Great queer romances on Netflix
It's LGBT History Month, so whether you're gay, bi, straight or somewhere else on the sexual spectrum, it's the perfect excuse to see more queer cinema. Here are five great depictions of queer romance that are currently streaming on Netflix to get you started
Get Real (1998)
Dir. Simon Shore
A little gem that’s been strangely forgotten, this is an irresistible comedy that should be filed with My Beautiful Launderette and Beautiful Things in the canon of heartwarming British queer romances. Ben Silverstone is quite wonderful as our gangly hero Steven, who has the hots for Brad, the best-looking, most popular lad in school and is bowled over when finds the dreamboat track-and-field star fancies him too when they bump into each other at their town's local cruising area.
The problem is, Brad's not too keen on people finding out he’s hooking up with the school’s gay pariah, going so far to beat up Steven to keep up appearances. It’s a film bursting with the ache of teen emotion, but there’s also a hilarious line every couple of minutes too.
The Way He Looks (2014)
Dir. Daniel Ribeiro
This sharply observed coming of age film from Brazil follows Leonardo, a gentle São Paulo teen who has the usual worries – school bullies – and some additional ones – he’s blind. Luckily he has a kickass best friend (Giovana) and a love of Arvo Pärt to keep him smiling. Things perk up further when handsome new kid Gabriel arrives at school and begins to stir feelings inside of Leonardo.
Only problem is that his BBF also likes Gabriel, and gets jealous when the boys go off all day to listen to Belle & Sebastian records. What makes The Way He Looks unique in the queer canon is that it isn’t coming-out that’s so much of an issue for our hero as it is being allowed to live a normal, independent life of a teenager. The filmmaking is as sunny as our likable characters, and film’s sweetness is balanced by a wry sense of humour.
Eastern Boys (2015)
Dir. Robin Campillo
This prickly story of Daniel, a lonely, middle-aged gay man, and his relationship with Marek, an undocumented Ukranian teen, is full of zig-zags. First, Marek uses Daniel, and invites his street rat mates round to rob the older man’s flash bachelor pad. Later, Marek sells his body to Daniel to do with it what he will. Next thing Marek knows, he’s fallen for Daniel and wants to share the older man's life as well as his bed.
Suffice to say, Daniel can barely keep up, and is soon having his own conflicting emotions that go beyond mere physical attraction. The story soon spills into thriller territory, but much more electrifying than the plot is the chemistry between the autumn-spring couple at the centre, which is always fascinating and in flux.
Appropriate Behaviour (2014)
Dir. Desiree Akhavan
Akhavan’s role on Girls braced audiences for a similarly astringent look at the life and love of a 20-something New Yorker, but Appropriate Behaviour is altogether more romantic. Akhavan plays Shirin, a young bisexual Persian woman who’s recently been dumped by her long term girlfriend, and, like Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, the film plays as a dissection of what went wrong in the relationship.
"I'm gonna lie here and try to forget what it felt like to be loved. Can you please turn off the light?" Shirin says near the start of the film, but heartbreak is much harder to get over than that, but this hilarious romantic comedy shows that all the pain is worth it.
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Dir. Kimberly Peirce
One of the great filmmaking debuts of the late 90s, Kimberly Pierce’s deeply felt film tells the true story of Brandon, a young trans man from Nebraska who was formally known as Teena. He’s reinvented his identity and moved to a new small town, where he falls in with a group of ne'er-do-wells; among them is Lana (a brilliant Chloe Sevigny), with whom Brandon begins a sweet romance.
Notoriously, Pierce’s film ends in tragedy, but not before giving us, in Brandon and Lana, one of the most tender love affairs in cinema.
Follow Jamie Dunn on Twitter at @JamieDunnEsq