With protest comes pride. The L.A. Pride Parade and Festival has been revived to express solidarity with the African-American community following the death of George Floyd. Los Angeles Pride had cancelled the parade due to concerns about COVID-19 and a potential lack of social distancing, but now says they will protest June 14 in Hollywood where the first permitted Pride Parade took place. Face coverings, of course, are recommended. In the meantime, you can commemorate the hard-fought progress that has been made from your own home by streaming any of the following films as we recognize LGBTQ Pride Month.
Moonlight
Streaming on: Netflix
This Oscar-winning drama follows a young man named Chiron from his impoverished childhood to adulthood as he grapples with his sexual identity as well as the consequences of poverty and abuse. All the while he strives to escape a life that appears unavoidable. In addition to winning Best Picture, the film’s director, Barry Jenkins, claimed the screenwriting Oscar while Mahershala Ali was named Best Supporting Actor.
Philadelphia
Streaming on: Netflix
Jonathan Demme’s 1993 drama threw a high-wattage spotlight on the AIDS crisis, earning acclaim and $200 million worldwide. In doing so, it brought the plight of the LGBTQ community into the mainstream like no film before it. Tom Hanks won the Oscar for his portrayal of a lawyer fired from his powerhouse law firm because they realized he was HIV-positive. Denzel Washington is the homophobic lawyer who takes on the David v. Goliath case.
Carol
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Legendary writer Patricia Highsmith, who penned the psychological thrillers The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train, also authored The Price of Salt in 1952, adapted decades later by filmmaker Todd Haynes. Cate Blanchett stars as a wealthy woman in a grim, loveless marriage who begins an affair with a young shopgirl (Rooney Mara). Lust, love and loss ensue.
Brokeback Mountain
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Focus/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock (5884718b)
Streaming on: Hulu
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star as Wyoming cowboys in the 1960s who fall in love only to discover they can’t ever quit each other — even as the decades wear on and their marriages to Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway crumble. A trailblazer, even though it is only 15 years old, Ang Lee’s tender, thoughtful drama was nominated for multiple Oscars and won for director and screenplay. Controversially and inexplicably, it wasn’t named Best Picture.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Streaming on: Hulu
John Cameron Mitchell directed, adapted and starred in this poignant 2001 film based on the 1998 stage musical he co-wrote. It follows transgender rock singer Hedwig (Mitchell) on a quest to track down the former lover who stole her music and became a star.
Bound
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Before they entered The Matrix, the Wachowski siblings wrote and directed this sultry, noirish thriller about lovers (Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon) who conspire to rip off the mob. Twisty, exciting and crammed with style, it rivets with the same sleek, storytelling energy as that aforementioned Keanu Reeves-led science-fiction saga.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
The movie is named for the bus that drag queen Anthony (Hugo Weaving) uses to transport himself — as well as young drag queen Adam (Guy Pearce) and transsexual Bernadette (Terence Stamp) — across the less-than-welcoming Australian outback for a gig at a casino in a remote town. Released in 1994, the film was a sleeper smash, helping to introduce international audiences to positive LGBTQ characters.
Milk
Streaming on: Hulu
Sean Penn is electrifying as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in America. In 1977, Milk won a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors — only to be slain a year later. Wisely, the drama, directed by Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho), does not dwell on the murder, choosing instead to chronicle the years of tumult and tenacity that ultimately led Milk to emerge as a national icon for equality.
Beginners
Streaming on: Amazon Prime
Ewan McGregor stars as a man whose father (Christopher Plummer) comes out during the last year of his life. The revelation strengthens the bond between the men, who were never close, as the son reflects on his own childhood, relationships and his father’s closeted past. Plummer won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In addition to Plummer and McGregor, Mike Mills’s tender, affecting film also features a talking (with subtitles) Jack Russell terrier.