Teenager Lesbians Films

👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻 ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻

We look back through film history at 10 of the greatest movies about lesbians.
It’s tricky to pinpoint the moment when the movie world could proclaim the first openly lesbian film. Identifying early cinematic representations of lesbianism was like collecting crumbs off the top table. Sapphic sisters were used to watching whole films just to see a character (usually portrayed as victim, killer, neurotic or prostitute) shoot a covert look that audiences could interpret as queer – for instance, the apparent lesbian subtext between Vienna (Joan Crawford) and Emma (Mercedes McCambridge) in Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar (1954).
In the UK, 1967 was a milestone, the year that homosexuality was decriminalised (even if there was no mention of lesbianism in the new legislation). In the USA, the 1969 Stonewall riots were a turning point that led to the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian liberation movement. From those moments on, lesbians have been slowly coming out on celluloid, albeit often controlled by the gaze of male directors.
Sign up for BFI news, features, videos and podcasts.
In tracking the key films of lesbian cinema, we’ve restricted our list to films available on DVD or for streaming in the UK. This sadly means we’ve had to leave out many favourites: Mädchen in Uniform (1931), Club de femmes (1936), Personal Best (1982), Virgin Machine (1988), and great films by Ulrike Ottinger and Chantal Akerman. Which begs the question, why are there not more lesbian films available to watch on DVD/VoD? After all, Walter Benjamin did say that the lesbian is the heroine of modernism…
Childie: Not all women are raving bloody lesbians, you know.
George: That is a misfortune I am perfectly well aware of!
The Killing of Sister George is one of the greatest and most grotesque of all lesbian crossover films. Life B.G. (before George) held little hope for cinema-loving lesbians. Pre-decriminalisation dramas included 1967’s The Fox, which has the basic premise that all a lesbian needs is a man, and 1963’s The World Ten Times Over, which is possibly the first British lesbian film but was heavily censored before its release.
All hail Beryl Reid, magnetic in her portrayal of George, a loud, aggressive, cigar-chomping dyke who loses her job and her young lover. It has the mother of all lesbian love triangles: butch girl-chasing George; the predatory, sophisticated middle-class dyke (Coral Brown), and Childie, the coquettish neurotic femme (Susannah York). Rated X for its explicit sex scene, the film tanked at the box office but remains an era-defining cult classic. Significantly, some scenes were shot in an actual London lesbian bar, The Gateways Club, giving audiences a rare on-screen glimpse of London lesbian culture.
Born in Los Angeles but a New Yorker by choice, Barbara Hammer is a whole genre unto herself. Her pioneering 1974 short film Dyketactics, a 4-minute, hippie wonder consisting of frolicking naked women in the countryside, broke new ground for its exploration of lesbian identity, desire and aesthetic. Abdellatif Kechiche, director of last year’s sexually sensationalist Blue Is the Warmest Colour, might have done better if he had taken a leaf out of Hammer’s book. Hammer calls the film her ‘lesbian commercial’.
She went on to become one of the brightest and most significant lesbian avant-garde filmmaking voices of the past 40 years, whose work includes over 80 film and video works covering lesbian love and sex, women’s spirituality, radical feminist politics, the figure of the goddess, and lesbian/queer film history. Without Hammer, there would be no Born in Flames (1983), no Desert Hearts (1985), no Go Fish (1994).
At time of writing, Ukraine is going through a 21st-century revolution and if the geopolitical land grab ends in victory for Russia, with its anti-gay laws, then the future for Ukraine’s LGBT community will be uncertain.
Another Way is set in another eastern European country dealing with its own revolution: Hungary immediately after the failed 1956 uprising against communism. The film details a courageous and intelligent love story between 2 pro-democracy journalists. The topic was a double taboo because it was the first Hungarian film to deal with homosexuality as well as a controversial look back at the consequences of the revolution. Director Károly Makk sensitively juxtaposes this tender but doomed love affair with the high hopes and bitter suppression of the Budapest Spring. It’s clear that Makk was not especially interested in homosexual rights in 1950s Hungary; nevertheless his portrayal of lesbianism is neither exploitative nor melodramatic.
