hollywood lgbtq love
Love and loss often seem to go hand-in-hand in real life, so it isn’t surprising that a few gay-themed films considered the most romantic also involve death and dying. The Oscar-winning gay cowboy
redwoods I would add to these David Lewis’ 2009 film
Redwoods, starring gay fave Matthew Mont- gomery and the beautiful Brendan Bradley as two men who embark on a life-changing relationship that endures beyond death, as well as Tom Ford’s exquisiteA Single Man (also 2009). Colin Firth scored a deserved Academy Award nomination for his moving yet frequently funny turn as a gay university professor grieving the sudden death of his partner.
As if being homosexual, bisexual or trans
wasn’t considered unorthodox enough, a few recent movie gems feature unexpected romances between unusual pairings. From Beginning to End is a 2009 Brazilian film about an Olympics-bound swimmer in love with another man. The catch? The two are half-brothers who were raised together from a young age. So controversial, it was never released theatrically in the U.S., but worth seeking out on home video or streaming. Then there’sPlan B from Argentina, in which two heterosexual men bond as friends over one’s messy breakup with his girlfriend (whom the other man is now dating) but ultimately become lovers. I found this film refreshing in its disdain for sexual labels and very touching in the end.
brokeback mountain
sagaBrokeback Mountain (2005) is the undisputed champ in this regard and the film has resonated even more strongly in the wake of co-star Heath Ledger’s tragic death just a few years after its release. Other tragic love stories mentioned by my Facebook pals are the revolutionary AIDS dramasParting Glances(1986) and Longtime Companion (1989), Harvey Fierstein’sTorch Song Trilogy (1988), the fact-basedSoldier’s Girl (2003), A Home at the End of the World (2004) and the 2009 Peruvian, gay ghost storyContracorriente(Undertow).
Of course, the newest gay, cinematic love
story is the current multi-award darling Moonlight. Based on an autobiographical play, it depicts a neglected black boy’s coming of age including his first sexual experience as a teenager with his best friend. They reconnect as adults in the film’s final, hopeful segment.
the circle The Circle (2014) is an even more factual, from beginning to end
inspiring love story. Director Stefan Haupt employs a combination of documentary footage and dramatic recreations to relate the decades-spanning romance between Ernst Ostertag and Robi Rapp. They met as young men in the 1950s and fought right-wing oppression in their native Switzerland. Both were still alive and together at the time of the film’s production.
2010’sPaulista, also from Brazil, boasts a
male-to-female, trans title character who knowingly has an affair with her initially in-the-dark but increasingly vulnerable father. It isn’t for everyone but some trans viewers may find their dilemma intriguing, to say the least. More recently,The Danish Girl recounts the story of the first man to undergo gender-reassignment surgery. This Oscar-winning, 2015 biopic is unique in that it begins as a heterosexual romance between its married subjects, but becomes more queer as the wife grows to support her transgender husband/wife.
paulista trick Trick, Jeffrey,Fried Green Tomatoes, Yossi &
Jagger (I would add its 2012 sequel, simply titled Yossi, too),The Wedding Banquet, Carrington and Big Eden wrap up the remainder of my Facebook friends’ nominees for most romantic, LGBTQ films of all time and I agree with most of these. Wherever you find inspiration, we wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day!
moonlight
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RAGE monthly | FEBRUARY 2017
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