5 Movies You Should Be Watching this Pride Month

Pride Month is, once again, upon us and while not everything about this month is a celebration – after all, the fight for our rights is far from over and we need to educate ourselves on what we can do to help achieve equality for all – we think that we all deserve to have some joy in our lives. And what better way to do that than by watching unabashedly joyful and light-hearted queer movies.

Thanks to the progress that has been made in recent years, the list of queer movies available to us has grown exponentially around the world, giving us all kinds of stories from people who come from all walks of life. 

Variety is the very spice of life, so the more movies we get the better, but as we said, today we want to focus on the positive side of things, on the happy side of pride. We want to share with y’all movies that show how precious, multifaceted, fun, and romantic the LGBTQ experience is. 

So without further ado, here are the 5 gayest and happiest movies of recent years that you should be watching this pride month!

Fire Island (2022)

Fire Island is a romantic comedy that follows a tight-knit group of queer best friends who head for their annual vacation at Fire Island, New York. But a series of events happen that puts not just the vacation, but their friendships at risk. The movie is billed as a queer twist on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” so it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. The movie confronts the characters with important issues, like how class, race, and gender can divide queer communities and it also highlights the not-so-fun parts of dating and socializing. The movie stars Joel Kim Booster, Conrad Ricamora, and Bowen Yang, and was directed by Andrew Ahn. 

Where to Watch? Fire Island is available to stream on Hulu in the US, and Star+ worldwide. 

Crush (2022)

Written by Kirsten King and Casey Rackham, Crush is the sapphic movie you didn’t know you needed but will be thankful exists. Crush follows awkward artist Paige (Rowan Blanchard) as she struggles to find her voice as an artist and go to a prestigious art camp, all while she’s been accused of painting graffiti around the school. She only avoids being suspended when she offers to run for the track team, throwing her into a love triangle with her long-time crush Gabriela Campos (Isabella Ferreira), and her sister AJ Campos (Auli’i Cravalho). This movie follows high-school romance tropes to a tee, and in our opinion, that’s what makes it so much fun to watch. You can read more about this movie in our review!

Where to watch? At the moment, Crush is only available to stream on Hulu in the US. Crush will be available to stream worldwide on Star+ on June 17. 

Love, Simon (2018)

A favorite here at Q+, Love, Simon tells the story of Simon, a gay teenager who has yet to come out to his family or friends. But when he falls for an anonymous classmate online, and that secret is threatened, he has to come to terms with his identity. Love, Simon is as hilarious as any teen drama, but it sets itself apart from others in its genre with some brilliant moments of emotional depth that give the movie a more grounded and realistic feel. Plus, the romance between Simon and his anonymous classmate is just *chef’s kiss* Is it cheesy and a bit cliché? Yes, but it’s a romantic comedy! You need cheesy and clichés to make it work! 

Where to watch? Love, Simon is available to watch on Hulu in the US, and Star+ or Disney+ worldwide.

Happiest Season (2020)

This is clearly a Christmas movie and it’s only June, but we don’t care. There’s no bad time to watch Happiest Season, to be honest. The movie is a rom-com about a lesbian couple, Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis), who make plans to go home to the latter’s family for Christmas. It all seems like the best plan, but chaos ensues when Abby discovers that Harper hasn’t come out to her parents, yet. The film is quite balanced with moments of light-hearted hilarity and the realities that one must go through while coming out to their family. Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza, and Victor Garber are also part of the cast, so gays all around! 

Where to watch? Happiest Season is available to watch on Hulu in the US, and HBO Max worldwide.

The Way He Looks (2014)

The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho in Portuguese) is a very sweet coming-of-age Brazilian movie about a blind teenager Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo Putini), who has a new classmate, Gabriel (Fábio Audi ). Things take a turn for Leo as Gabriel’s arrival carries a lot of changes in his life, changes that not only impact him in a very emotional way but his best friend and family as well. This movie is charming and will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions that you’ll be grateful for once the end credits start to roll.

Where to watch? The Way He Looks is available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime worldwide. 

Let us know what y’all think of these movies and happy pride y’all!

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