The 15 best, most unmissable LGBTQ+ movies of 2024 – including some you might not have heard of
All of Us Strangers and Queer are among our top LGBTQ+ films of the year. (Searchlight Pictures /A24)
2024 has been a major year for LGBTQ+ movies.
From All of Us Strangers to Queer, touching documentaries to horny dramas, this year has been packed full of LGBTQ+ gems that range from big studio hits to indie darlings.
With queer creators helming these stories, brought to life by LGBTQ+ actors’ authentic depictions, LGBTQ+ cinema is moving away from predictable stereotypes and pushing the boundaries of conventional archetypes.
2024 has also seen some history-making performances, for example Emilia Pérez‘s Karla Sofía Gascón, who became the first publicly trans woman to win best actress at the Cannes Film Festival – as well as powerful documentaries highlighting what it is to be trans in today’s world.
Without further ado, and ordered by their release date, here are PinkNews’ top LGBTQ+ movies of 2024:
All of Us Strangers
The year began with the spectacular All of Us Strangers, which blew us away with its magnetic charm and breathtaking romance. Based loosely on Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers, Andrew Haigh‘s film follows depressed writer Adam (Andrew Scott), still enmeshed in the grief of losing his parents three decades earlier, falling for his younger neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal).
This time-travelling tale through joy and despair tugs at the heartstrings with its poignant musings on isolation. All of Us Strangers once again proves Haigh is a master storyteller of the emotional in-between.
Drive-Away Dolls
Drive-Away Dolls didn’t get the shower of praise that it deserved upon its release. The late ‘90s set lesbian road-trip comedy is a real hoot; a nice change from some of the bleaker, more serious queer movies out there.
Ethan Coen’s film charts best friends Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) looking for a fresh start and embarking on a road trip to Tallahassee that takes some hilariously bizarre detours.
Unbeknownst to them, an item in their rental car’s boot contains the key to exposing criminal corruption. The film is wonderfully frank in its depiction of queer sex and lesbian yearning. Drive-Away Dolls may have faded into the background of many 2024 LGBTQ+ cinematic highlights, but you won’t regret seeking out this gem.
Monster
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s psychological mystery thriller is essentially three films wrapped into one. Single mother Saori (Sakura Andō) is concerned about her son Minato’s (Sōya Kurokawa) wellbeing; Minato’s teacher, Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), is accused of mistreating his students; finally, Minato and his classmate Yori (Hinata Hiiragi) experience a transformative bond.
The latter is particularly moving as the two boy’s tender connection is underscored by a touching depiction of queer childhood. The Japanese film builds towards this LGBTQ+ depiction in its final act, making the two boys navigating their feelings for each other all the more impactful.
Challengers
It’s been a tremendous year for Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino with not one but two huge queer hits (more on Queer later). His first 2024 gem was Challengers, an adrenaline-hyped and desire-fuelled sports drama. It followed Tashi (Zendaya), a tennis player turned coach, getting her husband, Art (Mike Faist), back into the swing of tennis competitions.
However, her plans are scuppered when Patrick (Josh O’Connor), her former boyfriend and Art’s former bestie, returns to the court. Their competitiveness is threaded by horniness that only mounts off the tennis court as this messy trio’s sexual tension simmers before Guadagnino’s infatuated camera. If you haven’t watched this yet, what are you waiting for?
Love Lies Bleeding
Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding is an electric sapphic thriller; a lesbian retelling of the American Dream. Set in the late 1980s, the film follows reclusive gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) falling head over heels for bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) as she trains.
The pair venture to a Las Vegas bodybuilding competition but stop off at Lou’s Nevada hometown on the way where her homophobic family members threaten to spoil all the two women have worked hard for. Glass’s lens appreciates rippling muscles and sweet-coated skin with itching desire as this story devolves into a power struggle between sex and violence, love and lust.
Slow
Asexuality has had a bad rap on screen, used as a punchbag for jokes – or portrayed as a disadvantage to overcome. Slow interrupts that trend with its authentic and honest depiction of asexuality which tenderly explores the nuances of intimacy.
Lithuanian director Marija Kavtaradze’s film charts the romance of sign-language interpreter Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) and dancer Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) as they learn to navigate their new relationship and build their own form of closeness. Slow unhurriedly unfolds as a portrait of the different ways people can fall in love, gorgeously shot on 16mm film to accentuate the delicate nature of human touch.
Problemista
Aspiring toy designer Alejandro (Julio Torres), who is gay, struggles to make ends meet in New York City while he pursues his creative ambitions. However, with his work visa about to run out, he’s forced to take any job to stay in the country and realise his dream. The erratic Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) promises to sponsor his work visa if he helps her curate and exhibit her husband’s artwork. The twist? He’s currently in a cryogenic machine.
Torres not only stars in Problemista but also wrote, directed, and co-produced the surrealist comedy-drama. It’s a trippy watch, but Problemista is a wonderfully artistic outing.
