10 Best Movies About Queer Women of Color
10 Best Movies About Queer Women of Color
Movies are featuring more queer women of color than ever before. Here are some of the best rom-coms, documentaries, and more that represent them well.
You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]
Over the years, LGBTQ+ representation in films has steadily risen, thanks to the hard work of groundbreaking directors, producers, and actors who breathe life into stories far less often told. However, queer women of color sit at the intersection of still underrepresented communities in terms of race, gender, and sexuality.
The numbers are worrying: though 2020 turned out to be one of the strongest years in terms of LGBTQ+ inclusivity in films overall, GLAAD, a media advocacy group for LGBTQ+ representation, reports that there were actually fewer queer women and racially diverse characters in movies last year. So, for those looking to support films that feature queer women — and particularly, queer women of color — these titles include thrillers, coming-of-age films, rom-coms, and documentaries.
10 The Watermelon Woman (1996)
The Watermelon Woman is the first of its kind — a feature-length film about Black lesbians written and directed by a Black lesbian. In it, writer-director Cheryl Dunye also stars as an aspiring filmmaker looking to create a documentary on a black 1930s actress credited only as the Watermelon Woman in film archives.
This feature film debut by Dunye, one of the most influential LGBTQ+ directors today, is a critical look at race, cultural history, and visibility, gracefully treading the line between fiction and non-fiction. Despite its brilliance, the film never takes itself too seriously, and there’s plenty of wit and humor to go around.
9 Saving Face (2004)
16 years before Netflix’s queer coming-of-age drama The Half of It, writer-director Alice Wu first gifted the world with a fresh lesbian love story in Saving Face, one of the most memorable explorations of gender and LGBTQ+ issues in Chinese-American culture. In the film, Dr. Wilhelmina ‘Wil’ Pang (Michelle Krusiec) is a successful New York City surgeon with one problem: she’s a closeted lesbian, and her mother keeps trying to set her up with men. Soon, she meets Vivian Shing (Lynn Chen), an openly gay dancer.
In the film, Wil has to juggle her growing romance with Vivian with her dedication to her unexpectedly pregnant mother. Witty and compassionate, Saving Face is an engaging study of the tensions between tradition and modernity, community and identity. Plus, it is one of those rare lesbian movies that provide a satisfyingly happy ending.
8 The Handmaiden (2016)
Park Chan-Wook’s The Handmaiden draws from Sarah Waters’ 2002 novel Fingersmith and transports the story from Dickensian England to 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea. A love story and psychological revenge thriller, the film follows the story of pickpocket Nam Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri), who becomes handmaiden to Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee) as part of an elaborate con with Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo) to swindle the family out of their fortune.
Things get complicated in The Handmaiden when Hideki and Sook-hee begin to fall in love. Split into thirds, the film is elegant, smart, and thrilling in equal parts. Nothing in the film is what it seems, and the end result feels like nothing short of a triumph.
7 Tangerine (2015)
Sean Baker’s Tangerine is something of a rarity in modern cinema. Sure, it’s shot entirely on a mobile phone, but what sets it apart from the pack is the fact that Tangerine’s two principal characters are transgender women played by transgender women. In it, Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is freshly released from jail on Christmas Eve, only to find that her boyfriend and pimp was cheating on her. She then enlists her friend and fellow sex worker Alexandra (Mya Taylor) in a manhunt along the streets of Hollywood.
Created for and with transgender sex workers, the film provides a thoroughly entertaining and authentic look into the lives of women working the street corner. It’s unapologetic and direct in its portrayal, which makes it a raw and honest glimpse into the characters’ worlds.
6 Pariah (2011)
A coming-of-age tale, Pariah follows Alike (wonderfully played by Adepero Oduye), a shy, Black, 17-year-old straight-A student and aspiring poet, who is only beginning to come to terms with her identity as a butch lesbian. But the road to one’s authentic self can be a tough one, and Alike must navigate the challenges of first love, self-discovery, and her family’s disapproval.
Pariah is a semi-autobiographical feature debut for director Dee Rees, who went on to direct HBO’s 2015 biopic Bessie. And while certain scenes can be a little hard to watch because of their raw intensity, the film has plenty of tenderness and is, ultimately, hopeful. Even in Alike’s poems, she insists that she is not running — she is choosing.
