Pride Month 2024 Queer Movie Recommendations (Part I)

All the queer movies I’ve enjoyed in June (or, you know, close to June) thus far.

New(ish) movies:

Femme

My favorite movie of 2024 so far, hands down. Utterly tense, shockingly sexy, and extraordinarily thought-provoking. A perspective I’ve never seen explored so thoroughly, let alone so provocatively (and, quite frankly, fucking perfectly – this movie hits every beat just right). It will make you uncomfortable, and that’s the point. Everyone should see this movie, but especially every man.

Backspot

Netflix’s Cheer meets… indigenous and queer? That sounds like a joke, but cheerleading is seriously such an intense sport (despite not being officially recognized as one – which actually results in even more mind-blowing, not to mention dangerous, stunts being performed due to the lack of regulation), and this movie showcases the immense pressure these athletes are under. Devery Jacobs is pitch perfect as the ambitious, anxious athlete (her anxiety manifests mainly as trichotillomania—compulsive hair plucking—and panic attacks). The indomitable Evan Rachel Wood is, in her character’s words, a Brick. Shit. House. But there are also tender moments of queer community and care that shine through and raise the film to another level; particularly one involving makeup and Thomas Antony Olajide, who does a beautiful job.

Slay

This movie is From Dusk Til Dawn, but with a lovable cast of drag queens and southern oddballs, a fabulous soundtrack (complete with an onstage drag performance of WAP), and a ton of truly memorable outfits and one-liners. Props to Tubi for taking a chance on this one.

Am I OK?

This movie has been dragged in some corners of the queer interwebs for being too white, too thin, too privileged… but you know what? Baby steps, folks. This may not check every intersectional queer box (though I’d argue it has a pretty diverse cast, including Kiersey Clemmons, Sonoya Mizuno, and Jermaine Fowler; as well as a number of queer actors such as Dakota Johnson who is bisexual – but of course, for some people, bi will never be enough), but it does clearly check the “shy, late-blooming lesbian” box, and that’s something that I think so many millennials can relate to right at this very moment – myself included!

When you grew up in the toxic early 2000s and “lesbian” was a slur, it’s not that wild to reach your thirties before realizing you’re gay; it’s quite literally something I experienced myself only a few years ago as a bisexual woman. Add to that the millennial propensity for staying in rather than going out clubbing, and you have a movie that’s actually surprisingly niche when it comes to a specific kind of uncomfortable queer experience. Finally, the film is based on screenwriter Lauren Pomerantz’s own experiences – and who are you to tell her she shouldn’t write about that? We’re seeing all kinds of queer films come out these days; in my opinion, we should be uplifting the ones we love rather than wasting energy tearing down the ones we don’t personally relate to. Critique is one thing, but to say that a movie shouldn’t exist (particularly one made by queer people) because you didn’t like it is a whole other thing.

Okay, spiel over. I actually related even more to the changing dynamic between the two (platonic, but tightly enmeshed) main characters when their lives start going in completely, irrevocably different directions for the first time. It’s so fucking hard when your life takes a new, scary-but-exciting direction and the friend you love most in the world doesn’t have the capacity to give you the full-on attention they once did. But it’s also a part of growing up. (Also see: Life Partners (2014)).

Hit Man

So this isn’t technically a queer film, but it induced so much bi panic in me that I had to include it. I love a good role play, especially when the chemistry between the two main actors (Adria Arjona and Glen Powell) is this undeniable. Beyond that, the story kept me guessing the whole way through, and it was ridiculously fun watching Powell eat up his many roles.

Under Paris

A movie about female sharks that can reproduce without the need for male sharks, taking over the world… it just feels fucking gay, doesn’t it?

Challengers

Yes, I finally saw Challengers when it came out on digital for rent. It didn’t blow me away like I thought it would, but I also can’t discount how much I enjoyed the (male, repressed) bi-ness of it all. Worth a watch, but I wish there’d been more tennis, to be honest.

Old(er) movies:

Biosphere (2022)

I don’t want to give away anything about this odd, unpredictable little gem – so please just trust me that this movie is very much worth taking a chance on. All I’ll say is that it’s a meditation on masculinity and gender, among other timely topics. Mark Duplass continually surprises me in the best ways, and Sterling K. Brown is literally always a pleasure to watch.

The Novice (2021)

“Intense queer athlete” is obviously one of my favorite genres. This movie is dark, man. The main character’s queerness isn’t really a plot point (which is cool, I equally love a movie where queerness is just a given), but Alex definitely belongs in the pantheon of extreme-Type-A queer characters.

Habit (2021)

I only watched this for the aesthetic and Andreja Pejic, but it turned out to be a kitschy, campy, trashy-fun time. Bella Thorne looks great in a nun’s habit, too.

What are your favorite Pride Month movies (new or old)? Tell me in the comments!

Images from IMDB.com.