Oh la la! C’est Paris, c’est magnifique! Well it would have been magic if you happened to be a boho creative woman living on the city’s Left Bank in the early decades of the 20th century. Greta Schiller’s absorbing investigative documentary could have been called Paris Was a Lesbian for the amount of Sapphos living, working and loving together. Writers Collette, Djuna Barnes, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, poets H.D. and Natalie Clifford Barney, booksellers Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier… the list goes on and on.
Schiller (Before Stonewall, 1984), together with her long-term collaborator Andrea Weiss, rewrites (her)story with unseen home movies and new research to create a magical film about this most original of women’s artistic communities. Weiss’ British queer film history documentary A Bit of Scarlet (1997) is also worth a look and can be watched on the BFI Player.
No lesbian film list is complete without the Wachowski siblings’ dazzling sexy noir/crime caper/slapstick comedy Bound. It was their pre-Matrix breakout film, a titillating Playboy hybrid thriller mashed up into a lesbian feminist love story. The Wachowskis don’t just play with the male gaze, they flip it sunny side up and get feminist writer Susie Bright in as their lesbian ‘sexpert’.
The story concerns a mobster’s girlfriend falling in love with the ex-con dyke next door. Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon positively sizzle as couple on the run, Violet and Corky, giving audiences plenty of girl-on-girl action. Taking inspiration from Billy Wilder and their love of comics, Bound completed a 90s trilogy of (in critic B. Ruby Rich’s phrase) ‘Lethal Lesbians’ films (beginning with Thelma & Louise, 1991, and Basic Instinct, 1992) – a cinematic expression of lesbian feminist desire.
US indie writer/director/educator Cheryl Dunye burst onto the New Queer Cinema scene in 1996 with The Watermelon Woman, an audacious, self-styled ‘Dunyementary’. However, it’s her rarely screened follow-up film, Stranger Inside, which really impresses. Made for HBO and produced by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, it’s set within the US women’s prison system and tells the story of an incarcerated young African-American woman who goes in search of her biological mother.
Based on 4 years of research into the lives of women inside, the drama is a powerful study of prison life in the 21st century. Far away from the piss and vinegar of Scrubbers (1982) and Prisoner Cell Block H (1979-86), Dunye’s film makes a potent case for how race and class have created a new caste system behind bars.
In 2002, when Lisa Gornick’s debut feature premiered at the BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (now BFI Flare), it was a significant moment because the film was the first British lesbian feature in 10 years. As such, the film and director attracted considerable attention both at home and abroad. Gornick wrote, directed and starred in this breezy, urbane comedy, which she described as “a thesis on love and its labels”.
The life and loves of 30-something Marina are explored as she searches for answers to the big questions in her life. Made 2 years before the internationally successful TV series The L Word (2004-09), Do I Love You? deftly captures the zeitgeist with its investigation of lesbian identity and sexual mores in the 21st century. It’s like a lesbian Annie Hall (1977) or Frances Ha (2012), with Gornick (who recently starred in The Owls) cornering the market as the thinking woman’s favourite dyke. 
Lesbian cinema finally hits the big ‘O’ time with Lisa Cholodenko’s (High Art, 1998) family-friendly comedy The Kids Are All Right ratcheting up four Oscar nominations in 2011, including best picture. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore tear up the straights-can’t-play-gay rulebook as long-term married couple Nic and Jules, who hit midlife parenting and partnership problems.
The mainstream press went nuts, joyful that they had a homosexual film they could write about without unsettling their more conservative readers – though Cholodenko suffered a backlash from some queer corners for her inclusion of hetero sex (with beefcake Mark Ruffalo), and for her film’s apparent advocacy of traditional family values.
The French term for tomboy is ‘garçon manqué’, which translates literally as ‘failed boy’. “I don’t need to comment, you can see how bad it is”, said writer/director Céline Sciamma (Water Lilies, 2007) on the phrase, preferring to give this honest little film about gender confusion an English title.
Laure/Mikael is 10 years old, her/his family has moved to a new town and we follow her/his adventures over one summer as s/he negotiates the early complexities of selfhood: playing a game of football, finding s/he is attracting the attention of local girls and facing the ultimate test of wearing a bathing suit. In France, the film was received as a family film and went on to be shown in primary and secondary schools as part of classes about cinema.
