i tried to add warnings, but i do not have elipsy and if there is something specific you need/want to be warned up you can ask, here are 14 shows, and 32 movies
first cause I dont watch many of them
Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) Anime
Note I watched a subbed version. losely based on the manga
Welp, how do I rec Utena? I am again very late to the party but 2020 I finally watched this show that I heard everywhere hailed as iconic and formative and well it is definitly worth being talked about!
What it is: So to start: Utena is 14 when she tries to protect a friend from a jerkass boy she finds out that there is something dark going on in the school - to say literally anything else about the plot is hard without getting very spoilery.
Why you my like it: Utena is still famous because its literal textual queer, as well as being queer thematical/subtextual - one main theme are power dynamics specifily with the gender lenses. Gender is a construct, hetronormativity a prision and true conection/love wins.
It use a lot of (now) classic shojo/anime aesthetic (it has a very consitent visual language, thats definitly a huge plus even when some scenes are lower budget there is though but behind it) and tropes.
Instead of plot I Need to give warnings: one theme of the show is power dynamics and abuse, there is sexual asault, rape, abuse in general, directed towards minors, another theme is meta layers/reality/story telling mechanism very much in relation to the first one so lots of gaslighting and unreality to be warned for to. Also incest both implied and textual.
The tonal shift that can come of as jarring, despite the bigger things that go on, the main characters are children, and they get in pretty stupid hijinks, sometimes this hijinks are allorgical conected with the over archiving big themes and sometimes they are not so much - in any way I feel at this times the show does play with genre tropes and if you are more well versed then I am in them you may get more out of it then I do, for me they help to get my âfeelsâ on about how fricking young they all are while this all happens when the art style (shoujo legs, same sharp faces) make their age kind of easy to forget - (my main fanish take away from this show is that I want them all to be safe and happy and able to grow up in peace).
Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers (2009) Anime
What it is: based on a manga âFumi moves back to the place where they moved away when she was in first grade, and re-meets her childhood protector A-chan. Fumi is shy and A-chan is spunky.â
While A-chan and Fumi are sweet, it is not really (for me) a romance focused show, it is much more about Fumi healing from trauma.
and with that we get to the spoilery (serious) warnings, which say a lot more then that summary about why I rec the show and why it also hard to rec: abuse, childhood sexual abuse, incest,
also A-chans brother is weird about her romantic life, which could be just sexism, or incestual vibes
It has a soft shojo style with spare watercolour like backgrounds.
Wandering Son (2011) Anime
What it is: based on a manga "A group of friends enter middle school and deals with puberty."
Warning: transphobia, homophobia, dubious consent, bullying,
Why you may like it: soft watercolour looks, while the characters have to deal with bigoty the story itself treats them and their exploration of identity mostly with tenderness and it fills me with this awe/wonder/nostalgia (in a I wish I had this, I wish every queer kid had this) to see this kids find themself
Why you may not: they have a lot of struggle and I found it at times hard to watch, some found it too ambigious
Bloom into you (Yagate Kimi ni Naru) (2018) Anime
What it is: Based on a manga series drawn by Nakatani Nio. "Yu has never been in love, she feels alinated for it when she sees how Nanami the student council president turn down a suitor she feels kinship to her, and then Nanami confess that she loves Yuu.â
Warnings: homophobia, dubious consent
Why you my like it: soft warm modern shoujo aesthetic, detailed water colour like background, it has not only the main romance but also adult queer people! who interact with the young girls and give some advice and challenge the notion of âjust a phaseâ directly,
Why you may not like it: its character and relationship driven while there is a outside plot it isn't really resolved and the anime ended before the manga so the relationship does not process as far as there,
I loved the main character as a asexual and probably aromantic person, I felt very connected to her - so while I should know by genre rules the way the romance ends up made me personal uncomfortable, it felt a bit pushy in a way that triggered me extremly in some scenes but I seen no one else voice this so.
