Pride 2025: A Q+ Celebration!
June 25
Strange Way of Life
Pedro Almodóvar rides into the Western genre with a queer twist in Strange Way of Life (2023), a 31-minute short that packs more tension and longing than many full-length dramas. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Silva and Ethan Hawke as Sheriff Jake, former gunslingers turned estranged lovers reunited after 25 years. What begins as a nostalgic reunion quickly becomes a reckoning with desire, betrayal, and the choices that have shaped their lives.
Bathed in Almodóvar’s signature sensuality and rich color palette, the film feels like a direct response to the traditionally heteronormative Western. It’s as much a love story as it is a stylish meditation on masculinity and regret. Oh, and the costumes? Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Yes, really.
Where to watch? Strange Way of Life is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video, Apple TV, and other major platforms.
What We Do In The Shadows
This FX mockumentary series about four vampire roommates navigating Staten Island is one of the queerest, funniest shows on television. What We Do In The Shadows is absurd and endlessly quotable, but it also builds its comedic chaos around surprisingly heartfelt relationships—especially the ongoing, often hilarious (and occasionally romantic?) tension between Laszlo, Nadja, Nandor, and their long-suffering familiar Guillermo.
Guillermo’s arc is particularly rich: a gay, Latino vampire hunter with dreams of becoming a vampire himself, stuck serving a bunch of clueless immortals. Over five seasons, the show leans deeper into Guillermo’s identity and his complicated bond with Nandor, proving that even in a house full of bloodsuckers, chosen family and queer subtext reign supreme.
Where to watch? What We Do In The Shadows is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S., and Disney+ in select regions.
A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins
Best friends to lovers takes center stage in this sizzling sapphic romance set in Houston’s vibrant music and strip club scene. Cyn Tha Starr is a rising music producer with an enviable roster of femme flings, but things get messy when her latest hookup doesn’t vibe with Jucee—her best friend, favorite dancer, and the woman who inspires every beat she makes.
For Jucee (aka Juleesa Jones), life is about stability: making bank during the early shift at Sanity, raising her son, and chilling with Cyn. Romance? Unnecessary. Until she realizes her heart’s been hiding in plain sight all along.
Chencia C. Higgins brings the heat, the heart, and a refreshing blend of queer Black joy to the page. A Little Kissing Between Friends is a story about passion, mutual respect, and risking everything for the one person who makes your world spin differently.
Where to buy? A Little Kissing Between Friends is available to purchase at all reputable booksellers.
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Featured Image: Images Courtesy of Netflix, Max, Amazon MGM Studios, Focus Feature, Getty Images, Disney+, Apple TV.
