#queer movies

[queermovierecs]

Hi all! I'm celebrating 50 reviews posted on this blog, so I thought I'd share some great queer movies that you can stream for free. And legally! This list is accurate as of February 19, 2025—at least in Canada. Happy watching :-)

Romantic Drama

Moonlight (2016), available on CBC Gem (Canada only)

God's Own Country (2017), available on CBC Gem (Canada only)

Rafiki (2018), available on Tubi

Hawaii (2013), available on Tubi

Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (2016), available on Tubi

Silent Youth (2012), available on Tubi

You and I (2014), available on Tubi

Luz (2021), available on Tubi

Esteros (2016), available on Tubi

The Strong Ones (2019), available on YouTube

Shortbus (2006), available on Plex

The Falls (2012), available on Tubi

Latter Days (2003), available on Tubi

Call Me by Your Name (2016), available on CBC Gem (Canada only)

Lie With Me (2022), available on Tubi

Historical Romance

Maurice (1987), available on Tubi

Carol (2015), available on Tubi

Sport

Mario (2018), available on Tubi

And Then We Danced (2018), available on Tubi

Coming-of-Age

Heartstone (2016), available on Tubi

Seashore (2015), available on Tubi

My Best Friend (2018), available on Tubi

Screwed (2017), available on Tubi

Sublime (2022), available on Tubi

Horror

What Keeps You Alive (2018), available on CBC Gem (Canada only)

Sci-fi/Distopia

Born in Flames (1983), available on the Internet Archive

Romantic Comedy

Signature Move (2017), available on Tubi

Just Friends (2018), available on Tubi

The Watermelon Woman (1996), available on the Internet Archive

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), available on Tubi

Big Eden (2000), available on Tubi

Comedy

Shiva Baby (2020), available on CBC Gem (Canada only)

La Cage aux Folles (1978), available on Tubi

Booksmart (2019), available on CBC Gem (Canada only)

[gayfilmgeek]

Last Spring (short film, 1954) dir. François Reichenbach

[edfartwhoreton]

Hard (1998) dir. John Huckert

[benoits-neckerchieves]

Oh my god

[pearlusha]

a movie so good i drew a poster

[esqueletosgays]

CABARET (1972)

Director: Bob Fosse Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth

[charcubed]

Pink Pony Club – Multifandom – Queer Joy

Twitter | Youtube

I felt like we all needed a reminder to keep dancing right now. Don't let them take your queer joy.

A list of everything I used is in the description on Youtube :)

("But Char, _ isn't queer media." Yes it is! Hope that helps!)

[what-shitfuckery-is-this-ew]

Watching two asian gay guys take down the model minority myth and a transphobic society with their small genderfluid child wasn't on my bingo but damn I'm glad that it exists

[theoldgvard]

nimona’s portrayal of queerness is just absolutely brilliant. it’s able to discuss the negative impacts of bigotry and ignorance on marginalised communities and anyone who is seen as breaking social norms, in this way it works as a trans allegory specifically, but it also provides the catharsis and comfort of a world where queer people are simply allowed to exist through ballister and ambrosius’ relationship. it’s a perfect balance of queer joy and queer pain that comes together to create a movie that is just a love letter to the lgbtq+ community. you are seen. you are not alone.

[dolorygloria]

ANDREW SCOTT & PAUL MESCAL in All Of Us Strangers (dir. Andrew Haigh, 2023)

[gayfilmgeek]

Caravaggio (1986) dir. Derek Jarman

[bisexual-movies]

bi movie crash (1996)

[starryalpacasstuff]

Queer Indian Media: A Compilation

A couple of days ago, @impala124 sent @lurkingshan an ask about the lack of discussion about Queer Indian Media in fandom spaces. I wrote about it here, @neuroticbookworm here, and @waitmyturtles here (both of them have excellent points, I highly recommend you read their posts!). It's become quite apparent that people are willing to watch and engage in discourse about queer Indian media, it's just that the lack of popularity and accessibility makes it harder for people to start. So, I've decided to make a list tracking all of the queer Indian media I know of, and hopefully also any meta/discourse about it, which is an idea I've had floating in my head for months now.