Pose (2018-2021)
What it is: âIts the 80s Blanca Rodriguez decides to create her own "Houseâ to parcipate in the Ballroom Culture of New York.â
Warnings: racism, transphobia, homophobia, classism, people being shitty toward sex workers, sexism, AIDS, death, police bruality,
Why you my like it: All queer cast, (there are like 2(?) straight side characters) all main characters are people of colour - the trans characters are played by trans actors, and they are full characters with flaws and strenghts; extremly found family focused; colourful aesthetic, great costume design; despite handling harsh themes at times mostly a lighthearted and always hopeful show, female main portagonist,
Why you may not like it: There is relationship drama including cheating and I know some people are not fans of that; no lesbians in this
If you do not mind some visual spoilers here is a fanvid that shows of the aesthetic/vibes well.
Legend of Yunqian (2020) web show (15 episodes around 4 minutes each)
What it is: "The disciples of the Lingchuan Sect have guarded the Fans of Heaven and Earth for nearly a hundred years. The only two disciples left are Muyun and Huayue. The mischevious Huayue discovers that the Fan of Heaven possesses the power of time travel, setting off an entire sequence of events"
Warnings: blood and violence
Why you may like it: happy ending, period costumes, wuxia fights
Why you may not: very fast pacing, clichee and not very deep characters
The way it doesn't take itself very serious is just not quite my style but if you like romantic clichees and conventional pretty girls this may be your thing.
The sound itself is okay, but the background songs end abruptly instead of flowing naturaly, and seem a bit random at times.
A league of their own (2022)
What it is: "During WWII the idea of an all girl baseball league is born because so many men are overseas. But why many people laugh for the girls this is a passion."
Warnings: themes of period typical sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism; police brutality, mentioning of war, cheating/infidelity
Why you may like it: found family/team-feels, female protagonist, underdog sport stories
Why you may not: it paints a bit by the picture
The Other Love Story:
Web show
âTwo queer indian woman fall in love.â
12 episodes around 10 minutes each.
Sweet some angst but not to much.
bit queer - there are main or important side characters who are queer but not that many queer centric plot lines/scenes
the Get Down (2016)
What it is: The 70s New York, a young boy wants to become a rapper, his semi-girlfriend wants to become a disco queen.
Warnings: (underage) drug use, heavily implied sexual (child) abuse, discussion of rape; homophobia, racism, sexism both coming from and directed at the characters;
Why you my like it: colourful aesthetic, pretty costume design; mostly good soundtrack that does sound like the period it tries to sound like; almost completly poc cast, small queer storyline, gay vibes
Why you may not like it: the queer story line is very small, a dudefest sideling the really amazing female characters, very very dramatic,
Harlots (2017)
(i have only seen the first two seasons, as i heard only bad things about the third)
What it is: In the 17something, a woman owns a bordell, she has two daughters.
Warnings: deals with rape, violence, bigoty against sex work, racism, slavery, homophobia, abuse
Why you my like it: Colourful aesthetic, amazing costumes, very female centric, tiny bit queer, interracial relationships, family and found family feels
Why you may not like it: could be queerer, some characters make extrem dumb choices - they do fit but they are fustrating, the music choice is⊠a choice, i personally hate dubstep and putting it over sex scenes⊠makes it worse for me,
We are Lady Parts (2021) (6 episodes 20 minutes)
What it is: âAmina a very awkward girl looks for a man to date and kind of accidently ends up joining a garage band despite her massive stage fright.â
Warnings: sexism, islamphobia,
Why you may like it: colourful modern look, all female, muslim main characters â meaning there is diversity in the representation of that that still not many media has, friendship, mostly lighthearted
Why you may not: I found the romance medicore but romances are often not my thing; the time spend with the band members is not equal so your fav may get the short end of the stick, it has to short of a runtime to go very deep into much
Strange Empire
What it is: Western. A group of settlers moves to Janestown.
