10 Films Every Gay Boy Should See
Following up on my list of 10 Books Every Gay Boy Should Read, here are 10 Films Every Gay Boy Should See.
This list is in no particular order and captures some of the most diverse images of gay men on film. There are undoubtedly other films that have special meaning to you, please share them in the comments.
1. Gay Sex in the 70s - is a fascinating look at gay life in NYC after the Stonewall riots in the period often referred to as the golden era of gay sexual liberation before the AIDS epidemic unleashed its hellacious fury on gay men.
2. Law of Desire - is the 1987 film from acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar shows a young, hot and virginal Antonio Banderas murderously stalking the man of his dreams. And yes, there is a seen with Antonio learning what man-on-man sex is all about.
3. Longtime Companion - follows a group of gay men in 1980s New York City whose lives are changed by the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
4. Tongues Untied - is a gorgeous blend of poetry, biography, dance and imagery created by Marlon Riggs to celebrate the Black gay male experience.
5. My Beautiful Laundrette - follows the relationship between Omar, the son of a renowned Pakistani journalist, and Johnny, a former classmate turned skinhead in 1980s London as they use stolen drug money to renovate a laundrette in a depressed working class neighborhood. The film features Daniel Day Lewis in his breakout role as the gay skinhead.
6. The Life and Times of Harvey Milk - details the life of the heroic Harvey Milk who became the first openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by anti-gay conservative Dan White. White was sentenced to a mere seven year prisoned sentence after claiming to have consumed a large quantity of Twinkies and other junk food. The mild sentence led to the White Night Riots.
7. Beautiful Thing - is an urban fairy tale of two working class British boys who fall in love despite the disapproval of their families and the neighbors.
8. Before Stonewall - shows that gay history did not begin with the Stonewall Riots, but in fact existed far before it. Through the use of archival footage and interviews, the film shows vividly what life was like when gays were forced to hide their sexuality for fear of reprisals.
9. After Stonewall - documents the progress and challenges facing the gay community since the Stonewall Riots. Like Before Stonewall, the film weaves together archival footage and interviews and chronicles key events from 1970 to the end of the 20th century, including sexual liberation, conflicts with the feminist movement, AIDS and political organization.
10. Another Gay Movie - is an American Pie-like comedy about four gay teen virgins looking to do “the big A.” Its funny, light-hearted and shows our far portrayals of gay characters in film have come since the days of loneliness, despair and suicide.
Filed under: Entertainment, HIV/AIDS, LGBT, Men, Movies, Politics, Pop Culture, Video, YouTube, sex | Tagged: gay films, gay history, gay men, gay rights, gay sex
Well, I really like romantic films and have always been jealous those silly straights get so many and we get so few. So with that said, I suggest “Big Eden.” It’s certainly idealized but I love the way this small mountain town embraces and encourages two of their own to fall in love. Their happiness is all the matters.
Shane,
That’s a great suggestion. I, too, wish there were more romantic films for gay guys.
While I wouldn’t throw out a single selection you’ve made, I’d simply have to make room there somewhere for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It’s the one film I can count on to make me laugh, no matter how many times I’ve seen it.
The Wedding Banquet
Thank you for the listing.
Add “Brother to Brother” - Nov. 2004
“Brother to Brother” is one my favorite films.
PLOT: A feature length narrative which follows the emotional journey of a black gay artist through the Harlem Renaissance.
http://www.blackflix.com/reviews/brother.to.brother.htm
Thanks everyone for your suggestions!
Where is Brokeback Mountain in this list? Can any movie on this list compare? It led me to The Ultimate Brokeback Forum which, with its 6,500 members, provides over 1,000,000 posts in 1135 topics. With the death of Heath Ledger it has had a renaissance and draws new people daily. This is a worldwide gathering the likes of which the world could not have known before the Internet.
The movie even led the Forum to publish a book - Beyond Brokeback…the Impact of a Film - where 176 of us, representing the thousands on the Forum, tell our stories of what the movie did to our lives.
I don’t think there has ever been anything like it for our people.
Bobby
I definitely agree with Longtime Companion, but would probably add Maurice, And the Band Played On, and Lost Language of Cranes to the list!
[...] Posted on February 21, 2008 by Michael Crawford An enterprising homo saw my list of 10 Films Every Gay Boy Should See and did me one better by listing 12 of his fav gay [...]
I had no idea there would be so many.. nice list
Good list.. I think it’s definitely possible to make a list of ten ‘must see’ documentaries and ten ‘must see’ narritives. I thought Another Gay Movie was a piece of junk so I would definitely not even remotely recommend it as a ‘top ten must see’ but maybe it’s important as something for us to use as a benchmark of seeing where gay film is today.
I’d replace with either the far far superior Parting Glances (1986) because it’s a great story and one of the few (maybe even the first) movie to include a living breathing character with AIDS who was not letting it destroy him or the great All the Rage (1999) a movie that earned the enmity of the community because it dared to show a very messy shallow side of the gay male psyche.
Will.
Thanks for your suggestions. I working on other lists now.
I would recommend two more - the British High School coming-of-age story “Get Real” and the sweet and painful “Latter Days” about internal religous conflict.
Great suggestions, except for Another Gay Movie which is nothing more than trashy soft-core porn with weak acting and cringe-worthy jokes.