“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Cast: John Cameron Mitchell, Miriam Shor, Stephen Trask, Andrea Martin, Michael Pitt
Synopsis: Hedwig, an aspiring rock star, monologues about her life as a gay young man and a marginalized post-op transgender woman in between foot-tapping rock songs.
What You Need to Know: If you thought you were going to get through this list without encountering a musical, think again! John Cameron Mitchell’s 2001 film adaptation of his own off-Broadway musical is an inimitable contribution to 21st century LGBT cinema, as chock-full of camp and screaming as it is of fabulous wigs. Stuck somewhere between gay male adolescence and transgender womanhood, protagonist Hedwig launched a fearless tale of gender-nonconformity into the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. There, the film scored a Directing Award and an Audience Award before going on to claim similar success in Berlin (where it won Best Feature Film) and at Outfest (where Mitchell and co-star Miriam Shor nabbed acting awards) – triple-threat John Cameron Mitchell even earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role. Though it never recouped its modest $6 million, this Killer Films title became an immediate cult classic, as integral to modern conversations about gender as it is foot-tappingly enjoyable. I dare you to come away from a ‘Hedwig’ viewing without at least one of its songs jammed firmly into your cranium.
“How to Survive a Plague”
Director: David France
Synopsis: In making this comprehensive documentary film about the AIDS epidemic, David France pored over 700 hours of archived footage collected by ACT UP members, capturing some of the most riotous moments in gay American history.
What You Need to Know: If “BPM” is one of the best features about the AIDS crisis, “How to Survive a Plague” is its documentary counterpart. Featuring interviews with key ACT UP players from Larry Kramer to Mathilde Krim, the film paints a definitive portrait of the AIDS epidemic in New York City. This 2012 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary garnered widespread critical and audience acclaim, and France’s 2016 book of the same title is considered one of the foremost books on AIDS activism. In a mosaic of news footage, to-camera interviews, and clips of ACT UP meetings and protests, France offers an account of the epidemic that’s as close to first-person as viewers can possibly get, making this a must-see for any younger LGBTQ people who want to learn more about their community history. If there ever comes time to make an LGBTQ cultural time capsule, this first feature from David France (dedicated to his partner, Doug Gould, who died of AIDS-related pneumonia), should be one of the first items logged.
“If These Walls Could Talk 2”
Directors: Jane Anderson, Martha Coolidge, Anne Heche
Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Chloë Sevigny, Michelle Williams, Sharon Stone, Ellen DeGeneres
Synopsis: This three-part film follows three different lesbian couples that occupy the same house across different decades: one in 1961, one in 1972, and one in 2000.
What You Need to Know: Sure, “If These Walls Could Talk 2” is a made-for-TV movie – and a sequel at that – but this 2000 anthology tale is also easily one of the most moving, joyful lesbian texts out there. The 1961 story, which grapples with mid-century homophobia and elderly loss, gives way to a beautiful tale of 1972 second-wave butch/femme romance before dovetailing into a hilarious and madcap accounting of modern lesbian pregnancy. From sensual sex scenes (thanks, HBO) to honest, period-specific romances, “If These Walls Could Talk 2” is a comprehensive and enjoyable account of recent lesbian history. Plus, it’s not every day you get to see Ellen DeGeneres bump uglies with Sharon Stone.
“Itty Bitty Titty Committee”
Director: Jamie Babbit
Cast: Melonie Diaz, Nicole Vicius, Daniela Sea, Guinevere Turner, Carly Pope
Synopsis: Post-breakup and unsatisfied with her life, awkward lesbian Anna finds new passion with Sadie, the leader of third-wave radical feminist group Clits in Action.
What You Need to Know: If I didn’t include a Jamie Babbit film on this list I would have to turn in my Lesbian Card. Luckily, she’s an icon of modern lesbian cinema. In her super-small 2007 feature “Itty Bitty Titty Committee,” Babbit explores lesbian romance within a group of young radical feminists. It’s campy. It’s kinda slap-dash. Depending on your gender politics, it’s…interesting. But despite its shagginess, “Itty Bitty Titty Committee” is an undeniably enjoyable romp into the wild world of dyke drama and third-wave rage. Not only does it encapsulate an inimitable brand of feminism and nod to Babbit’s New Queer Cinema roots (hello, Guinevere Turner cameo!), the film is perfect for a riot grrrl’s night in with your favorite gal pals – no boys allowed.
“I Killed My Mother”
Director: Xavier Dolan
Cast: Xavier Dolan, Anne Dorval, Suzanne Suzanne Clément, François Arnaud
Synopsis: With the help of his boyfriend Antonin, Québécois teenager Hubert embarks on a journey of messy, sharp-edged adolescence, always sure to keep his mother at arm’s length.
What You Need to Know: As artsy and grave as its sensational protagonist, this film is a first-person masterwork on gay adolescence. Whiz kid and modern gay cinema auteur Xavier Dolan wrote, directed and starred in “I Killed My Mother” at just 19 years old – and landed a spot in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, where it won three prizes. (You know, as you do.) Dolan’s experimental artistry and unapologetic depiction of LGBTQ sensuality have since carried over into his other features, “Heartbeats,” “Laurence Anyways,” “Tom at the Farm,” and “It’s Only the End of the World.” While each of these Dolan films could arguably earn a spot on this list, “I Killed My Mother” is particularly representative of his skill, in all its untidy, embryonic glory. It might not be his most seamless film, and it might blur the line between “precocious” and “pretentious,” but ultimately “I Killed My Mother” is a film that is unafraid to be itself by a gay filmmaker unafraid to be himself.
