A24; Amazon MGM Studios
It's barely May, and already, 2024 has been one of the best years for queer film in recent memory. And these five are the best of the best so far!
This list doesn't include several other amazing queer films that have already come out, including Drive-Away Dolls, Stress Positions (my number six best queer film of the year so far), and Femme. Another film,I Saw the TV Glow, is also about to come out in limited theaters this weekend and in many other years, it would be the best queer film of the year, period.
What an amazing year for queer cinema, and we're not even halfway through!!! Scroll through to see the five best LGBTQ+ films of the year, in order.
5. 'Mean Girls'
My number five gay movie this year so far is the Mean Girls musical movie. Reneé Rapp is the perfect Gen Z Regina George. And Auli'i Cravalho is a true superstar. The original has quite a legacy to live up to, and by doing something new with it, the 2024 version lives up to the legacy.
4. 'Problemista'
Julio Torres' directorial debut comes in at my number four queer movie of the year so far. Problemista stars Torres as Alejandro, a dream-filled toy designer who immigrated to America from El Salvador with hopes of working for a big toy company. He pairs up with an acerbic art critic who wants to put on a show of her late husband's art, and from there, we get a beautiful exploration of love, vulnerability, and what it means to be difficult.
3. 'The People's Joker'
Trans filmmaker Vera Drew saw the need for a trans Joker film and filled it! This hilarious and amazingly unique film tells the autobiographical story of Drew, but from the lens of a comedian named Joker the Harlequin who lives in Gotham City. It's a film unlike any you've seen and is the best superhero movie in years.
Currently in theaters.
2. 'Love Lies Bleeding'
Love Lies Bleeding is my new favorite lesbian movie. It's sexy, it's dirty, it's gory, it's brutal, it's problematic as hell, and it's non-stop amazing. With a climax that's impossible to forget, this movie shows problematic lesbians like we've never seen them before, and it's a thing of beauty.
1. 'Challengers'
The only movie that could beat out Love Lies Bleeding for me is Challengers. Zendaya is a movie star in the truest sense, and here she plays a game of tennis between two men played by Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist that involves emotions, careers, sex, and their entire lives. It's the best film Guadagnino, Faist, O'Connor, and Zendaya have done, and the best film of the year so far.
In theaters now.