Warnings: rape, violence, racism, sexism, ableism, in one episode a creep tries to marry a child, some bigoty against sex workers, sexualisation of sun dance scars
Why you my like it: all female main characters, the main character is a metis (and she is badass, but also emotional a round character) the other two main characters are a half black woman, and a white but neurodivigent woman; female friendship; tiny queer bits; found families!; gothic western aesthetics;
Why you may not like it: the treadment of the chinese characters is not my fav they felt much shallower then the others; kind of dramatic - there is a lot of bad things happening again and again at a kind of fast pace there are not many breathers
Tuca and Bertie
What it is: "Tuca and Bertie long time friends and room mates deal with being in their 30s."
Warnings: childhood sexual abuse (not visual graphic but explicit talked about), sex, stds, work place abuse, trauma, body horror, violence, sexism, capitalism, unreality, alcoholism, addiction,
Why you may like it: its a zany fun thing that loves to use its animation medium/nonsensial setting, its honest in the ugly parts of trauma and relationships but never dark for the shake of darkness, it focus on friendship instead of romance,
Why you may not: it is very frank in the discussion of things
Stars Align/Hoshiai no Sora (Anime)
What it is: The soft tennis team is supposed to be canceled because they never win anything, the one guy who takes it serious decides to ask Maki who just moved there and is actually good to play with them in exchange for money, obivious he begins to care for the team itself and everyone ends up taking it serious.
Its more drama then sport anime, and at times really really dramatic.
I decided to give it a try because I heard it was queer (and it IS!) - it actually use the word nonbinary! Thats not something I seen lot of shows do yet, so it was nice.
Warning: central topics are trauma and various forms of child abuse
Desert Hearts (1985)
US: â1959, Vivian comes to Nevada for a divorce, and falls in love.â
the main romance didnt grab me and felt a bit pushy for me personally but its a so called âlesbian classicâ and I do love the side characters and their relationships, the soundtrack is good and the cinematography okay sometimes even nice. (Also it is supposed to be the 50s but it is so clearly made in the 80s, which is fun)
Bound (1996)
US: "Corky, a tough female ex-convict working on an apartment renovation in a Chicago building, meets a couple living next door, Caesar, a paranoid mobster, and Violet, his seductive girlfriend, who is immediately attracted to her."
Warning: graphic violence, sex
I like queer genre stories, I think there should be more of it, my sister recommended it to me after I complained about "lesbian mumble core period movie fatigue" (I know everyone loved Carol and Porait of a lady on fire etc. but damn do I find this movies a drag)
You may like this if you like: crime stories, femme fatals, queer genre stories
The Watermelon Woman (1996)
US: "Cheryl a young black woman decides to film a documentary about an actress from the 1930s known for playing the stereotypical âmammyâ roles relegated to black actresses during that period."
I love the meta exploration of story telling in a racist, queerphobe structure, the mockumentary style is not something I seen a lot of but it works well here.
The personal story lines are a little less fleshed out then I may prefered but they take the backseat in this for me anyway.
There is something very 90s in the style of this movie, that I cant really explain I guess it is just the opposite of this modern slick look that I personaly dont like that much (like Colette, or Hidden Figures or even The Handmaiden though that one use it well), a certain graininess, a certain texture.
Warnings: homophobia, racism, a short scene with misgendering,
You may like this if you like: female protagonists, casual but also topical queerness, butches/dykes, mockumentaries, 90s
But Iâm a Cheerleader (1999)
US: "When a cheerleader is suspected of being queer she is sent to a conversion camp."
Waring: Conversion therapy for queer people,slurs,homophobia,
a bit of clumpsy handling of a trans?/gender non confirming character
This is very black comedy, through i laughted and smiled at this it was still hard stuff to watch.
The look of this movie is very regonicable/stylistic: with the colour blocking (pink and light blue) sometimes it feels a bit like its tries to hard but general this was a plus for me.
Spoiler: happy ending!
You may like this if you like: visual story telling, black comedy, queer themes, coming of ages stories, female centric stories,
Big Eden (2000)
US: "Henry Hart is a young gay artist living in New York City. When his grandfather has a stroke, Henry puts his career on hold and returns home to the small town he grew up in."
I like that this is not a coming out focused story, I like that we get queer native rep even if I wish there was more Pike in this. Very found family/community focused.
