Valentine’s day movies: Films featuring LGBTQ love stories

In recent years, films have depicted the LGBTQ+ community in a range of stories. This has played a great role in inclusivity and on-screen representation of the community which was largely marginalised if not invisible in pop culture only a few decades ago. These engaging stories, through their authentic depiction, have also busted myths and stereotypes associated with those from the community. Most notably, revered Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer is considered a groundbreaking film about homosexuality and first love. More recently, the episode titled Long, Long Time from HBO’s The Last of Us offers a refreshing and unique take on gay romance, set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse. Today’s List hai toh hit hai is a list of some of the best films featuring LGBTQ love stories.

Moonlight (Prime Video)

The Barry Jenkins film won three Academy Awards in 2018, including Best Picture. The film is a coming-of-age drama about a young African-American who struggles to cope with his sexuality and growing up in a society intolerant towards homosexuals. The film captures the mental and physical abuse inflicted on him from his childhood to early adulthood on account of his sexuality. Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert essay prominent roles and fill in as characters who feature in the various stages of his life. Whereas Naomie Harris, Jharrel Jerome, and Mahershala Ali essay other supporting roles. Ali actually bagged an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this film.

Carol (Prime Video)

Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, Carol is a romantic drama set in 1950s New York. The Todd Haynes directorial stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in lead roles, with supporting roles essayed by Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, and Kyle Chandler. The film is about a love story between a young female photographer and a recently divorced older woman. It explores the idea of forbidden love in an intolerant society that considered homosexuality taboo. The film was well received by critics upon its release in 2015, winning over 100 awards for various categories.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Prime Video)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest romantic dramas of the 21st century, the French film stars Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel in lead roles. Set on an isolated island in 18th-century France, the film tells the forbidden love story between a young aristocrat and the woman who has been commissioned to paint her portrait prior to her wedding. The film was widely praised for its gripping screenplay and riveting performances by Merlant and Haenel. Written and directed by Céline Sciamma, it was nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or and won Best Screenplay at Cannes.

Brokeback Mountain (Prime Video)

Ang Lee’s neo-Western romantic drama is credited for redefining the depiction of gay romance in films. The 2005 film also established the late Heath Ledger as one of the finest actors in Hollywood, long before his Academy Award-winning turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus, The Dark Knight. Ledger stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the film, where both men play cowboys who fall in love with each other but end up marrying their respective girlfriends. The film was praised for breaking several stereotypes surrounding gay romance, and for the incredible performances of its lead actors. Again, what works for the film is the refrain and subtle nuances that the lead pair share on screen coupled with Lee’s keen lens that renders the proceedings with a distinguished aesthetic.

A Fantastic Woman (Prime Video)

The 2017 Chilean film, directed by Sebastián Lelio, won several awards including an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film stars Daniela Vega in the lead as a transgender woman working as a waitress and moonlighting as a nightclub dancer. The film narrates the story of how her life falls apart after the tragic death of her boyfriend. The film focuses on her plight and how she must overcome social scrutiny in the aftermath of her boyfriend’s death. A compelling yet heartbreaking watch, A Fantastic Woman bagged the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2018.

Disobedience ((Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play; rentals)

Hollywood biggies Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams essay the lead roles in the romantic drama Disobedience. The film is directed by Sebastián Lelio and explores the themes of how religious orthodoxy stigmatized homosexuality even in the 21st Century. The plot revolves around a Jewish woman who was ostracized from her community for falling in love with her female childhood friend. Her return rekindles their love for each other but their union is met with stiff resistance.

Well that's the OTTplay List hai toh hit hai episode for today, until the next one its your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho

• Written by Ryan Gomez