Must See Movies - Central Gay Theme

Brilliant script sure to blow you away! Rarely does a film combine suspense, pathos, intelligence and gut wrenching sadness in such a tight, heart wrenching narrative. Set in 1942 during the upheaval of Nazi-occupied Paris. French with subtitles. 10/10

Painfully honest and frank, this story will stay with you long after the credits roll. It's rare to have the components that make a complete film combine in such a beautiful and powerful way. A true classic and rightly so, each time I leave with something new. 10/10

A top rate period piece based on Forster's great story, brought to life by Merchant and Ivory. A moving gay love story with true heroes in a rigid and incredibly bigoted Edwardian setting. Easy to view time and again. 10/10

Coming-of-age drama encapsulating Quebec in the sixties, seventies and eighties with an amazing sound track and great acting. Emile Vallee is incredible as Zac, the second youngest son in a family of five boys desperate to feel the love of his overbearing, homophobic father. French with subtitles. 9/10

A really great biopic, this represents Harvey Milk as truly human with flaws and all. It also portrays the history of the time as honestly as can be imagined. Sean Penn really delivers in the lead role. 9/10

Philip Seymour Hoffman's brilliant portrayal of Truman Capote is the standout feature of this work. The complicated personal journey and exploration of his relationship with killer Perry Smith is fantastic. 9/10

Araki explores a difficult subject with a story spanning ten years in the lives of two youths who were abused as children. Unbelievably potent and disturbing, this movie will wring you out. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is amazing. 9/10

Wonderfully simple film that is a breath of fresh air and perhaps my favorite coming-of-age drama. A great British story set in a grim working class environment but told with incredible positivity. This one will leave you happy and uplifted. 8/10

Sweet, sexy romance about a confused young artist torn between family and his future. All the anticipated story arcs are in place, however the actors do a great job with the script. Not without a few flaws, probably due to budget constraints. 8/10

Beautifully lush and precise film about a gay man struggling with the recent death of his lover. The film's message is left for us to take, not forced. Superbly cast, particularly Colin Firth who can give so much by doing seemingly so little. 8/10

Based on true events and difficult to watch in places, with several violent and disturbing scenes. Swank builds a compassionate understanding of the complex character of Brandon without converting him into a saint-like figure. The real power here is to enable a wide audience to think about sexual differences and what it might be like trapped in a gender that doesn't fit.

Powerful movie about the need to feel love and to belong. Three friends build their vision of 'family' and attempt to hang on for the ride. Colin Farrell provides an astonishing performance. This is another great movie for the romantics among us. 8/10

Based on a true story, this is an intense and heady exploration of privileged, destructive youth. Drawn slowly, it has a poetic feeling of melancholy and sadness. Rich cinematography and strong musical score round it off perfectly. I love that Gunther's sexuality was a significant part of the story, but didn't totally dominate. German with subtitles. 8/10

Rich character study of famed movie director James Whale with notable acting performances. McKellen and Fraser share empowering scenes where one character sees mirrored in the other their own fears and emotions. 8/10

A sensitive, involving and detailed biopic of a great Victorian era writer. The forbidden relationship between Wilde and Douglas was venomous and sweet, brought to life perfectly through Stephen Fry and Jude Law. 8/10

Poignant and touching film that every person should see. Set in the 1980's and still incredibly powerful today, if you're not emotionally moved by this work, you're not human. 8/10

Refreshing drama about love and family relationships that will sweep you through a range of emotions. The simple script is beautifully acted, particularly Gustaf Skarsgård as Goran. Swedish with subtitles. 8/10

Wonderfully nutty movie exploring life, love, fatherhood, and most of all friendship and loyalty as three very different drag queens travel in the remote Australian Outback. A movie that didn't follow trends or conventions, but start new ones. 8/10

Intricate and ingenious use of the "theatrical" with cuts between prison re-enactments and actual events providing a seamless story. This tale of love, murder, and retribution is told in a unique way with a very artistic feel. 8/10

Pedro Almodóvar is an artist. The film noir style contains fascinating concepts beautifully and sensitively put into pictures. The complex twists and turns require your attention for a very worthwhile pay off. Gael García Bernal is great in three separate roles. Spanish with subtitles. 8/10

Brief at just 65 minutes, but very natural and surprisingly affecting. Set among a platoon of soldiers operating on the Israeli-Lebanese border, the story focuses on the secret relationship of two men. Filming with a handheld camera can be problematic, but there is a scene in the snow where it works beautifully. Hebrew with subtitles. 8/10

A sensation in 1992, and still an intelligently written and well acted thriller. It features one of the most startling plot twists ever conceived for film and definitely stands the test of time. 8/10

A visual feast with this biopic of Reynaldo Arenas, the novelist and poet imprisoned and later exiled from Cuba for his controversial writings and open homosexuality. Javier Bardem captures the many complexities of Reynaldo, who constantly found himself unwanted by the world around him, yet filled with ability to see the beauty within it. English and Spanish. 8/10

A beautiful script with simple exchanges delivering a powerful message. The cinematography is memorizing and the story captures perfectly the choice to become true to yourself and all those you love. Spanish with subtitles. 8/10

A solid coming-of-age drama about 4 teenagers in rural France in 1962. The film is very well made, offering a depiction of adolescence that is complex and sophisticated. The lush cinematography is beautiful throughout and the cast is great. French with subtitles. 8/10

This film evokes Southern Louisiana so perfectly that you'll think you're there! Through strange entanglements,see how the heart's quest for love can find its way regardless of the difficulties. Walton Goggins brings incredible intensity and emotion to his character. Romantics will love this film. See it twice to capture all that is there for you. 8/10

Simplicity and restraint imbue this film with power and conviction. Set in an ultra Orthodox Jewish society in Jerusalem, it tells the story of a family man whose inner world is torn apart when he falls in love with a young man. Highly recommended. Hebrew with subtitles. 8/10

Almodovar delights with a look at the meaning of desire and love. The sexuality of the protagonists is depicted openly and frankly and while gay-themed movies were taking shape in 1987, few were as erotic or in-your-face as this. Law of Desire was perhaps the film to establish Almodovar internationally. Spanish with subtitles. 8/10

An intelligent well made thriller. Matt Damon explores the darker side of a character that you might come to be both sympathetic towards and freaked out by. 8/10

One of just a few mainstream breakthrough films, when this court-room drama was released, dying of AIDS was not understood or openly talked about. Tom Hanks is excellent in his Oscar winning performance. Scenes giving emotional depth and clarity to the intimate male relationship were cut, leaving the character played by Antonio Banderas unnecessarily under-done. 8/10