BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Have we said 2020 was a weird year enough times already? Yes? Well, it was. And to be honest, we’re not sure 2021 will be any less odd. With that, we did see some terrific films, and since we’re spending all our time at home these days, good movies are just what we need. We’ve rounded up the best LGBTQ+ films from this year. Bear in mind, films like Supernova and I Carry You With Me which have gotten lots of public hype, are not coming out until 2021, so this is a list of movies you can watch now.

 

The Half of It

Sixteen years after making her feature film directorial debut with Saving Face, Alice Wu is back with a Netflix rom-com. This Cyrano de Bergerac inspired movie follows cash-strapped teen Ellie (Leah Lewis) who agrees to write love letters to Aster (Alexxis Lemire) on behalf of Paul (Daniel Diemer). However, Ellie is also interested in Aster. The Half of It is streaming on Netflix.

 

Uncle Frank

Set in 1973, Paul Bettany stars as Frank, a literature professor in NYC who returns home with his 18-year-old niece Beth (Sophia Lillis) to attend their family patriarch’s funeral. Unknown to the rest of Frank’s family, Frank is gay, and tagging along on the trip is his longtime partner Wally (Peter Macdissi). Uncle Frank is streaming on Amazon Prime.

 

The Boys in the Band

Following its stellar Broadway revival, Ryan Murphy produced this new movie adaptation of the groundbreaking play. It features the same cast and director as the Broadway version, including Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, and Andrew Rannels. The Boys in the Band is available on Netflix.

 

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

This French period romance about a painter who falls in love with her subject while painting a wedding portrait for her, may have gotten all the hype in 2019, but its wide release in the U.S. was February, 2020, so we’re including it on this list. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is streaming on Hulu.

 

The Thing About Harry

This TV movie aired on the Freeform channel and is notable for being the first Valentine’s Day TV movie about a queer couple, and having a pansexual lead. It follows the romance between former classmates Sam (Jake Borelli) and Harry (Niko Terho). The Thing About Harry is streaming on Fubo.

 

Monsoon

Hot off his star-turning performance in Crazy Rich Asians, Henry Golding shows us that he can also handle small-scale, quiet dramas with this movie about a gay Vietnamese-British man who returns to Vietnam for the first time in 30 years and strikes up a romance with an American ex-pat. Monsoon is available on Spectrum TV.

 

Ammonite

Francis Lee’s follow-up to his hit directorial debut, God’s Own Country, follows the blossoming romance between real-life paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and wealthy housewife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan). Whether Anning was gay in real life is unknown. Ammonite is available on Spectrum TV.

 

Straight Up

This indie comedy written and directed by James Sweeney follows Todd (Sweeney), a gay man in his twenties with moderate-severe OCD. When he meets Rory (Katie Findlay), he convinces himself he might be straight. Yes, that does sound odd and possibly regressive, but it’s an outstanding film. Straight Up is available on Netflix.