Crossing
Crossing follows retired teacher Lia (Mzia Arabuli) and Georgian teenager Achi (Lucas Kankava), who travel to Istanbul searching for Lia’s trans niece, Tekla. During their search to find the missing woman, the unconventional duo come across a number of characters including two children intrigued by their travels, as well as trans rights lawyer Evrim (Deniz Dumanlı) who helps their investigation.
Following his powerful international breakthrough And Then We Danced, director Levan Akin delivers a defiant tale of identity and hope that asks: How do you find someone who doesn’t want or need to be found? Crossing transcends geographical and societal borders with hopeful curiosity to explore Turkey’s hidden depths.
I Saw The TV Glow
Set in 1996, Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature I Saw The TV Glow charts the bizarre happenings that occur when friends and teenage social outcasts Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) watch a mysterious late-night TV show, The Pink Opaque. As they become engrossed in the show, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack and a supernatural world beneath theirs opens.
The visually vivid supernatural horror drama sidesteps conventional aspects of the coming-out narrative. It harbours a powerful trans allegory, with metaphorical navigation of gender dysphoria and a non-linear journey to self-acceptance.
My Old Ass
Megan Park’s directorial debut is a joyous queer coming-of-age drama. The film follows the antics of 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella), a young woman refreshingly depicted with a fluid sense of sexuality as she explores relationships with women and men. My Old Ass is centred around Elliott’s birthday mushroom trip where she meets her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza).
Park’s film is neither sentimental nor laser-focused on Elliott’s sexuality, which allows the graduating teen to exist and nurture her sense of self without judgment. Revitalising the queer coming-of-age movie, My Old Ass will make a charming addition to your watchlist.
Will & Harper
Will & Harper quietly premiered on Netflix in December and it quickly became clear that this touching, warmhearted tale of acceptance and community was exactly what we needed at the end of a tumultuous election year tainted with vile anti-trans rhetoric. Josh Greenbaum’s documentary charts the friendship of Harper Steele and Will Ferrell as the former transitioned and the latter asserted his support and allyship.
On a mission to bond in this new stage of life, Ferrell and Steele embark on a 17-day cross-country road trip from New York to LA. With plenty of driving time to reflect on their friendship, speak about the modern trans experience and stop off at meaningful locations, Will & Harper is a real joy.
Emilia Pérez
Emilia Pérez made history this year, star Karla Sofía Gascón became the first publicly trans woman to win best actress at the Cannes Film Festival. She could continue this streak with her Golden Globe nomination and potential Oscar nod.
Jacques Audiard’s French musical crime comedy is tasteless and wildly entertaining, the needle constantly swinging between these poles. At the centre is the thread of a notorious cartel boss (Gascón) hiring a lawyer (Zoe Saldana) to help them transition to live as a woman and hide this life-changing event from their wife (Selena Gomez) and children.
Layla
Amrou Al-Kadhi’s feature directorial debut, Layla, charts the eponymous non-binary British-Palestinian drag queen (Bilal Hasna) falling in love for the first time. Layla’s transformative relationship with strait-laced advertising executive Max (Louis Greatorex) is at first deeply passionate and all-consuming before morphing into a persistently dangerous and stained connection.
Layla highlights drag’s transformative and endless potential with gorgeous cinematography and flourishing costume design. The film also pays tribute to the importance of queer chosen family, openhearted declarations and the valiant pursuit of love.
National Anthem
Luke Gilford taps into his photography background for his feature directorial debut, where every frame is a gorgeous, sun-soaked insight into America’s queer radio scene. National Anthem follows 21-year-old construction worker Dylan (Charlie Plummer) picking up off jobs to support his family when he stumbles upon the House of Splendor, a ranch home to LGBTQ+ rodeo performers.
The ranch’s star is Sky (Eve Lindley), a trans woman with whom Dylan begins a romance. Dylan and Sky’s connection is immediately captivating and deeply transformative for them both. With this newfound romance and unexpected belonging, Dylan’s earnest character arc offers an insightful and beautiful look at queer, chosen family that is gorgeously brought to life with Gilford’s exquisite visuals.
Queer
Closing out 2024, Queer is an epic tale of burgeoning desire that is Guadagnino at his best. Adapted from the semi-autobiographical novella of William S. Burroughs, the heady film follows the horny and intoxicated Lee (Daniel Craig) wandering around Mexico City, pursuing young men. His life changes when he becomes addicted to Allerton (Drew Starkey), a recently discharged US Navy serviceman.
Queer is a culmination of the director’s career: a grounded but simultaneously surreal portrait of gay desire that floats through the air unspoken, bolstered by formidable performances from Craig and Starkey. Guadagnino once again proves himself the maestro of desire-laden cinema, with his numerous sex scenes, rich romance, sublime costumes and sharp script.
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