This list is by no means comprehensive, so if you have recs, send them my way! Text me on DM, send an ask, tag me in your posts, whatever. And though it's not possible for me to watch everything on the list, I will be slowly going through as many of these as I can and writing about them, as well as hopefully finding more stuff and easier to access versions for the ones that are harder to access right now. This post is going to be a slow work in progress, but I'm hoping to update it regularly. So, if you'd like me to keep you updated, let me know through the tags/replies and I will tag you in future posts!

I've tagged the people who've recommended certain shows alongside each show. Everything on here is available online. The hyperlinked titles lead you to the media itself, meaning that it's available for free online with subtitles. Other details will be mentioned separately.

Disclaimer: The media I have watched/read have recommendation ratings (which will not always reflect my enjoyment of something, rather are based on how much I'd recommend it). While I did lightly screen everything on here, the criteria was 'has a trailer or otherwise showing queerness to be a central theme in the story' and 'is available online', so take that into account if you decide to pick something up, and definitely watch trailers and/or skim the wikipedia pages beforehand.

Movies

Fire | English | @neuroticbookworm 

Recommendation: 9/10 A 1996 movie surrounding a lesbian couple packed with commentary on religion, class, purity culture and more. Quick Pitch + Historical Context

Kapoor & Sons | Hindi | @neuroticbookworm

Available on Netflix, Prime, and paid on Youtube and Apple TV

Kaathal-The Core | Malayalam | @neuroticbookworm 

Officially on Prime, also available grey without subtitles

Meta by @ineffable-opinions

Super Deluxe | Tamil | @neuroticbookworm 

Officially on a paid streaming service called aha, grey on youtube

Dear Dad | Hindi | @neuroticbookworm 

This is grey on youtube without subtitles, available officially on Disney Hotstar and Amazon Prime

Recommendation: 7.75 Follows a father and a son on a road trip, during which the son accidentally learns that his father is gay. The son struggles with reconciling with the new information, leading to conflict.

Geeli Puchi (Ajeeb Dastaans) | Hindi | @blorbingqls @neuroticbookworm 

Available on Netflix

Cobalt Blue | Hindi | @blorbingqls

Officially on Netflix, also available grey without subtitles

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga | Hindi | @fallsouthwinter @usertoxicyaoi @neuroticbookworm

Available officially on Netflix, but can also be found grey in two parts without subtitles

Recommendation: 8.5/10 What seems like a typical bollywood movie about a man falling in love with a girl who's family opposes their marriage takes a turn halfway through when it is revealed that the girl has a secret girlfriend. The protagonist then resolves to help the pair by convincing the family to accept them.

Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish | Bengali | @silverquillsideas @neuroticbookworm 

I believe it's available on prime, but you might need to do some digging. Also available grey on youtube without subtitles (the movie is in part Bengali, part English)

Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan | Hindi | @silverquillsideas @twig-tea @neuroticbookworm

Officially on Amazon, grey on youtube without subtitles

Maja Ma | Hindi | @flyingrosebeetle @silverquillsideas 

Available on Amazon Prime

Badhaai Do | Hindi

Officially on Netflix, available grey on youtube without subtitles

Loev | Hindi

Available on youtube with Spanish (I think?) subtitles

Margarita With A Straw | Hindi

I believe this is a cut version, it is officially on Netflix which is likely the uncut version

Recommendation: 9/10 A self-discovery story about an Indian woman named Laila with cerebral palsy with great rep and beautiful execution. Meta by @wen-kexing-apologist

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Hindi | anon

Available grey without subtitles, officially on Netflix

Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani | Hindi | @flowerbeasblog @aneechan

Officially on Jio Cinema, also available grey without subtitles

Time Out | Hindi

Available on Netflix

My Brother…Nikhil | Hindi

Available on youtube without subtitles, also on Amazon Prime

My Son Is Gay | Tamil

Hindi dub available on youtube without subtitles

Little Hearts | Malayalam | @ineffable-opinions

Available officially on Amazon Prime

There's multiple storylines, one of which is queer Meta by @ineffable-opinions

Moothon | Malayalam | @non-beingnary

This is grey on youtube without subtitles, it's officially on Amazon Prime and Zee5, both need subscriptions

Aligarh | Hindi | @ayoungroyal

This is grey with subtitles, it says the subtitles are in hindi for some reason but they're actually in English. Officially on several subscription platforms: JioCinema, Zee5, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Sisak | Hindi | @blorbingqls

Recommendation: 8.5/10 A fifteen minute silent film about two men who experience mutual attraction to one another while on the same train during their daily commute. It's impactful, and it says a lot without saying anything.