The second British lesbian film to be included on the list, Break My Fall is the story of the painful end of a one-time loving relationship. A previous BAFTA nominee for best short with 1999’s Travelling Light, writer/director Kanchi Wichmann made this feature debut shooting on 16mm on the streets of east London. (Campbell X’s East End-set Stud Life, made a few years later, is also worth a peek)
Influenced by the formalism of early Chantal Akerman films such Je tu il elle (1975), it boasts music from local bands (Wet Dog, Peggy Sue) and the kind of realistic characterisation of people and city that can be found in Bette Gordon’s cinema (eg Variety, 1983). Released in 2012, Break My Fall (together with Weekend and others) was identified as part of a new wave of queer cinema, charting queer experience in all its complexities.
A free trial, then just £4.99/month or £49/year.
Originally published: 11 March 2014
5 things to watch this weekend – 23 to 25 July
10 great LGBTIQA characters in games
Is something missing from this page? Your feedback helps us.
©2021 British Film Institute. All rights reserved. Registered charity 287780

These are the greatest LGBT films (or LGBT-themed films) that I've seen. In order. To make the list, it had to get at least a 6/10 from yours truly, had to be primarily LGBT-themed or majorly LGBT-themed, and/or featured a main character who was LGBT and his/her LGBT orientation was a main focal point. This is why certain excellent films such as Capote (9/10) didn't make the list. Yes, Truman Capote was gay, yes he is portrayed as such, yes it shows his partner, BUT the primary focus of the film was Capote's alcoholism and his writing of In Cold Blood (and that is FINE, again, it was an EXCELLENT film, just not a LGBT film in my opinion).
9/10 My favorite LGBT film. I just loved everything about it. It reminds you just how hard it was back then for members of the LGBT community, especially in Edwardian-era England. Amazing performances, a well-made film, and I'd be remised if my favorite LGBT film didn't have a happy ending. Tragic endings are VERY common in LGBT cinema, so when a happy ending comes long, it is downright refreshing. Maurice is a classic.
Not Rated | 145 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
9/10 Bizarre and fascinating. Excellent pacing and impeccable acting.
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Romance
9/10 Touching and refreshing LGBT coming-of-age film about a young blind teenager who falls for his new friend Gabriel. This one totally blew me away. Fantastic performances by the young cast.
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Romance
PG-13 | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
TV-14 | 90 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
9/10 I've never bawled my eyes out as much as I did during Prayers for Bobby. Totally and unflinchingly sad true story of a young man who commits suicide because of his religious and intolerant mother (played by Sigourney Weaver). Weaver is outstanding as a mother who becomes a gay rights activist in the name of her son she lost to intolerance.
9/10 I almost didn't put this film on the list, but I felt like Patrick was enough of a main character to make "Perks" an LGBT film. Obviously it is more than that, the film in its entirety is sensational.
9/10 Based on a true story. Definitely some sad parts but not nearly as heavy as others. Lucas Hedges and Nicole Kidman are perfect, per usual.
R | 121 min | Biography, Drama, Music
8/10 Perhaps the most iconic LGBT film of all time, how could I not put it on the list? Believe it or not, this film is not universally loved among the LGBT community. I know a lot of people who would pick "Shelter" or "Latter Days" above this any day. I, however, loved this film. Tragic and beautiful story of forbidden love. Your heart aches for these two cowboys who if they were born in a different time and place, they could have ended up happily together. Ang Lee serves up masterful direction as always, while Gustavo Santaolalla composes a haunting and beautiful score that complements the beautiful southern backdrops. Heath Ledger (in particular) and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver excellent, heartbreaking performances.
R | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Romance
8/10 A "gay Great Gatsby," if you will, Those People is worth watching alone for Jonathan Gordon's phenomenal and nuanced performance as the loyal, sensitive, and sweet Charlie. A film about friendship, growing up, and moving on, Those People is an absolute must-see. Look for it on Netflix.
R | 119 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
8/10 Fascinating but sad semi-true story about transgender pioneer Lili Elbe. Beautifully made film with the best performances of Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander's young careers.
R | 118 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
8/10 Based on a true story. Hillary Swank is as phenomenal as she is heartbreaking as Brandon Teena in this tragic film.
