As Pride Month continues, you still have plenty of time to indulge in some great queer media to not only celebrate self-expression, but to also just watch some great movies. Here are some of my favorite movies to watch during Pride Month.
“Rocketman” (2019)
Since its 2019 release, I think “Rocketman” has maintained its status as one of the best music biographical films released.
The film is told by an adult Elton John (Taaron Egerton), who enters an addiction rehabilitation session and narrates his life starting from when he was a child. Throughout the film, the emotional toll of John’s absent father and emotionally distant mother become amplified by his identity as a gay man. “Rocketman” masterfully explores fame’s cost, while chronicling the life of one of the most influential queer musicians and activists.
I might be biased because of my love of John’s music, but the film perfectly displays how being queer is just another aspect of John’s identity, not his sole identity. It’s also one of the many aspects that made John a unique and fantastic musician. The film explores John’s sexuality openly and is quite honest about his personal struggles with addiction without getting into clichés that often define many films’ discussion of queer people.
“Rocketman” is available to stream on Paramount+ and is available to rent or buy on most major digital platforms.
“Will & Harper” (2024)
This heartfelt documentary focuses on a cross-country road trip between two lifelong friends: Will Ferrell, an actor and comedian notably known for the 2003 movie “Elf,” and Harper Steele, an Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer for “Saturday Night Live.”
After receiving an email from Harper in which she comes out as transgender, Will suggests that they reconnect by going on a trip, something Harper was known for doing before her transition. Will hopes that this trip will allow Harper to feel more confident in her identity.
What ensues is an emotional discovery of true friendship and an exploration of what it’s like to be transgender in contemporary society. The duo’s dialogue as they share personal stories is both vulnerable and comical, making it a must-watch for anyone who wants their heart strings pulled.
“Will & Harper” is available to stream on Netflix.
“Moonlight” (2016)
This film’s exploration of sexuality becomes heavily rooted in the discussion of intersectionality, where multiple parts of one’s identity factor into how they are treated by society.
Not only is the main character, Chiron, a young Black man, but he also grows up impoverished with an addict mother while questioning his own sexuality. This upbringing forces him to find parental figures in local drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae). Later in his high school years, Chiron has an intimate moment with his friend Kevin, which follows him into adulthood, becoming the only instance he truly felt connection.
“Moonlight” explores the stigma associated with sexuality in many societies. Seeing Chiron’s desperate need to feel love and acceptance is heartbreaking, especially knowing that so many queer individuals experience this struggle. “Moonlight” speaks to both the queer and Black communities, highlighting struggles that both groups face.
“Moonlight” is available to stream on HBO Max and to rent or buy on most major digital platforms.
“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)
This film stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield, a seemingly stereotypical cheerleader. However, after Megan shows more interest in her fellow cheerleaders than kissing her jock boyfriend, her friends and family stage an intervention with “ex-gay” counselor Mike (RuPaul Charles), resulting in a chaotic and campy attempt to convert her back to “normal.”
In conversion camp, the attempts to make Megan identify her homosexuality and “cure” it humorously results in the opposite happening. Megan becomes more confident in her sexuality, even finding a love interest at the camp.
While this film does a great job at bringing comedy to a dated attempt at turning a lesbian woman straight, it also stands up for queer voices in a way that was likely influential during its time. The movie uses harmful queer stereotypes and name-calling to bring a campy absurdity to the idea of attempting to erase queer people.
“But I’m a Cheerleader” is available to stream on Tubi and to rent or buy on most major digital platforms.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022)
As arguably one of the most influential films that came out of 2022, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” introduced audiences to themes of queer acceptance.
Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who runs a struggling laundromat with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) in Southern California. Her life is seemingly going to shambles as her husband attempts to divorce her, an IRS audit occurs and she has a complicated relationship with her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) who is dating Becky, her American girlfriend. When Evelyn discovers a parallel universe, she begins to reconcile with her family in order to save the multiverse.
I felt Evelyn and Joy’s mother-daughter disputes stem from their generational differences. But the journey of saving the multiverse simultaneously allowed Evelyn to accept her daughter and her sexuality.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is available to stream on HBO Max and to rent or buy on most major digital platforms.