You may like this if you like: found family, low conflict movies, Strong theme of community, cooking as a love language, cheesy country songs.
Frida (2002)
What it is: âFrida Kahlos life.â
I found it a bit too focused on Diego, but all in all it was fun.
Some nice cinematography moments and its so rare to see a disabled protagonist being portrayed like this, as a full human being, as someone who has romantic relationships, goals and struggle that is not only related to their disability.
A few queer focused scenes.
You may like this if you like: female centric stories, disabled protagonists, Frida Kahlos art, nice cinematography, bright colours
Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Animation/japan: âChristmas, 3 homeless people find an abandoned newborn.â
The animation looks great, and the story is very emotional and well told. The subtitles I watched were at times pretty transphobic but the narrative treats Hana, a trans woman like a real person and each character with kindness. The story is despite the darkness optimistic and uplifting to me.
Warning: homelessness and the plights of that, violence, child neglet, alcoholism,
You may like this if you like: found family, christmas movies,
D.E.B.S (2004)
US: "A spy falls in love with a criminal. Hjinks follow."
Its intentional campy. Its a genre parody but a loving one, its about having Fun with the spy action romp not to mock you for watching one. It has its flaws but it was one of the first openly queer movies i watched - so i have a fondness for it.
You may like this if you like: zany adventures, genre parodies, spy movies, up to 11-ness,
Warning: homopobia, some gender essential remarks/transphobia,
Saving Face (2004)
US: âChinese american lesbians and their families.â
The drama was good but mostly it was a real rom com with soft and non threating cheesy feeling everywhere and the first time I felt the joy people ought to feel at this movies.
Beside the main romance there is the focus on the family relationship and its done well.
The first romantic movie I remember liking.
Warning: one character makes some racist (anti black) remarks (its adressed in the text of the movie), some light homophobia, there is a bit of if you loved me you wouldnt be in the closet scene it all works out but its a bit fustrating, pregnancy,
You may like this if you like: female centric stories, queer themes, family drama, soft romance,
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Ireland: "70s Kitten has a difficult time in her home small town in Irland, she decides to look for her mother who left her as a baby, in London."
Despite the bad casting (a man as a trans woman), it avoids some clichees/pitfalls of many movies centering around trans people always seem to feature - specific the "exotism" of trans bodies.
I think a good decision (specificly because of the bad casting) to show Kitten who already figured herself out, its not a coming to terms/coming out story, it also gives her friends and allies at each point, she is never completly alone, and that makes a big difference for me - I also appreciate how her friends are people of color and disabled, because this people exist, and cause there is a lot of reason to band together.
Warning for: period typical sexism, period typical homophobia, period typical transphobia, police brutality, violence against sex worker, abortion, IRA and related warnings, violence, gun violence, misgendering, death, ableism,
Milk (2008)
US: "The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official."
Warning: AIDS, period typical homophobia, classism
You may like this if you like: queer stories that are not romance stories
The Runaways (2010)
US: "Biopic for the band The Runaways."
Warnings: sexism, drug use, abuse of power/dubious consent, physical triggers (flashing lights, quick cuts)
Conventional biopic, but the music/aesthetic of girl garage bands is just fun.
Pride (2014)
UK: âA group of queer people from London join the miners strikeâ
Its very sentimental and mainstream but I liked it, it made me feel warm all over.
You may like this if you like: pro union stories, people helping eachother, 80s
Warning: classism, homophobia, sexism, mentioning of aids
Life Partners (2014)
âTwo almost 30 year old friends relationship is shaken when the straight one gets a serious boyfriend.â
Coming of Age doesnÂŽt have to mean teenagers and the focus on characters who âought toâ have life figured out but donÂŽt is something I liked, still it was very unrelatable for me, but the charm/love of the two girls relationship works anyway.
Queer without being a romance which is nice too.
You may like this if you liked: casual queerness, female protagonists, female friendship,
Bessie (2015)
âBlues Singer Bessie Smiths path to fame.â
Very biopic like in its presentation, and in that very episodic. But the presence of the characters are great and the music lovely. I also like despite hardship it is mostly focused in a hopeful way.
