Gay films on hbo
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But it’s not just the writing and direction that stand out (even though they are absolutely fantastic) but the casting as well. Shepard’s death received significant media attention at the time, and the events surrounding it inspired “The Laramie Project”: a 2000 play by Moisés Kaufman inspired by interviews of Laramie citizens conducted by the Tectonic Theater Project.
Jeffrey Wright as the fabulous Belize! The honesty of this film is undeniable in its sacrifice of Liberace's flawless legacy, but it's also not cold-hearted for its subject matter. We may not like it, but it’s certainly one way to keep viewers tuning in week after week. Her narrative feature debut “Skate Kitchen” (2018) was an evocative portrait of an all-girl skate crew, which cast first-time actors dripping with style and charisma and shaped the story around them.
That being said, Transhood has received backlash from the community for not focusing enough on the ins and outs of youthful trans experiences and instead the effects on environments and peers.
Shiva Baby (2021)
The film adaptationShiva Baby is a slice-of-life comedy film following the Jewish college senior Danielle trying to balance a shiva observance with her parents and her turbulent love life.
[Editor’s note: The following list was published in April 2021 and has been updated multiple times since.]
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (2022)
Laura Poitras’ documentary of photographer and activist Nan Goldin gets its narrative structure and arc through its subject’s battle against the Sackler family and the opioid epidemic.
As he desperately attempts to chase down the culprits, the revelation of the romantic relationship puts a strain on his complicated union with his wife.
Nowadays, “Victim” is credited with helping to improve British support of queer rights, and ultimately the decriminalization of homosexuality six years later.
HBO has been making a significant mark in LGBTQ+ media since the 90s, starting around its release of the groundbreaking television series Oz.
Related: How Buffy The Vampire Slayer's LGBTQ+ Representation Holds Up In 2022
From Steven Spielberg's epic period piece The Color Purple opening up more opportunities for Black queer stories in the 1980s to the modernized drama Beach Rats subverting how labels and sexuality are majorly perceived, HBO Max offers a range of LGBTQ+ landmarks.
Goldin is a terrific screen presence and a terrific narrator, and her recounting of how the AIDS crisis impacted her art, and the loved ones she lost from it, is one of the most sobering recountings of the tragedy put to film in recent memory. Now, Walker’s vision comes to life with a stellar cast of singers and actors that light up every scene.
Watch on Max
'Paris is Burning' (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% | IMDb: 8.2/10
- Run Time
- 1 hr 28 min
- Director
- Jennie Livingston
- Release Date
- September 13, 1990
- Actors
- Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Venus Xtravaganza, Octavia St.
Laurent, Carmen Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, Angie Xtravaganza
Paris is Burning is an absolute ball! The show is driven by a charismatic turn from British actress Suranne Jones, who imbues Anne with enough swagger to make any butch stand up a little taller.
Through interviews, archival footage, and personal stories, Lovell and Drucker paint a vivid picture of the violence, discrimination, and demonization they suffered as policing and gentrification constantly tried to push them out of the Meatpacking District. Re-titled “Betty,” the show brings back tomboy shredder Camille (Rachelle Vinberg), stoner lothario Kirt (Nina Moran), beguiling weed dealer Indigo (Ajani Russell), shy but totally funky Honeybear (Moonbear), and good-natured Janay (Dede Lovelace).
—WC
“The Times of Harvey Milk” (1984)
Way before Gus Van Sant’s rousing if glossy and conventionally shaped “Milk” biopic earned Sean Penn his second Best Actor Oscar for playing the first openly gay man to serve public office in California, Rob Epstein’s 1984 documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk” captured that watershed LGBTQ moment in time.
—JD
“Euphoria”
One of the most exciting TV discoveries of the 2019 season, “Euphoria” set the high bar for “teen” shows, if it can even be considered one.
Remarkably, the film manages to retain the original play’s raw, documentary feel, while its top-notch cast does the searing, difficult material complete justice. Kaufman would write and direct a film version of his play in 2002, featuring a gigantic ensemble cast that included Nestor Carbonell, Christina Ricci, Dylan Baker, Terry Kinney, Laura Linney, Clea DuVall, Michael Emerson, Margo Martindale, Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo, Joshua Jackson, and Lois Smith.
It has been a topic of discussion for decades, despite Walker’s vocal support and stated intention for this relationship to be explicitly queer and loving as a gift of representation to her lesbian and bisexual friends.