8/10 Beautiful coming-of-age film. Sheer poetry.
R | 119 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
8/10 Based on a true story. Unlike "Milk" and "The Normal Heart," Pride is much more upbeat whilst tackling the very serious issue of homophobia. The excellent British cast and British humor make Pride one of the shining stars of LGBT cinema. I dare you not to have a huge smile on your face at the end of this one. Makes you want to get up and cheer.
Unrated | 127 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
R | 106 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Music
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7/10 An LGBT favorite that tackles so many issues (religious intolerance, forbidden love, promiscuity in the gay community) and yet never comes off as preachy. The two stars have great chemistry and the film itself is super-relatable and is the perfect blend of serious and funny. Look out for then-unknown Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the meddling "Elder Paul."
7/10 If you were to take a survey of the most popular LGBT films, Shelter would be up very high on the totem pole, and for good reason. Shelter hits all the right notes and gives us a much-needed and welcomed happy ending. The film is a bit plagued by some wooden acting and a mostly hollow script, but the film is so well-intentioned and you can tell the actors are really giving it their all. Negatives aside, the film just works. Highly recommended if your LGBT film repertoire is a bit barren. A great film to start with in my opinion.
7/10 Another one of those sad but important LGBT films. Harvey Milk is a hero, and Sean Penn is pitch-perfect as the titular gay rights crusader, complemented by excellent direction from Gus Van Sant and a stellar script by Dustin Lance Black. Also one of James Franco and Josh Brolin's best performances of their careers.
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Romance
7/10 Dubbed the “German Brokeback Mountain,” Free Fall in some ways is actually better than it’s American counterpart. A sequel is apparently in the works, which is great because the ending leaves you wanting more.
TV-MA | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7/10 Incredibly wonky, zany, mess of a film. And we wouldn't have it any other way. A cult classic with delicious performances with catchy (and iconic) musical numbers.
8/10 I was so happy HBO decided to give the TV show "Looking" a proper send-off after announcing the show had been cancelled due to low ratings. Patrick, Dom, Augustín, and Richie deserved more than two seasons, but at least this film gives us the much-needed closure to a superb series that ended too soon.
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
R | 139 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
TV-MA | 132 min | Biography, Drama, History
7/10 Incredibly sad but important film. The 1980s was one of the worst time periods for gay men in America, a time period in which they were completely abandoned by the supposed greatest country in the world. A time period laden with fear, ignorance, and apathy. Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Joe Mantello, and Julia Roberts deliver perfect performances.
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Romance
Not Rated | 118 min | Drama, Romance
7/10 Modern take on the gay coming-of-age film. Doesn’t focus on labels but focuses on how sexuality and growing up is different for everyone. Kyle Maclachlan is excellent here. The ambiguous ending may seem frustrating and incomplete at first, but to wrap it up neatly with a bow would be a disservice to these characters who still have a lot of finding out to do.
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, Romance
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
R | 91 min | Drama, Comedy, Romance
7/10 Saw this film by accident, and I'm glad I did. Hidden gem of a film. Very similar plot to Latter Days, but much more upbeat and farcical. Highly recommend this one. In & Out meets Latter Days.
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7/10 Jovial comedy starring Kevin Kline as a closeted teacher who gets outed by one of his former students. The only caveat: He is just as surprised as everyone else that he is gay. Kevin Kline is as appealing as ever in this upbeat farce. Joan Cusack is laugh-out loud funny, and prepare to see Tom Selleck as you have never seen him before! Also includes Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Wilford Briml
Forbidden Real Incest
Vac Bed Orgasm Sex
Www Xxx De
Free Suck Dick
Big Balls Teen
Girl-on-girl films | Dazed
10 great lesbian films | BFI
8 Best Lesbian Movies on Netflix Right Now - Marie Claire
The Best LGBT Films - IMDb
best girly teenage movies - IMDb
Young Lesbians Videos and HD Footage - Getty Images
Best Sexuality Short Films | Short of the Week
Top 50 Teen Rebel + Teenage Gang + Coming of Age Films ...
The Most Perverted Films Of Alltime - IMDb
10 Sexually Explicit Films Featuring Children - Listverse
Teenager Lesbians Films