Warning: racism, cheating, alcohol,
You may like this if you like: biopics, female centric stories, the music of Bessie Smith, casual queerness, stories focusing on characters of color
Grandma (2015)
US: âGrumpy grandma Elle finds her granddaughter Sage on her doorstep needing money for an abortion. Cue ridiculous road trip.â
warning: non graphic attemped sexual assault, abortion
Loved seeing an older lesbian character, loved her diverse cast of friends, and how she is openly feminist and queer, and an old grump.
its a little film, it does exactly what i though it would be after introduction the plot and i like it, i like the low stakes feel of it, it really left me want more road trip abortion movies,
I like how few male characters there are.
Sage could have been fleshed out a bit more.
You may like this if you like: roadtrips, female centric stories, female characters who are allowed to be grumpy and difficult,
The Eiffel Tower Mystery (2015)
France: âThe daughter of one of the architects who built the Eiffel Tower gets framed for a murder that has taken place there.â
Interracial femslash!
You may like this if you like: murder mysteries, female focused stories, queer relationships, movies with queer movies that have plot that are not focused on their queerness (but their queerness being textual and important anyway),
warning: Â forced instutionalization, themes of sexism, ableism, and a bit racism, blood, murder
The Girl King (2015)
"Queen Kristina of Sweden, who was crowned at the age of six, will not abide the conservative ideals of her culture, especially when she falls in love with a woman."
Its a very predictable period piece, but I enjoy Kristina looking very "gender" in each scene
Warning: period typical homophobia, sexism, ideas of gender; sex, monarchy
Argentina/Chile: "Since their parents split up, Sara and her younger sister live with their mother, whose new partner is a woman. Everyday life for the four of them is hardly any different than it is for other families. But not everyone sees it that way â Saraâs father in particular has his doubts."
Mostly lovely, slice of life, the homophobia hits even more though this. They are a very nomal family, who do not deserve what comes at them.
Glossy clean looking but warm.
Loved Sara and relationship with her best friend and how very unclichee but real her teenagehood felt.
Warning: homophobia
The Handmaiden (2016)
South Korea: â1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a young woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering uncle.â
A very visual movie, it uses its medium and it has some extremly beautiful shots in it. It also does some cool stuff outside the purely visual story telling, mostly the structure, that are interesting.
warning: forced instutionalization; ableism; (childhood (that part is mostly offscreen)) sexual abuse, suicide, themes of racism and colonism, kind of voyeristic sex,
You may like this if you like: Underdog stories, period movies, queer themes, female centric stories, stories about breaking circles of abuse, visual storytelling, cool story telling mechanism,
Close-Knit (2017)
Japan: "After being neglected by her mother, a little girl is taken in by her uncle and his girlfriend."
Mostly really sweet and comforting slice of life.
Warning: use of a cis man actor for a trans female character
homophobia, transphobia, child neglet/abuse, a suicide attemp
Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)
A happy CANON poly relationship - thats it. Thats all I have to say, it just made me really happy.
(I lied, I also have to say it felt a bit centered on the man sometimes.)
Warning for: sexism, bigoty against poly relationships, two of the poly relationship are teachers at the university where they meet the 3 - though everyone involved is an adult and power dynamics are a discussed topic of the movie
You may like this if you like: polyshipping, period movies,
Princess Cyd (2017)
"Cyd Loughlin lives alone with her depressive father in South Carolina, perpetually longing to get away from it all. When her aunt, famous novelist Miranda Ruth, agrees to host her for a few weeks during the summer, Cyd jumps at the opportunity."
At the beginning I through i wouldnt like it at all but i ended up having an okay time.
Kind of plotless floating around, and the scene with sexual assault attemp really felt weirdly misplace.
What worked for me is the community aspect more then any romance, I like that she and her aunt build a relationship where they can openly talk about sex and religion, I also like that she meet other older queer people.
