I’m sure y’all noticed that weird trend in Hollywood where if one half of a gay couple is POC, the other, without fail, is white. Yeah, we can have some diversity, but just not too much.
So that’s why this rec list came to be. Here you will find ten gay and lesbian movies where both the main character and the love interest are QPOC. Turns out, it’s not impossible to achieve!
Monsoon (2019)
dir. Hong Khaou
Letterboxd
Rep: Vietnamese mlm mc, Black mlm li
Why Should I Watch It?
This is a very gentle, quiet movie. It doesn’t use dialogues so much as images to tell a story, but it still manages to talk about a lot of big, important issues. It’s one of those great movies that let gay characters be actual people with problems separate from being gay, but which never forget how vital a part of our lives being gay is. But being a foreigner in your own home country is just as huge.
Hearts Beat Loud (2018)
dir. Brett Haley
Letterboxd
Rep: Black sapphic mc & li
Why Should I Watch It?
I might be wrong, but I feel like most people overlook this movie. And why, when it’s such a little gem? You have a Black sapphic teen at its center, and the fact that she’s sapphic is almost an afterthought (similarly like in Monsoon). But in a way that she has Things to work through, her whole life to figure out, and she just also happens to have a girlfriend. It’s not often that you see something this lowkey and groundbreaking.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)
dir. Shelly Chopra Dhar
Letterboxd
Rep: Punjabi lesbian mc, Hindu lesbian li
Why Should I Watch It?
Okay, yes, this movie feels like it’s made for the straight audience. But think about how we don’t all live in the US, how it’s made for a straight Indian audience and is basically a first major movie over there with a lesbian lead played by a hugely popular actress. And at the end of the day, it’s still a cute story about how gay love is stronger than literally anything in the world.
Dear Ex (2018)
dir. Mag Hsu & Chih-yen Hsu
Letterboxd
Rep: Taiwanese gay mc & li
Why Should I Watch It?
So you will cry, but also did you really expect anything else after reading the description? The tears will come from a good place, though, not just simply because gay people suffered. And there’s this one scene where the gay guys talk about how even if one of them is not out to his mother, they are still themselves. For that sentiment alone, I would watch this movie every single day.
Saving Face (2004)
dir. Alice Wu
Letterboxd
Rep: Chinese-American lesbian mc & li
Why Should I Watch It?
Early 2000’s were such a good time for lesbian movies, wow. Sure, Saving Face is a classic, but it never hurts to remind people about it. And frankly making a list like this without mentioning one of the best lesbian romcoms ever made… That would be just hilarious of me.
Naz & Maalik (2015)
dir. Jay Dockendorf
Letterboxd
Rep: Black Muslim gay mcs
TW: Islamophobia, racism, homophobia
Why Should I Watch It?
Not exactly an easy movie for a fun afternoon, but nonetheless manages to be soft and tender. Which is to say gay love can be portrayed as beautiful and delicate, and powerful, without any unnecessary moments of eroticism (fetishization…). Anyway, fuck cops.
Moonlit Winter (2019)
dir. Lim Dae-hyung
Letterboxd
Rep: South Korean wlw mc, South Korean-Japanese wlw li
Why Should I Watch It?
At the first glance, it seems like a cold, cold movie. The kind to make you cry from real sadness. But let it fool you. It’s actually a beautifully heartwarming story. Truly like a warm cup of tea at the end of a winter day. Once again, gay love is stronger than anything.
Goodbye Mother (2019)
dir. Trinh Dinh Le Minh
Letterboxd
Rep: Vietnamese gay mc, Vietnamese-American gay li
Why Should I Watch It?
Okay, so this is a story old as time: gay boy wants to come out to his (conservative) family, it doesn’t exactly go smoothly. But really, what matters is how you tell the story and all of its components. Here we have a fresh take, surprisingly funny enough at times that you could call this just as much a comedy, as a drama. It’s also very interesting to see this particular conflict play out on Vietnamese soil, with a different set of biases and expectations than a Western viewer would usually get in a movie.
The Same People (2019)
dir. Giancarlo Abrahan
Letterboxd
Rep: Filipino mlm mcs
Why Should I Watch It?
A simple story, in terms of things happening one after another. Not so simple in terms of feelings. And really, no one watches a romance-focused movie for the plot-twists, but for the love story. And that aspect here is wonderful and real, and complicated. It’s a story of growing apart, of lost chances, of making bad choices, of looking for love in all the wrong places.
Billie and Emma (2018)
dir. Samantha Lee
Letterboxd
Rep: Filipino lesbian mcs
Why Should I Watch It?
Don’t look as I’m putting yet another coming of age movie on this rec list… That’s not a crime, is it? Especially when I recommend you a very sweet, very cute movie about two teen lesbians who fall in love for the first time. They just want to grow up and to make the other happy, to show the other beautiful things, to make the other feel safe and loved. And frankly, what more could you need from a story.
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nisa
Hello, thank you for making this list i really appreciate it since lgbtq+ poc is rarely represented. I also want to recommend you another poc mlm lgbtq+ series from thailand, it’s called I Told Sunset about You, it’s a coming of age five episodes series with great storytelling, great music, and great cinematography. If you can afford it you can watch the episodes legally on vimeo on demand : https://vimeo.com/itoldsunsetaboutyou
however if it’s too expensive for you, you can find the series on dramacool site. You can watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/KIylNdQuR-w
readsrainbow
i’m very happy u found the list useful!
and thank you for your rec! will check it out as soon as possible! i haven’t seen this show before so im very excited!
– anna