These queer films are sure to pull on your heartstrings
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGES BY HULU, LIONSGATE AND FOCUS FEATURES
While singletons everywhere are very happy for their coupled up friends this Valentine’s Day (we are we promise!), it can be difficult not celebrating the holiday. You can’t go out, because everywhere is booked, but sometimes it’s nice to acknowledge this day of love.
Well, if this sounds like you, we’ve got a fabulous way to spend your evening – a movie marathon! Grab the popcorn and your comfiest clothes and settle down in front of the TV to watch these amazing sapphic rom-coms…
But I’m A Cheerleader
A staple of queer cinema, But I’m A Cheerleader is perhaps one of the most popular lesbian films ever made. The 1999 film is a satirical rom-com, following Megan (Natasha Lyonne). She is a high-school cheerleader who is very clearly a lesbian, despite believing being a cheerleader makes this impossible, and is sent by her parents to a conversion therapy camp.
While there, Megan instead comes to embrace her sexuality, especially after meeting Graham (Clea DuVall), a college student and fellow camper, despite being much more comfortable in her sexuality.
Drive Away Dolls
2024 was a great year for sapphics, not least because Drive Away Dolls was released. Set in the 1990s, the crime caper stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two lesbian best friends, whose road trip is soon waylaid by the mysterious briefcase they find in the boot of their car. As they become embroiled in a criminal scheme, will they realise they are more than friends?
The Watermelon Woman
Did you know this was the first film directed by a black lesbian? Cheryl Dunye not only directed this romantic comedy-drama, but also wrote, edited and starred in it. Cheryl’s character, also called Cheryl, is a young black lesbian working in a video story whilst making a film about Fae Richards, a fictional 1930s black actress. On the way, a romance sparks between Cheryl and Diana (Guinevere Turner), a white lesbian. The romance is not the central plot point, but we love any opportunity to watch this amazing film!
The Incredibly True Adventure Of Two Girls In Love
Randy (Laurel Holloman) is a high-school student who lives with her lesbian aunt Rebecca (Kate Stafford), Vicky (Sabrina Artel), Rebecca’s girlfriend, and Lena (Toby Poser), Rebecca’s ex. Shunned by her peers, Randy spends most of her time alone, until she starts hanging out with the popular Evie (Nicole Ari Parker). What happens next is a year they will never forget.
The Half Of It
There have been many versions of Cyrano, including a very good and very queer play by Virginia Gay. But if you want a sapphic version you can watch at home, you can’t do much better than The Half Of It. Moving the French story to Midwest America, this version sees Ellie (Leah Lewis) help Paul (Daniel Diemer) win over the beautiful Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). The only issue? Ellie is also in love with Aster.
Booksmart
This one is more of a film about friendship, but a key theme is whether or not Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) will ever be truly honest about her sexuality. As they prepare to go to university, best friends Amy and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) realise they have not enjoyed their time at high school and seek to rectify this as soon as possible. As part of this, Molly pushes Amy to pursue her crush on a girl named Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), but trying to keep up with Molly’s ever increasing desire to have the night of their lives proves tricky for Amy.
Cloudburst
Unlike the previous films on this list, Stella (Olympia Dukakis) and Dotty (Brenda Fricker) are already in an established relationship at the start of Cloudburst. Set in 2011, they live together happily in Maine, until Dotty’s granddaughter announces she will be moving her into a nursing home. To stop their impending separation, the two embark on a Thelma And Louise-style road trip to Nova Scotia to get married.
Crush
When Paige (Rowan Blanchard) is wrongly accused of vandalising her school’s walls, her punishment is to join the track team. Luckily for Paige, this is the chance she’s been waiting for to pursue her longtime crush, Gabby (Isabella Ferreira). So what happens when Paige starts to spend more time with Gabby’s charming twin sister AJ (Auli’i Cravalho)?
Saving Face
Wil Pang (Michelle Krusiec) is a successful surgeon in New York City, but this isn’t enough for her mother Hwei-Lan (Joan Chen), who wants her to get married. What Wil’s mother doesn’t know is that she is a lesbian and in a relationship with dancer Vivian (Lynn Chen). This is a secret Wil is happy to keep from her mother. Until, one day, Hwei-Lan’s secret pregnancy means she must move in with her daughter and keeping a secret becomes a lot harder.
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