BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Pride is just around the corner. While there won’t be any parades this year, we can still celebrate from the comfort of our homes. Let’s get excited for pride by watching ten of the most exciting international lesbian films.

My Summer of Love (2004)

This British coming-of-age drama stars Emily Blunt in one of her earliest films. Set in the Yorkshire countryside, teenager Mona (Natalie Press) meets rich teen Tamsin (Blunt) and the two strike up an unlikely friendship that soon evolves into something more. Rent My Summer of Love on Amazon.

The Secrets (2007)

If you loved Disobedience, The Secrets is for you. This Israeli film follows two young Orthodox Jewish women (Ania Bukstein and Michal Shtamler) who fall in love. Together they must determine if they are willing to completely shed the rigid gender roles and traditions of their upbringing. Rent The Secrets on Youtube.

Water Lilies (2007)

This French coming-of-age drama deals with a love triangle that unfolds among teenagers. Quiet Marie (Pauline Acquart) becomes attracted to swim captain Floriane (Adèle Haenel), while Marie’s best friend Anne (Louise Blachère) falls for François (Warren Jacquin), who is also interested in Floriane. Watch Water Lilies on The Criterion Channel.

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

This Palme d’Or winning French film is about a young woman named Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) whose life changes when she meets Emma (Léa Seydoux). As the two women fall in love, Adèle comes into her own and discovers who she is and what she wants out of life. Watch Blue is the Warmest Color on Netflix.

Below Her Mouth (2016)

This Canadian erotic drama explores a weekend-long affair between Jasmine (Natalie Krill), a successful fashion editor engaged to a man and Dallas (Erika Linder), a roofer. When the two women meet one night, they can’t deny an immediate attraction and Jasmine begins to question everything she ever knew about herself. Watch Below Her Mouth on Netflix.

The Handmaiden (2016)

This South Korean romantic thriller tells the story of Sook-Hee (Tae-ri Kim), a pickpocket, hired to pose as the handmaiden for Japanese heiress, Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim), to help a conman (Jung-woo Ha) defraud her. Everything changes when the two women fall in love. Watch The Handmaiden on Amazon Prime.

Thelma (2017)

This Norweigian thriller is about a teenage girl named Thelma (Eili Harboe). Thelma, a devout Christian, becomes confused by her budding attraction to another girl, Anja (Kaya Wilkins). Thelma accidentally awakens her latent psychokinetic powers while trying to repress her sexuality. Watch Thelma on Hulu.

Rafiki (2018)

This romantic drama from Kenya tracks Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), two free-spirited young women who become close friends despite the political differences between their families. As friendship blossoms into romance, they have to decide if being together is worth risking their safety. Rent Rafiki on Amazon.

Elisa & Marcella (2019)

This biographical Spanish movie explores the romance between two women, Elisa (Natalia de Molina) and Marcela (Greta Fernández), in the early 1900s. With same-sex marriage illegal, the two women come up with a plan for Elisa to disguise herself as a man. It is the story of the first same-sex marriage in Spanish history. Watch Elisa & Marcella on Netflix.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

This Queer Palm winning French film (from the director of Water Lilies) set in the late-18th century follows a painter named Marianne (Noémie Merlant) hired to pose as a companion to Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) to paint her portrait secretly so she can be married off. As the two women connect, they find themselves falling in love. Watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire on Hulu.