Not long ago, unearthing a solid list of the year’s standout queer films would have taken some effort. But in 2024, the challenge will be choosing from the abundance of options. From ambitious, genre-bending titles like “Emilia Pérez” and “I Saw the TV Glow” to quieter, safer films like “Crossing” and “Sing Sing,” this year saw a wide range of titles that fall under the umbrella of queerness. -Inclusive works.
Instead of making a ranked list of the year’s “best,” here’s a selection of critically acclaimed, animated films (in alphabetical order) that have kept moviegoers talking this year.
‘Challengers’
Since its release this spring, Luca Guadagnino’s sweaty, offbeat comedy, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor as tennis champions caught in a years-long love triangle, has proven nearly impossible to forget. Resurfacing as a topic of conversation during tennis tournaments, Halloween and now awards season, the decidedly unserious film, which features a now-iconic churros scene and plenty of ogling, has proven that sometimes the only thing you can do The public wants good fun. .
“Challengers” is available on Prime Video and video on demand platforms.
‘Crossing’
Sometimes movies make an impression because of how cleverly understated they are, as in “Crossing,” from “And Then We Danced” director Levan Akin. The Teddy Award-winning film centers on a retired Georgian teacher who goes to Istanbul in search of her estranged transgender niece, with the help of a young neighbor. As their search becomes increasingly frustrating, the two strangers forge an unexpected bond in this moving and thought-provoking film about people’s need to connect.
“Crossing” is available on Mubi and video on demand platforms.
‘Emilia Perez’
Although it has caused division among moviegoers, Jacques Audiard’s musical about a cartel lord who undergoes a dramatic gender-affirming transformation may be critics’ favorite movie of the year. In addition to receiving the most Golden Globe nominations for a film, the singing and dancing showcase has quickly become an Oscar favorite, thanks in large part to the honors going to leading lady Karla Sofía Gascon. But even more than its successful awards nomination, the film stands out for reimagining what a transgender story (and musical) can and should be.
“Emilia Pérez” is available on Netflix.
‘Women’
This year was a big one for cinematic sadomasochistic relationships, with films like “Babygirl,” “Love Lies Bleeding,” “Solo” and many more exploring love that causes pain. But no film was more tortuous and disturbingly erotic than “Femme,” starring Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as a London drag queen who, after being brutally beaten one night, discovers a chance to get revenge on her attacker. A twisted romance then develops between the traumatized artist and the deeply closeted man, expertly played by George MacKay, who does not recognize his victim for being in drag.
“Femme” is available on Hulu and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Cleaning for beginners’
Like his previous films, Goran Stolevski’s third feature about a found family hit hard by the loss of their matriarch went unnoticed after its release. But those who saw the heartbreaking but hopeful “Housekeeping for Beginners” will remember it as another feather in the cap of the Macedonian director who has spent his career shedding light on his home country and other places that remain largely hidden from moviegoers.
“Housekeeping for Beginners” is available on Prime Video and video-on-demand platforms.
‘I saw the brightness of the television’
No one captures the horror of growing up in the ’90s better than Jane Schoenbrun. Following up on his haunting debut, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Schoenbrun moves from the computer to the television as a vehicle to explore how suburban malaise can transform into terror for teenagers who feel trapped in “I Saw the Shining on TV.” “Directed by a young cast and full of nostalgia, the sci-fi film offers the year’s scariest coming-of-age story and a truly original transgender allegory.
“I Saw the TV Glow” is available on Max and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Love lies bleeding’
In addition to some very hot sapphic sex, Rose Glass’s “Love Lies Bleeding” gave the world Katy O’Brian when it was released earlier this year. In her feature film debut, the bodybuilder-turned-actress holds her own opposite Kristen Stewart in the dusty crime thriller about two women whose whirlwind romance turns homicidal. Bordering on body horror, brimming with ’80s aesthetics and set in a small Southwestern town like a “Desert Hearts” on steroids, the film offers the kind of wild, gritty romance rarely seen in movies. about lesbians.
“Love Lies Bleeding” is available on Max and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Troublemaker’
Former “Saturday Night Live” writer Julio Torres achieved another career milestone this year with his directorial debut, “Problemista.” The surreal comedic drama stars Torres and Tilda Swinton as an aspiring toy maker and an eccentric art critic who find troublesome soulmates in each other. Despite its biting humor, the hopeful film shows a softer side to Torres, making it one of the most unexpected and endearing love stories of the year.
“Problemista” is available on Max and video on demand platforms.
‘Queer’
Based largely on the unfinished novel of the same name by William S. Burroughs, Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” stars Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey as star-crossed lovers who carry out a toxic, substance-fueled affair in the Mexico City of the fifties. The cerebral film, which has earned Craig a string of best actor nominations, initially drew attention for its full-frontal sex scenes. But its climax, a ballet sequence in which men become entwined in desire while drinking ayahuasca, is what makes it one of the most exciting titles of the year.
“Queer” is showing in American theaters across the country.
‘Sing, sing’
Although he has played a variety of on-screen roles, Colman Domingo seems especially suited to starring in films based on inspiring true stories. In Greg Kwedar’s second feature, Domingo plays an unjustly imprisoned writer who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a fellow student in the Sing Sing theater program. Featuring a cast of formerly incarcerated actors playing fictional versions of themselves, “Sing Sing,” which could earn Domingo his first Oscar, is a gorgeously acted tribute to the human spirit that won’t soon be forgotten.
“Sing Sing” is available on video-on-demand platforms.
‘The People’s Joker’
Vera Drew’s semi-autobiographical superhero spoof, “The People’s Joker,” isn’t for everyone, but then again, it doesn’t try to be. The Batman pastiche, which was pulled from the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival over alleged copyright issues, tells the origin story of supervillain Joker the Harlequin (Drew), an aspiring comedian whose outlook sours upon arriving at Gotham. After gaining a die-hard fan base over a year of secret screenings, the dizzying piece of modern trans cinema has become one of the few underground films to attract widespread critical acclaim.
“The People’s Joker” is available on Mubi and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Will and Harper’
“Will & Harper,” which follows “SNL” alums Will Ferrell and Harper Steele on a two-week trip to reconnect after the latter’s transition, was one of the biggest cinematic surprises of the year. What initially sounded like a PR stunt turned out to be a candid, straightforward documentary about friendship and self-acceptance that earned Ferrell a new fan base and showed how two middle-aged friends sitting and talking about transgender issues create a narrative. convincing. .
“Will and Harper” is available on Netflix.
