Film & TV Recs: Foreign LGBT movies

My small offering to you in these horrible times is a list of ten LGBT movies made outside of the US (or even UK, for that matter). It’s good to remember that the world doesn’t start and end with North America, and LGBT people actually live everywhere around the globe. You might also be interested in one of my previous posts, about movies with two QPOC leads.

And a quick reminder that on this blog we do not recommend movies with trans characters played by cis actors, ever.

Alice Júnior (2019)

dir. Gil Baroni
Letterboxd
Country: Brazil
Rep: poc trans sapphic mc, gay side character, sapphic side character
TW: transphobia, dead-naming, physical assault, vomiting

Why Should I Watch It?

In a giant part thanks to editing, it’s a really cute & fun movie. But the story itself, despite all the transphobia Alice has to face after moving to a small town, is actually very sweet, too. It’s as much about existing in the world as a minority, as it is about growing & allowing yourself to look beyond your own (small) prejudices. It’s about finding friendship in unexpected places. (Also Alice’s father is probably the most supportive father I have ever seen on the screen.)

Twilight’s Kiss/叔・叔 (2019)

dir. Ray Yeung
Letterboxd
Country: Hong Kong
Rep: gay mc & li, gay side characters
TW: homophobia, internalised homophobia

Why Should I Watch It?

This is a very quiet, melancholic movie. There’s not a lot that happens, but each event leaves an impact on the characters. And there’s a number of scenes where not a single word is spoken, but those tell as much of a story as the dialogues do. It’s a movie about two elderly men who start a relationship despite, well, close to everything being against them. But it also tackles the lives of older gay generation in general, as well as family ties & religion. A lot is packed in there, and yet all of it is treated with care.

The Strong Ones/Los fuertes (2019)

dir. Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo
Letterboxd
Country: Chile
Rep: gay mc & li

Why Should I Watch It?

It’s one of my favourite movies that I’ve seen in 2020 and it’s not an exaggeration to say that I think about it all the time (especially this scene, where they just dance together in the kitchen). It’s a very soft movie, and once again one that also focuses on the familial relationships. The ending is somewhat bittersweet, but all those times when Lucas smiles into the kisses he shares with Antonio? For that alone, it’s a must-watch.

Several Conversations About a Very Tall Girl/Câteva conversații despre o fată foarte înaltă (2018)

dir. Bogdan Theodor Olteanu
Letterboxd
Country: Romania
Rep: lesbian mc & li, lesbian side characters
TW: homophobia, internalised homophobia

Why Should I Watch It?

It’s not exactly a happy movie, but it is a beautiful & authentic one. It’s a little bit of a matryoshka doll, with one of the main characters making movies herself: they’re about defining parts of (lesbian) relationships, which is to say about tenderness. A lot of the story is told through what the main character doesn’t allow herself to do, to have; through all her little actions of denial that are dictated by what the society taught her to believe.

The Firefly/La luciérnaga (2013)

dir. Ana Maria Hermida
Letterboxd
Country: Colombia
Rep: sapphic mc & li
TW: death, grief

Why Should I Watch It?

First of all, it’s an absolutely visually stunning movie. The imagery used is beautiful, and makes perfect sense for the subject of the movie. It starts with death, but it ends with love. And despite of dealing with themes as heavy as grief after loosing a loved one, it’s actually just soft and tender. It’s very delicate, and feels kind of healing.

Harvest/Stadt Land Fluss (2011)

dir. Benjamin Cantu
Letterboxd
Country: Germany
Rep: gay mc & li

Why Should I Watch It?

I don’t know if you watch a lot of indie (and especially foreign) gay movies, but they tend to be rather quiet and slow, and to tell the story more through images than through words. Harvest is no exception. Which of course, isn’t to say that it’s just like every other movie & not memorable. It’s a little bit magical, actually, in all the simplicity of life it portrays. And yeah, it’s not flashy or colorful, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Lola/Lola vers la mer (2019)

dir. Laurent Micheli
Letterboxd
Country: France, Belgium
Rep: trans mc, Muslim gay side character
TW: transphobia, death of a parent

Why Should I Watch It?

It’s not an easy movie, for multiple reasons. There’s the very transphobic father, there’s the mother who died of cancer… But at the center, there’s Lola, who’s strong and confident, and who manages to thrive despite everything that the world throws at her. And that’s the true power of this movie: the fact that it didn’t choose the tired route of centering a transphobic character and their journey to become a decent human being. But instead, it focuses on the trans girl, and makes her into a multifaceted character she deserves to be. (There’s also Sami Outalbali, whom you probably remember from his role in Sex Education!)

And Then We Danced/და ჩვენ ვიცეკვეთ (2019)

dir. Levan Akin
Letterboxd
Country: Georgia
Rep: gay mc, mlm li, side mlm characters

Why Should I Watch It?

Charlotte actually wouldn’t let me make this rec list without including this movie; she might not be watching a lot, as a rule, but it is one of her favourites. And she’s right, as a matter of fact. It’s beautiful, to the point of almost being haunting. It’s very bittersweet, but actually ends on a hopeful note (even if not in a way you would initially hope for). It talks a lot about what it’s like to be a gay person in general, but also a gay person in Georgia specifically. Also, Georgian traditional dance is incredible, in case you didn’t know. (I’m using a Polish poster, because I just really love it.)

Just Friends/Gewoon vrienden (2018)

dir. Annemarie van de Mond
Letterboxd
Country: Netherlands
Rep: gay mc, Syrian gay li
TW: homophobia

Why Should I Watch It?

We always ask for gay rom-coms, but actually the best of them already exists and it’s this. There’s an honest to God meet-cute; there’s a main character with daddy issues; there’s the cheesiness of making a video edit for your crush or of dressing up for a date; there’s Sufjan Stevens’ music in the background… Tell me, what more could you possibly need from a movie?

Where We Belong/ที่ตรงนั้น มีฉันหรือเปล่า (2019)

dir. Kongdej Jaturanrasmee
Letterboxd
Country: Thailand
Rep: sapphic mc & li

Why Should I Watch It?

Listen, let’s be honest, sometimes you just want to watch a slow-paced movie about two women realising what their relationship truly means to them. Sometimes that’s really all you need. Or maybe it’s just me… It’s one of those movies that isn’t explicit with its rep, but only because what we are shown should be enough to understand the emotions underneath it all anyway. I’ve seen someone describe this movie as “quietly heartbreaking”, and actually that is a perfect description.

If you liked this post, consider supporting me on ko-fi.