Shows

Romil and Jugal | Hindi | @anixknowsnothin

You do need a vpn if you're outside India to watch it with the above link, it's also grey on youtube without subtitles

Recommendation: 8.5/10 India's modern gay remake of Romeo and Juliet, five years before Bad Buddy Random thoughts

The Married Woman | Hindi | @a-not-knowing-bisexual-wizard

Dev DD Season 2 | Hindi

Legitimately no clue whether this and the prev are grey or official

Made in Heaven | Hindi | @flyingrosebeetle @non-beingnary @neuroticbookworm

Available on Prime

All About Section 377, Still About Section 377 | Hindi

The Story Tales S2 | Gujrati

Insomnia | Hindi

It's a streaming service I've never heard of before, not unlike Gaga, this is one of the darker shows on the list so please do check out the trailer beforehand

Amra 2GayTher | Bengali

Available on two streaming services here and here, both paid

Happy Family, Conditions Apply | Hindi | @non-beingnary

Officially on Amazon Prime, first episode available for free on the official youtube

As far as I know, it's a sitcom with a queer subplot, but I'm not sure how relevant it is to the story

His Storyy | Hindi

Officially on Zee5 for free but you do need to register, unsure of whether or not subtitles are available but guessing no

Murder In Mahim | Hindi | @soberbutsleepless

This is grey without subtitles, its available officially on JioCinema but you need a subscription

Mini gls from @twig-tea (og post here)

Firsts S3 | @tinyreadinglifelight

Neverland

Maaya 2

Last two eps do not have subtitles but the story is followable

The ‘Other’ Love Story @/silverquillsideas 

Just Another Love Story

Books

Memory of Light

Recommendation: 5/10 A historical book set during the colonial era, the lesbian romance is mostly a subplot that loses its way towards the end. It's kind of a drag, but the history component is somewhat interesting.

Don't Let Him Know

Recommendation Rating: 7.5/10 with serious trigger warnings including rape. It's a brutally honest book designed to make the reader uncomfortable, so proceed with caution. I personally liked it quite a lot, but that's majorly because of how authentic the book felt.

Falling Into Place

Recommendation Rating: 8/10 A modern lesbian romance that follows similar beats to the typical thai bl/gl. A little underdeveloped in some places, but overall quite good.

My Magical Palace

Cobalt Blue

The Paths Of Marriage

Marriage Of A Thousand Lies

[queerasfact]

We have to be really clear on the fact that the rigidity that we face in present times, from relationship to gender, is a modern construct that comes very much from the colonial forces primarily through religion. That rigidity reflects more so that colonial imprint than it does any historical accuracy, because historically many indigenous cultures left room for much more than the binary.

-Saul Williams, director of Rwandan sci-fi musical Neptune Frost

We had such a wonderful and illuminating time this week watching and talking about the Afro-futurist movie Neptune Frost, which explores the journey of genderqueer Neptune and coltan miner Matalusa, and their blossoming relationships amongst a Rwandan hacker commune.

If you're keen to watch more sci-fi, or more African cinema, I'd definitely recommend it. We were able to get it free on Kanopy through our local library!

Check out our podcast on the film if you'd like to hear some more in-depth background on its creation.

[madeleineengland]

This dialogue collects all the beautiful meaning of the movie but let's focus for a moment on Yori's "sorry I lied".

That child dared to disobey his own father and incur his punishment, again, just for Minato! These kids want so much to be together, freely and simply. They just want to be themselves with someone who truly understands them and to express their care. They want to never have to ask permission again. Why the social stigma shouldn't have let them experience their first love, their true identity?

And finally in the end they both let go of the shame. They no longer ask permission and accept themselves as they are.

- MONSTER (2023), dir. by Hirokazu Kore'eda

[esqueletosgays]

MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)

Director: David Lynch Cinematography: Peter Deming