When I shared my first selection of 5 Queer Drama Films back in 2022, I noted that it was quite difficult to choose how to pare it down to JUST 5. After all, there are TONS of amazing queer drama films.
This task is made trickier because most drama films are not JUST a drama film. Rather, they often go hand-in-hand with other genres. While these combinations don’t have their own fancy nickname like romcoms do (the combination of romance and comedy genres), they still exist! Drama and crime. Drama and thriller. Even drama and romance.
So in my first post years ago, I did my best to limit my selection to films that were ONLY queer dramas. This time around though, I decided I won’t worry too much about limiting it to just films that fall in the drama genre.
But what makes a film a Drama? As I hold IMDb’s standards akin to my own (due to a common frame of reference to most of you reading along), here is what they have to say about the Drama genre:
“Should contain numerous consecutive scenes of characters portrayed to effect a serious narrative throughout the title, usually involving conflicts and emotions. This can be exaggerated upon to produce melodrama. Subjective“
The five queer drama films below are a mixed variety of classics, newer dramas, and some that you may not have heard of before. And there’s a variety of why each film falls within the drama genre. For one film, it’s the drama over the hurdles of self-acceptance and coming out. Two films focus on the drama that is faced from AIDs, which also highlights the idea that dramas must also be tragic. (Note: they don’t have to be – just merely have a conflict to work through!)
The last two films below focus on cross-cultural dramas. One is also about self-acceptance, but without the coming out aspect. And the other is a tale of two lovers torn apart due to cultural and political issues, even though their love shines through those hurdles. But most definitely dramatic!
So check out these 5 MORE Queer Drama Films below. And don’t forget to let me know what you think of these films in the comments.
5 Even MORE Queer Drama Films
“Sensitive rural town model student Steven Carter hides his gay feelings, except with his neighbor and best friend Linda. Suddenly his desperate search for partners leads to a blind date with golden boy John Dixon, bound for an Oxbridge career.” – IMDb
“Get Real” is one of the earliest queer films I watched, and it still stands as a great period coming-of-age queer film. Like its title, the storyline is real and authentically shows a struggling young gay teenager trying to accept his sexuality amid the chaotic life of school. Throw in a hidden relationship with the school’s “straight” jock, and we can see first hand the struggles that it was in the 90’s to be gay. However what I like most about “Get Real” is that it doesn’t end in the cliché happy ending. Steven accepts who he is, but Dixon can’t. Yet this reflects reality; not everyone can accept who they are right away. In a modern age where the couple ends up together, this queer drama remains refreshingly real and worth watching.
Watch Get Real on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube.
“When James admits to his mother that he is gay it strains her liberal attitude. A San Diego businesswoman, Audrey believes she is a modern, open-minded mother, but the news sends her reeling. However, the real shock comes when James asks her to travel to Arkansas and inform his lover’s estranged mom, Luanne, that her son has AIDS. As Audrey and Luanne learn to put aside their prejudice toward each other, they soon discover how to share their thoughts, hopes and fears for their sons.” – IMDb
Today there are a handful of great queer films that address the subject of AIDS. However, in the early 90’s, there were very few as many studios and even actors were afraid to honestly address the disease terrorising the gay community. “Our Sons” was groundbreaking when it aired on TV in 1991, because this queer drama approached AIDS in a way that many could relate to. And with a cast of A-listers, it drew attention.
Hugh Grant portrays the fear of his lover dying from AIDS and unbable to do anything to help. Julie Andrews wonderfully plays his mother, who accepts her gay son but is still reserved when it comes to the reality of AIDS. And of course, Ann-Margret is simply brilliant as the mother of Donnie, Hugh Grant’s lover, who could not accept her gay son. Andrews and Margret go head to head as class and views clash. But in the end, it’s about acceptance, something that was direly needed in the 90’s when it comes to AIDS. It may be a bit melodramatic at times, leaning into some common issues with TV movies, but the queer drama “Our Sons” is absolutely worth watching!
Watch Our Sons on Amazon, Prime Video, Plex, and Tubi.
“Nimer, an ambitious Palestinian student in the West Bank, dreams of a better life abroad. One fateful night in Tel Aviv, he meets Roy, an Israeli lawyer, and the two fall in love. As their relationship deepens, they are both confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept Nimer for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. When Nimer’s close friend is caught hiding illegally in Tel Aviv and sent back to the West Bank, where he is brutally murdered, Nimer is forced to choose between the life he thought he wanted and his love for Roy.” – IMDb
I absolutely LOVE “Out In The Dark”! Though I have to confess that there’s something appealing to me about migrant/foreign romance stories, perhaps because I’m a migrant myself. However the scene that’s set up here amid the Palestinian & Israeli conflicts alone sets a very powerful stage for any queer romance – definitely the setup for a queer thriller film. It’s a romance that is likely either to succeed despite facing such insurmountable difficulties – or one that will end tragically á la Romeo & Juliet. The cinematography is a bit rough and raw, but that gives the film even more of an edge that enhances the thriller aspect. This queer thriller film is one that you watch with full focus, not merely because most of us need the subtitles, but because it’s a powerful and captivating thriller & romance right until the end!
Watch Out In The Dark on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Tubi.
“Spring. Yorkshire. Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker, Gheorghe, for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path.” – IMDb
With similar stunningly beautiful landscapes and a closeted homosexual at the film’s centre, “God’s Own Country” is often referred to as the “British” “Brokeback Mountain.” However, both are powerful films that stand alone on their own right! In a way that’s hard to explain, I think “God’s Own Country” is a bit more realistic with a stronger emotional arc for the main character. Johnny is a loner, stuck on the farm – until Gheorghe comes to help out for a short time. It’s actually the smaller details in the cinematographic elements that really help the simplistic story shine. Regardless of whether or not you were a fan of “Brokeback Mountain”, I strongly encourage everyone to watch “God’s Own Country.”
Watch God’s Own Country on Amazon, Prime Video, Apple TV+, YouTube and Tubi.
“The story of a macho straight and a well-educated gay man who have to share an apartment at a half-way house for aids-patients. Slowly they become friends.” – IMDb
“Roommates” was a more recent addition to my personal Queer Film Collection and after finally watching it, it’s a welcome addition! Now it’s important to note that this queer TV film follows similar tropes that many 90’s gay films did: it’s about AIDS. And while there are some wonderful moments, “Roommates” is not a movie that you watch to feel good afterwards. However, even despite a tragic ending, this is certainly a gay film that’s worth watching! And positing Randy Quad’s stereotypical straight guy characters against Eric Stoltz uptight gay guy worked beautifully. Yes, it’s the frenemies trope: enemies become good friends. However for those in the 80’s and 90’s who were dying from HIV & AIDS had to rely upon each other – and that’s what the heart of this film is about. “Roommates” is worth watching, especially if you’re trying to better understand LGBTQ history.
Watch Roommates on Amazon, Prime Video, Plex, and Tubi.
So what did you think about these 5 MORE Queer Drama Films that I’ve chosen? Hopefully they are ones you haven’t seen before – and that you want to watch now. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
(Remember that you can Pin your favorite queer drama film to your Pinterest boards for later!)
But remember that are MANY more queer drama films out there. I haven’t been able to add them all to my Queer Film, Short, & Series Database – let alone review many of them.
And if I still haven’t include your favorite queer drama film anywhere on the site, let me know HERE. I will certainly add it to my Database – and perhaps give it a full review.
