually allows its teenage main character, Megan, to explore her sexuality and find a girl that she loves. Bonus: RuPaul stars as an ex-gay advocate at Megan’s lesbian intervention.
Also, doesn’t Lesbian Intervention sound like a great name for your punk band?
2. Carol
A forbidden lesbian affair in the 1950s doesn’t seem like it will have a happy ending, especially when one half of the couple is going through a messy divorce and could be stopped from ever seeing her child again. Luckily, despite all the ups and downs, these ladies reunite in the closing scenes.
3. Jenny’s Wedding
This film stars Katherine Heigl as a closeted lesbian, who tells her conservative Catholic family that her long-term partner is her roommate. Unfortunately, her well-meaning parents are always trying to set her up with a nice guy so that she can get married and start a family.
Eventually, Jenny realizes that she does want to get married and have kids, so she proposes to girlfriend Kitty (played by my first female crush Alexis Bledel). They experience some backlash from Jenny’s family, but eventually, the happy couple walks down the aisle. Also, Jenny’s speech to Kitty at the altar is so precious.
4. Imagine Me & You
Like any good rom-com, Imagine Me & You contains a wedding. The catch? The bride, Rachel, soon falls for her florist Luce. Rachel tries to resist, even awkwardly trying to set Luce up with a man, and Luce has no desire to break up a happy marriage. In the end though, neither woman can deny their love. We even see Rachel rush to the airport to stop Luce from leaving the country.
5. It’s In The Water
After volunteering at an AIDS hospice, married Alex meets up with an old friend, Grace, who works there as a nurse. Grace, who has come out as a lesbian in the time since the pair last met, is the trigger for Alex realizing that she’s gay too. For a real 90s nostalgia moment, Alex rents queer films from the local video store when she’s questioning her sexuality.
It’s funny, it’s sad, but it ends with acceptance and love. Side note, I’m pretty sure Alex Jones watched this film and completely missed the point of it. During a society event, a gay man jokes that the water in the town turned him gay. This is taken out of context by people who don’t understand how water works and leads to the town testing the water, presumably for H(omo)2O.
6. Bound
Considering the serious amounts of violence in this crime thriller, I’m amazed (and thankful!) that neither of the leading ladies winds up dead, especially as the couple is trying to steal $2 million in mafia cash. Gulp!
7. I Can’t Think Straight
I was first drawn to this movie because I love a good pun, but the plot is even better. Tala is planning her wedding when she meets wannabe writer Leyla in London and they begin an illicit affair. Tala ends the affair, but not because she wants to. Instead, she feels that she is constrained by the expectations of her traditional parents and flies back to Jordon for her wedding.
The pressure gets to her though and she calls the wedding off. Meanwhile, Leyla embraces her sexuality, dumps her boyfriend, and comes out to her family. Her boyfriend and her sister even unite to get our lovely ladies back together again. #Win
So, that was my list of the best feel-good films about LGBTQ+ women to tide you over until we get a “Love, Simone” in theatres. Now, I want to hear from you. What feel-good films about LGBTQ+ women am I missing from this list?