LGBT cinema and film : The 10 best lesbian films on Netflix
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LGBT Cinema and Film : It’s fair to say that we live in a time when movie studios have realized that audiences want more LGBTQ films. Lesbian films, in particular, are experiencing a golden age, where more and more films about women who love women are being produced.
Yet sometimes it’s hard to find the right movie, or one that treats homosexuality with the respect and attention it deserves. These films exist: queer filmmakers are on the rise and the stories they tell are as honest as possible.
LGBT cinema and film
In this list, you will find the best lesbian movies available on Netflix US. These films focus on one or more lesbian characters, with stories that may or may not be exclusively about a lesbian relationship. These highly entertaining films feature some of the best scenes of lesbian love and desire. Warning: some of them will leave you with tears in your eyes.
LGBT cinema and film
LGBT cinema and film
Duck Butter (2018)
Duck Butter (2018), by Miguel Arteta, is an independent film about two Los Angeles women who, after meeting in a bar, try to live a full relationship in twenty-four hours. The film stars Alia Shawkat, known for her role as Maeby Fünke on the sitcom Arrested Development and, more recently, as Dory Sief on the comedy series Search Party. Next to Shawkat was critically acclaimed rising Spanish actress Laia Costa, who played the titular character in Victoria .
Struggling actor Nima (played by Shawkat) is hired for her first major film role, but she doesn’t seem to achieve the vulnerability her co-stars have on set. At a gay bar in Los Angeles, she meets Sergio, an eccentric Spanish speaker with whom she ends up going home. After making love, they jokingly reach an agreement: they will have a whole relationship in one day. While Shawkat wrote the script with the director, much of the film was improvised by the two actresses. This was only possible due to the fact that Shawkat and Costa have a very strong chemistry, which allowed them to explore their one-day relationship with great intimacy.
Duck Butter contains a lot of sex. Part of the agreement between Nima and Sergio is that they will have sex every hour, in order to approximate the total intimacy of long-term couples. Shawkat is a bisexual woman in real life and as such had to coach her heterosexual co-star on how lesbian sex was going. Costa was determined to portray this crucial part of lesbian women’s lives in the most authentic way possible. Luckily, she and Shawkat found they were very comfortable with each other, which led to a beautiful and honest portrayal of women loving women.
Elisa and Marcela (2019)
Elisa & Marcela [Elisa y Marcela] (2019) , by Isabel Coixet, is a romantic drama film based on the life of the lesbian couple who would become Spain’s first same-sex marriage. For those who don’t know Coixet, know that she is one of the most famous directors in Spain, and one of the most prolific too. She has worked in the Spanish film industry for over fifty years, during which she has won numerous local and international awards.
Set in 1898, the film follows Marcela Ibeas (played by Greta Fernández), a young woman who begins attending a strict Catholic school in the city of La Coruna, Galicia, Spain. There she meets the older, wilder Elisa (Natalia de Molina), and the two become friends. They spend most of their time together, both at school and in their free time. One day, while visiting one of La Coruña’s many beaches, Elisa told Marcela that it was the happiest she had ever been. The girls fall in love with each other, but Marcela’s stern and mean father knows about this. He sends Marcela to a boarding school in Madrid. The film follows them as they talk through letters and reunite, years later.
The film deals with the struggles that in real life Elsa and Marcela had to go through to be together. Their separation at the hands of Marcela’s father was only the first of many attempts to separate them. The ending of the story, however, does not disappoint. Perhaps the best part of Elsa and Marcela is the portrayal of their marriage. In order to get married, Elisa adopted a false male identity, which fooled the priests of St. George’s Church. To date, their marriage has never been revoked.
LGBT cinema and film
Let It Snow (2019)
Let It Snow (2019), by Luke Snellin, is a romantic comedy film set during Christmas time. It is an adaptation of Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances , a young adult collaboratively written by three bestselling novelists: Maureen Johnson ( The Bane Chronicles ), Lauren Myracle ( Internet Girls) and John Green ( Looking for Alaska , The Fault in Our Stars , Paper Towns ). This Netflix original production features an ensemble cast made up of several talented and trendy young actors and actresses.
A snowy Christmas Eve approaches and the lives of eight high school students are about to change. Since her mother is ill, Julie (Isabela Merced) cannot realize her dream and go to Colombia. But dating famous pop star Stuart (Shameik Moore) could change her outlook on her situation. Fearful Tobin (Mitchell Hope) is in love with his longtime friend Angie (Kiernan Shipka). Frustrated with her boyfriend Jeb (Mason Gooding), Addie (Odeya Rush) upsets her friend Dorrie (Liv Hewson). Meanwhile, Dorrie tries to deal with Kerry (Anna Akana), who is in love with her but hasn’t come out. And then there’s Keon (Jacob Batalon). He just wants to impress a famous DJ by throwing a big party that all the band members will attend.
The best part of Let It Snow is undoubtedly Dorrie and Kerry’s lesbian romance. Their love story about dealing with the pressures of being inside the closet and feeling unsafe hanging out with friends and family will resonate with many watchers. Best of all, both actors are part of the LGBTQ community in real life: Anna Akana is bisexual and Liv Hewson is a non-binary person who is attracted to women. This staple gives their romance in Let It Snow an authenticity that’s hard to match. It’s a great feel-good movie to watch during a queer Christmas.
LGBT cinema and film
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Wine Country (2019)
Wine Country (2019), by Amy Poehler, is a comedic film about a group of friends who go on vacation to Napa Valley, a region of Northern California known for its vineyards. The film was Poehler’s first as a director, although the famed Saturday Night Live comedian had experience in the role directing sitcom episodes (as includes Parks and Recreation, the well-regarded sitcom where she starred ) . played the role of Leslie Knope). With a cast of great SNL alumni, in both the acting and writing department, Wine Country uses these talented comedians to tell a heartwarming story of sisterhood and female love.
The sequence is as follows: Rebecca (Rachel Dratch) celebrates her 50th birthday and wants to have a quaint birthday, but her friend Abby (played by Poehler) insists on doing something different. She suggests spending a weekend in Napa Valley, a tourist hotspot for middle-aged Americans, with their four longtime friends: Catherine (Ana Gasteyer) is a successful but jealous businesswoman, Jenny (Emily Spivey) is a writer feeling unhappy, Naomi (Maya Rudolph) just wants a break from her kids, and Val (Paula Pell) is a lesbian looking for someone to love. During their journey, they will reminisce about the old days and come to terms with their new life. Some of them may find something new, maybe a friend or something.
Wine Country features a very sweet lesbian romance between Val and Jade (Maya Erskine). The characters in this film are deeply inspired by their actors, so it’s no surprise that Pell’s search for a romantic lesbian relationship after her divorce was reflected in Val’s character. When the lovers meet, Val had been alone for some time. It’s rare to see a relationship with an age gap told well, yet the film manages to nail the beauty of a relationship between two women who respect and love each other.
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