200 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of All Time

200 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of All Time

TAGGED AS: best, Countdown, Film, LGBT, LGBTQ, movies (Photo by A24) Our list of the 200 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of All Time stretches back 90 years to the pioneering German film, Mädchen in Uniform , which was subsequently banned by the Nazis, and crosses multiple continents, cultures, and genres. There are broad American comedies ( The Birdcage ), artful Korean crime dramas ( The Handmaiden ), groundbreaking indies (Tangerine), and landmark documentaries ( Paris Is Burning ). Over the last few years, we added titles like the documentary Welcome to Chechnya , about LGBTQ+ activists risking their lives for the...

TAGGED AS: best, Countdown, Film, LGBT, LGBTQ, movies (Photo by A24) Our list of the 200 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of All Time stretches back 90 years to the pioneering German film, Mädchen in Uniform , which was subsequently banned by the Nazis, and crosses multiple continents, cultures, and genres. There are broad American comedies ( The Birdcage ), artful Korean crime dramas ( The Handmaiden ), groundbreaking indies (Tangerine), and landmark documentaries ( Paris Is Burning ). Over the last few years, we added titles like the documentary Welcome to Chechnya , about LGBTQ+ activists risking their lives for the cause in Russia; Certified Fresh comedy Shiva, Baby ; and Netflix’s The Old Guard , a rare movie about super beings that showed a same-sex relationship between two of its heroes.
Culled from a longlist of hundreds, movies considered for the list prominently feature gay, lesbian, trans, or queer characters; concern itself centrally with LGBTQ+ themes; present its LGBTQ+ characters in a fair and realistic light; and/or be seen as a touchpoint in the evolution of queer cinema. Every movie here is Fresh, from at least 20 reviews. They’re ranked by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first. And we recognize that some of the films in the list will re-ignite healthy debates that have been fixtures of discussion around LGBTQ+ films — straight actors playing gay characters, cis actors playing trans characters, and the historical dominance of white male perspectives. We’d encourage those debates to continue, respectfully, in the comments section below. (And speaking of comments: yes, we know that But I’m a Cheerleader is missing — we love it too! — but it’s Rotten.) For our most recent update to the list, we’ve added mainstream comedies Fire Island and Bros , thriller Knock at the Cabin (featuring two pairs of husbands whose vacation is interrupted by the potential apocalypse), Disney feature Strange World (with the studio’s first openly gay lead character), Blue Jean (a British drama set during the Thatcher premiership), the extremely well-reviewed Girl Picture ), and Cannes 2023 debuts Monster and Strange Way of Life .
For now, join us as we celebrate the work of hundreds of filmmakers whose talents and risks have opened up the possibilities of cinema. Best LGBTQ+ Movies 1-100 101-200 #1 Adjusted Score: 104103% Critics Consensus: An illuminating and urgent call to action, Welcome to Chechnya portrays the horrors of the mass persecution of the LGBTQ+ community in the Chechen Republic with tenacity and tenderness. Synopsis: Activists risk their lives to confront Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his government-directed campaign to detain, torture and execute LGBTQ... [More] Starring: #2 Adjusted Score: 103491% Critics Consensus: An absorbing and affectionate tribute to a unique individual, Mucho Mucho Amor should prove fascinating for Walter Mercado fans as well as first-timers. Synopsis: Puerto Rican astrologer and psychic Walter Mercado discusses his life, career and post-fame seclusion.... [More] #3 Adjusted Score: 102742% Critics Consensus: In telling one couple's story, A Secret Love pays understated yet powerful tribute to a lifetime of choices and sacrifices made in the name of enduring devotion. Synopsis: A former baseball player keeps her lesbian relationship a secret from her family for seven decades.... [More] #4 Adjusted Score: 100897% Critics Consensus: We Were Here revisits the crises facing the gay community in the early 1980s -- and offers a powerful tribute to the inspiring resolve shown at a time of turmoil. Synopsis: During the 1970s, San Francisco became a safe haven for the gay and lesbian community, providing a place where one... [More] #5 Adjusted Score: 104981% Critics Consensus: Beautifully filmed and performed, Mäedchen in Uniform avoids easy melodrama...