Colette (2018)
âColette marries a writer, when she ghostwrites for him and it turns into a sucess and cultural sensation.â
Modern slick look and style (no cheese! I love cheese :(). it definitly spends to much time on her dick of husband for my taste (and I wasnt a fan of the sex scenes)
The movie chose to portray a historical figure with debated gender identity as a trans man, they way it does so is well handled but the choice may not be your turf.
Warning: abuse, cheating
You may like this if you like: period movies, female centric, queer themes, woman in a suit,
Rafifik (2018)
Kenya, South Africa: â2 girls daughters of rivaling local politicans fall in love.â
Warning: homophobia, homophobia based violence,
You may like this if you like: queer themes, bright colours, a movie with a strong own aesthetic,
Bombay Rose (2019)
Animation/India: "3 story lines, a young couple, a lonly old lady and two kids."
The animation style was interesting even it at times a bit static, but I like the broad strokes of colour, and I adore the different styles in the characters fantasys; it is also a movie that uses its medium and the scene transitions specifclly are done well.
the more serious themes felt barly touched, which is why in general the story about the two young lovers is my least favorite even if I see the points of interest the story feels more disconected by the narrative structure then the other 2 smaller stories,
You may like this if you like: movies with an unique animation style, fragmented story lines coming together, stories about fantasies and stories,
warning: themes of xenophobia/racism, sexism, death, the situation in kashmir, capitalism hell, child labor, child marriage,
violence and blood
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (=How I felt when I saw that girl) (2019)
India: âSweetys family wants her to get married. But her heart is not set on someone she thinks they would expect.â
The movie has some nice cinematography, specially in the play in the play. Its bright and colourful with some nice and classic bollywood dance/music scenes.
But what I really love is where it gets into spoilers, its queer. Its the first queer bollywood movie I seen, not the first made but there were really not many.
But to be that it takes an interesting approches, it straightbaites, and centers for me a bit much on the Ally/straight male character - I donÂŽt mind that this is not a romance, and that the relationship between the two women does not get many scenes cause I am actually someone who wants more queer movies that are not romances, I do wish we seen more about Kuhus view on the subject but Sweetys journey is interesting and heartfelt for me.
Warning: homophobia, homophobic violence, sexism
Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019)
France: "A woman is hired to paint the porait of a rich woman for her wedding - the romance is doomed from the start."
Warning: period typical sexism, classim; sex, drug use, abortion
You may like this if you like: period movies, slow/vibes/nothing happens movies,
I personally couldnt connect to the romance at all and found the side character of the servant much more interesting, (or the unadressed class difference between the main couple) but other people loved it.
The Half of It (2020)
US: "Ellie Chu is hired by himbo guy to write love letters for a girl. And ends up falling for her."
Warning: stalking, manipluation/dubious consent
You may like this if you like: coming of age stories, awkward teenagers,
More a story about finding yourself then a romance. It personally didn't speak to me, maybe its the difference of teenagers now and how my teenagerhood was, maybe its the modern style - it felt cold and lacked for me any kitsch/heart.
But a lot of people love it, and i i wanted to rec some more movies with queer asian representation
Ma Raineyâs Black Bottom (2020)
US: Ma Rainy struggles in the music buisness.
Warning: period typical racism, homophobia, violence
You may like this if you like: theater - there is very little editing done to make this look like a film, its monology and minimal in set design - you either like or hate that; biopics, complicated/uneasy to love main characters
Summerland (2020)
"WWII a woman is made to take in an evacuee kid."
Sometimes it is just nice to bath in romantic clichees without fears.
You may like this if you like: found families, grumpy characters learning to show they care, period movies
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Space Sweepers (2021)South Korea: "Misfit always low on money lower class space ship crew finds a young girl/robot and accidently adopts her and fights against space Elon Musk/capitalism."A fun movie, that could have gone deeper. Kind of a family flick. Fun popcorn action.Features Trans Robot, which I love.The characters could have been explored deeper.Its very long and I cant imagine watching it in one sitting, breaking it up in at least 2 parts (better 3 or 4) helps to counter the badly placed exposition dumps.Warning: LOTS of physical triggers (quick cuts, flashing lights), eugentics, classim/capitalism, mention of child solidiers,
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