Whether you’re recovering from a chocolate induced coma, or still making your way through the edible delights this weekend had to offer, there’s no need to take it fast. We’ve hatched a plan to help you restock your Netflix list with these egg-cellent LGBT films you might have let slip by. So sit back and unwrap these gems, in tandem with the eggs:
1. Other People
Comedian Molly Shannon was robbed of an Oscar nomination for her performance in this blackly dark comedy about a young gay comedy writer, played by Jesse Plemons, who returns to his hometown from New York to look after his dying mother. A hugely auspicious directorial début for former Onion writer Chris Kelly, whose credits also include Saturday Night Live and Broad City.
2. Blue Is The Warmest Colour
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where director Abdellatif Kechiche and actresses Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos were jointly awarded the prize, Blue is the Warmest Colour focuses on the passionate love affair between student Adèle and free spirit Emma. Awarded the dreaded NC-17 rating in the US for its graphic sex scenes, do not let the three-hour running time put you off under any circumstances – it’s worth every single second of your time.
Watch Blue Is The Warmest Colour here.
3. Holding the Man
Based on the best-selling memoir by Timothy Conigrave, Holding the Man is the story of Conigrave’s 15-year relationship with his childhood sweetheart John Caleo, who died of AIDS in 1992. While lead actors Ryan Corr and Craig Stott knock it out of the park, getting them to play their younger selves was probably a bit of mistake. That said, the casting didn’t stop me from ugly crying at the end. Guy Pearse, Geoffrey Rush, Anthony LaPaglia and Kerry Fox also feature in a film that was nominated for six Australian Oscars.
4. Freeheld
Written by Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) and starring Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon and Steve Carell, Freeheld didn’t quite live up to its awards season promise, but is a worthwhile watch all the same. Moore plays Laurel Hester, a New Jersey police lieutenant who fights to secure her pension rights for her partner Stacie Andree, when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. This movie contains some striking wigs.
5. Head On
Eyebrows were most definitely raised when Heartbreak High (look it up, kids) heartthrob Alex Dimitriades took on the role of Ari, a 19-year-old struggling with his sexuality in the traditionally macho Greek-Australian community. Based on Christos Tsiolkas’ (The Slap) novel Loaded, the film was an uncompromising look at a young man slowly spiralling out of control. Directed by Ana Kokkinos, the film was nominated for nine Australian Film Awards back in 1998.
6. The Way He Looks
The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho) is a very charming Brazilian film with a great soundtrack that centres on Leonardo, a blind teenager with an overprotective mother, whose world changes when a new boy, Gabriel, arrives at his school. Very endearing with sweet performances from all the leads.
7. Dallas Buyers Club
Not exactly a film that snuck under the radar, what with its two Oscar-winning performances, but it’s still worth catching if you missed it first time around. Matthew McConaughey stars as the fast-living straight rodeo rider Ron Woodroof who contracted HIV in the mid-1980s and sought to open access to AZT for himself and others battling the disease. Jared Leto plays Rayon, a HIV-positive trans woman, who becomes Woodroof’s business partner.
Watch Dallas Buyers Club here.
8. Concussion
In Concussion (not to be confused with the Will Smith American Football movie), Robin Weigert stars as Abby, a woman who has become tired of her relationship with her partner. She begins to moonlight as a prostitute, fulfilling the desires of the other women who come to see her. Stylishly directed by Stacie Passon, who has also worked on TV show Transparent, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.
9. Saved!
A comedy that has deservedly developed cult status since its initial release in 2004, Saved! stars Jena Malone as Mary, a high school student at an ultra-hip Christian high school who discovers she’s pregnant after she has sex with her boyfriend Dean (Chad Faust), who tells her he might be gay. After Dean is sent off to a Christian treatment centre, Mary finds herself ostracised by her former friends, led by Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). Throwing one-liners from the side are Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit and Mary-Louise Parker. One for fans of Drop Dead Gorgeous.
10. The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson
If you missed it at last year’s Gaze Film Festival, this excellent documentary, directed by David France, follows the search for justice for trans activist and Stonewall veteran Marsha P Johnson, who was found dead in suspicious circumstances in New York in 1992.
Watch The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson here.
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