Tomorrow, the CSD cultural festival reaches its climax with the traditional demonstration through Stuttgart. The perfect opportunity to watch one of these films and reflect.
In addition to the many initiatives and celebrations, Christopher Street Day is also a date for learning, listening and reflecting. One of the many ways, and perhaps the most moving, is through films.
The following 9 depict the past and present struggles of LGTBIQ+ minorities in a simply beautiful way. So much so that you’ll definitely want to watch them again next year – or even sooner.
To make your search easier, we’ve listed the streaming platforms where you can find them.
1. portrait of a young woman on fire
Photo: IMDB
A forbidden love as a game of mirrors with furtive glances and love in brushstrokes. This is what makes Portrait of a Young Woman on Fire such a beautiful and unique movie. Héloïse and Marianne experience a secret love through painting, posing and an almost unstoppable passion. The complicity and performance of the romantic tandem of Adèle Haenel and Noémi Merlant and the narrative agility of the film are simply outstanding.
Where: Prime Video, EntertainTV
2. 120 BPM
Photo: IMDB
Winner of the 2017 Cannes Grand Jury Prize, 120 BPM takes the impact of AIDS in France in the early 1990s as the context for its main storyline: that of an association of activists fighting for their lives and dignity. All this in a spirit of community that has rarely been so well realized in a film as here.
Where: Prime Video, Apple TV, Youtube (to rent)
3. blue is a warm color
Adèle’s life changes when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair. She enables her to discover desire and assert herself as a woman. This beautiful French coming-of-age drama became an instant classic the moment it was released.
Where: Netflix
4th Moffie
Photo: IMDB
Apartheid South Africa wasn’t just a racist country. As intolerance breeds intolerance, homophobia was rampant in all areas of society. This is where the word “moffie” comes from: a derogatory Afrikaans term for homosexuals. The film adaptation of André-Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical novel follows Nicholas, a young South African of Dutch descent, through his traumatic experiences in the South African army: characterized by racism, intolerance and raw homophobia.
Where: Prime Vide, Apple TV, Google Play, Youtube (to rent)
5th Pride
Photo: IMDB
What do coal miners and LGTBI activists have in common? It may sound like the beginning of a joke, but the answer is simple and based on a true story: they are both fighting for their rights and dignity. This hilarious British comedy portrays the curious political alliance in an original and light-hearted way that questions the treatment of minorities in a neoliberal capitalist society.
Where: Prime Video
6. when we danced
Photo: IMDB
Dancing as an act of revolution. In a sexually repressive, religious environment, letting your body flow freely can sometimes be both a gesture of freedom and rebellion. Who would have thought that folkloric dance could be the ideal vehicle for such a moving story.
Where: Prime Vide, Apple TV, Google Play (to rent)
7 Moonlight
Photo: IMDB
The Oscar-winning film follows different stages of a young African-American man’s life as he searches for his sexual identity – amidst the most repressive and poorest North American communities. Moonlight also has the distinction of being the first LGTBI-themed film to feature an all-black cast. Most importantly, however, it portrays the struggles of a teenage girl through the most poetic of images while avoiding clichés – earning it all its praise.
Where: Apple TV, Prime Vide, Google Play (to rent)
8. a fantastic woman
Photo: IDMB
This project by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. A Fantastic Woman is the story of Marina, a transgender woman whose life is turned upside down after the sudden death of her partner, 20 years her senior. No other movie has shown transsexuality in such an intimate and truthful way.
Where: MUBI
9th Philadelphia
When a man with HIV is fired from his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small-time lawyer as his only willing advocate. Philadelphia is a milestone of a movie: one of the first Hollywood productions to confront Western society with the struggles of the LGTBI community. Sadly, it is still valid today.