(Also, did I mention those Sufjan songs?) No, it may not be the queer cinema we need in this fraught time for queer people (see my comments about BPM for that), but it definitely is one of the ones we’ve always wanted. By the film’s final scene, when Elio sits in front of a fireplace, crying as “Visions of Gideon” by Sufjan Stevens softly plays in the background, it’s near impossible not to cry as well.
#TOP GAY MOVIES OF 2017 MOVIE#
Even without explicit sex scenes, it’s a tender movie that will make you reminisce on your first love. The simple tale of a romance that brews between 17-year-old Elio and 24-year-old Oliver is both incredibly acted and visually stunning. But this wouldn’t be a real “Best Of” list without it. With all the hype surrounding it, I’m sure you’ve heard (or seen it) for yourself. You don’t need me to tell you Call Me By Your Name is good. See how much easier life could be if people cared? When their sister’s boyfriend asks how he should introduce J at an upcoming family event (not brother, not sister, just “sibling” is best), a tear came to my eye. It’s a quiet film that, at times, seems to move a little too slowly, but it also makes a very strong case for trusting in a child’s innate sensibility to know what’s best for their own body.īy surrounding its protagonist with people who respect J’s still-fluctuating gender identity despite being largely unfamiliar with the exact nature of their specific needs, the film even manages to teach its audience a few things without coming across as overly didactic. Over the course of its short but sweet 80-minute runtime, They takes us through J’s world, showing what life is like for a 14-year-old caught in the in-between and still trying to decide whether they want to mature as a boy or a girl.
There are aspects of the movie that I still don’t wholly understand, but there’s no arguing with the fact that its gentle exploration of its central character, J, is truly beautiful. By the third season, the couple had started talking “next steps,” with Darryl wanting kids and Josh wanting to keep things as is - and though their different ideas of what would constitute a happy union in the coming years eventually lead to their breakup in the midseason finale, the love that they felt for each other is one of the show’s most deliberate expressions of what a healthy relationship looks like. In a show defined by messy romantic relationships, Darryl and Josh’s stuck out for its ease. In the middle of its first season, The CW’s beloved musical-cum-multi-layered-dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend switched up the script by pairing Darryl, a recent divorcée and the jittery insecure boss to the show’s protagonist, with “White Josh,” a sports bar-frequenting personal trainer with a visible tender side - thereby instantly setting the two as the show’s resident “Odd Couple.” But over the course of the next few seasons, the bond between them grew stronger and their initial incompatibility eventually became their most adorable quality. No, not all of these shows or movies are about being queer - some of them aren’t even that kind to its queer characters - but, across the board, one thing was consistent: each one told an interesting story about queerness in a way that wasn’t trite or offensive. But as I sifted through my running list, I ended up selecting those stories whose handlings of queer characters and queer subjects were both nuanced and entertaining. Narrowing my list down to six favorites in each category was an impossibly daunting task, and I still cringe thinking about all the worthy candidates I couldn’t fit. I mean, hello, even Will & Grace came back!
#TOP GAY MOVIES OF 2017 TV#
Movies that addressed queerness were abundant, while TV shows - both old and new - made a conscientious effort to add in recurring queer characters whose storylines weren’t solely limited to their sexual orientation or gender identity. No other year in recent memory has seen such a constant stream of queer narratives. As the year comes to a close, I can look back and honestly agree with that sentiment. Many thought of its win as a harbinger of things to come - namely, a world filled with more queer stories, all told in diverse and dynamic ways. As far as queer TV and film go, 2017 will always be known as the year that Moonlight won the Oscar.