5 Good Manners / A Boas Maneiras (2017)
Part lesbian love story, part werewolf movie, Good Manners opens with Clara (played masterfully by Isabél Zuaa) looking for work as a live-in nanny to the privileged and pregnant Ana (Marjorie Estiano) in São Paolo, Brazil. Clara becomes a confidante, and eventually, a lover to Ana, but it’s not long before she notices strange things happening on full-moon nights.
There’s a lot going on in Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra’s stylish fantasy LGBTQ+ horror film, but at its core is Clara, who navigates the challenges of raising a little werewolf while Black, lesbian, and lower class in a dreamily presented contemporary Brazil. Visually gorgeous and entertaining at every turn, Good Manners leaves viewers with plenty to think about long after it’s done.
4 Lingua Franca (2019)
Lingua Franca tells the story of Olivia (Isabel Sandoval, who also wrote, directed, edited, and produced the film), an undocumented trans Filipina in Trump’s America. As a live-in caregiver for Olga (Lynn Cohen), her earnings go towards her mother in the Philippines and an American she’s hoping to marry for a green card. But then she meets Olga’s adult grandson Alex (Eamon Farren).
It’s fascinating to see Olivia and Alex’s friendship slowly turn into something more. There is something captivating in the quiet dignity and independence of Olivia, even at the constant threat of deportation. Moreover, the film’s exploration of otherness is insightful without being heavy-handed.
3 Signature Move (2017)
In Jennifer Reeder’s Signature Move, Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza) is a 30-something Muslim lesbian lawyer of Pakistani descent, living in Chicago with her recently widowed mother Parveen (Shabana Azmi), who, with the help of her binoculars, is on the hunt for a future son-in-law. Zaynab soon starts a relationship with Alma (Sari Sanchez), a vivacious Mexican-American bookshop owner who refuses to be kept a secret.
It’s entertaining to watch Zaynab deal with her problems by going from the closet to the ring in Lucha-style wrestling. Signature Move has a quirky enough premise for a light rom-com watch, and the film shines with the performances of its diverse cast, fun soundtrack, and bright cinematography.
2 Born in Flames (1983)
Lizzie Borden’s Born in Flames is a subversive political sci-fi film set in a New York City of an alternate ‘80s reality. Shot in documentary style against a provocative post-punk soundtrack, the film follows the counterrevolution of women across race, class, and sexuality, sparked when Black women’s activist Adelaide Norris dies suspiciously under police custody.
A radical film in both political stance and aesthetic choices, Born in Flames remains as smart and relevant today as it did nearly four decades ago — highlighting the need for more intersectional feminism in the fight for real liberation.
1 Kiki (2016)
Widely considered as the unofficial sequel to the celebrated 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, Sara Jordenö’s Kiki comes in a quarter of a century later to reveal just how much has changed — and what hasn’t — in New York’s queer communities. Though the title references the kiki scene (slang for fabulous get-togethers, especially in the form of balls), the film is first and foremost focused on its subjects, who had a hand in the creation of the documentary.
Kiki provides an intimate look at the lives of LGBTQ+ youth of color, who rely on found families for acceptance and support that their biological families won’t give. The film features LGBTQ+ activist Twiggy Pucci Garcon, also credited as a co-writer, as well as a rotating cast of compelling individuals — among them trans women Gia Marie Love and Izana Vidal — who are presented as unapologetically themselves. It is as much a joyous celebration of queer creativity as a call to action on issues like homelessness, discrimination, and HIV/AIDS.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/ten-best-movies-about-queer-women-color/
Reviews -10 Best Horror Movies Of The 1940s
90 Day Fiancé Corey Rathgeber Arrested for DUI
Alaskan Bush People Billy Brown Is Dead At Age 68
90 Day Fiancé What To Know About Victors Home Providencia Colombia
10 SNL Sketches Where The Whole Cast Broke Character
15 BehindTheScenes Secrets You Didnt Know About Ghost Hunters
10 Studio Ghibli Movies With The Greatest Scores
