Despite an uptick in queer representation in Hollywood films, there’s still a must-needed gap to fill when it comes to lesbian movies. And we’re not talking about inauthentic representations written by straight men. No. We want lesbian love stories at the front and centre, lesbian characters being just as messy and chaotic as heterosexual ones, lesbian superheroes saving the world, and (not a lesbian movie, but bear with us here) a completely reshot final two seasons of Killing Eve. Is that really too much to ask?
It, in a couple of words, is not. And that breadth of story types is exactly what we tried to capture here in this roundup of gloriously gay movies. From sapphic period dramas that are heavy on the drama to sweet coming-of-age (and coming out) stories and psychological thrillers that just might give you nightmares, we’re pretty sure we’ve found the best lesbian movies to watch right now.
Note that while most of these movies do involve an explicitly lesbian protagonist, romance, or storyline, a handful don’t. That’s because — as much as we don’t want to sound like Darren Criss right now — we took the liberty of adding some culturally lesbian movies to our lineup, too. There are simply too many iconic movies of yore out there that relied on queer subtext and themes to tell what are, at their essence, lesbian stories, and we felt that some of them (*ahem* Fried Green Tomatoes) can’t in good conscience be left off a list of the best lesbian films.
So whether you’re looking to stream new lesbian movies on Netflix or here to brush up on your queer cinema history knowledge, we’re here to tell you: you’ve got options. They include both lesbian horror films and lesbian Christmas movies for your October-to-December seasonal streaming pleasure. And they also include a lot of Kristen Stewart movies. (So many Kristen Stewart movies). You’re welcome.
1. Booksmart (2019)
The thing we really love about this Olivia Wilde-directed movie is that it’s not a plot centrally focused on a tortured love story. The film follows two best friends — Kaitlyn Dever as Amy and Beanie Feldstein as Molly — embarking on a night of wild adventure before high school graduation. What qualifies this as a lesbian film is the epic goal made early in the film: for Amy to hook up with a girl before the night ends. Of course, the entire night brings hilarious and relatable obstacles of all kinds, and it’s a refreshing look at the chaos of impending adulthood.
Stream it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Google Play.
2. Tár (2022)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a moment that isn’t tense in this Oscar-nominated drama starring Cate Blanchett (need we say more?) as the fictional character Lydia Tár. Constantly dressed to perfection in a tailored suit, Blanchett plays a tough and toxic — and world-famous — conductor who has a history of manipulating her students, despite being partnered with someone in her orchestra. It’s a constant cringe watching Tár spiral against the allegations placed in front of her in a beautifully cinematic world.
Stream it on Apple TV, Google Play, or YouTube Movies.
3. Bound (1996)
Part heist film, part lesbian romance, this movie stars Jennifer Tilly as Violet and Gine Gershon as Corky. After meeting in an elevator, the women kick off a love affair — which becomes complicated considering Violet is the girlfriend of a gangster named Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) who was just released from prison. The film centres around creating an escape from Caesar… along with 2 million dollars of the mob’s money.
Stream it on Amazon Prime.
4. The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
In this high school movie of friendship-turned-romance, gas station employee Randy Dean (Laurel Holloman) finds a friend in popular girl Evie (Nicole Parker). Randy deals with ridicule from locals because of her sexual identity, which Evie also experiences as she and Randy find love and reveal their relationship to friends and family. It’s a tale of teenage love, coming out, and all of the ups and downs that come with it.
Stream it on Amazon Prime,
5. The Handmaiden (2016)
This South Korean psychological thriller takes place in 1930s Korea-ruled Japan. Directed by Park Chan-wook (Snowpiercer, Stoker), it stars Kim Min-hee as Sook Hee, a girl sent to be the handmaiden for Lady Hideko. What Lady Hideko — and Uncle Kouzuki, the man of the manor — don’t know is that Sook-Hee is actually the daughter of the region’s most famous thief. In a plan to steal from the family, Sook-Hee falls for Lady Hideko, and vice-versa. The story has two strong vibes: the sneaky moves of a con artist and a fragile love story between two women.
Stream it on Channel 4, Amazon Prime or Apple TV
6. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
This New Zealand lesbian movie was the first feature-length acting credit for both Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey. A bit randomly, it was also one of the first directorial credits for The Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson, and if we haven’t hooked you by now, we probably aren’t going to. But we’ll sum up the movie anyway. Heavenly Creatures follows Kate Winslet as Juliet, a wealthy British teen who’s just transferred schools (and continents). At her new school in New Zealand, she meets Pauline (Lynskey), and the pair bond over their shared love for star tenor Mario Lanza. The fantasy-heavy, intense friendship raises concerns with the girls’ parents, and the two devise a plan to run away together that takes them in a dark direction. Did we mention this one’s based on a true story? Wait to look up those details until after you’ve watched to avoid spoilers!
Stream it on YouTube or Google Play.
7. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
We’ll be real: This movie is kind of perfection, and should definitely be a top entry on any list of great lesbian films. A French historical romance following the story of an artist commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of a reluctant bride-to-be, Portrait of a Lady on Fire won several awards and even scored an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Did we mention that everyone in the cast looks like they could be a Parisian model? Watch this one ASAP and catch yourself casually listening to Vivaldi Radio on Spotify for the next month.
Stream it on Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Google Play.
8. D.E.B.S. (2004)
An early aughts film that’s basically Charlie’s Angels but queer, D.E.B.S. follows a team of teen crime fighters as they hunt down an enemy. The only problem? One of them has fallen in love with their target. Yeah…things are about to get messy.
Stream it on Google Play, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime.
9. I Care a Lot (2020)
This star-studded dark comedy tells the story of a greedy legal guardian who steals from her wards alongside her girlfriend and business partner. That is, until the pair of opportunists meet their match. We mentioned Rosamund Pike leads this film, right? Right!?
Stream it on Amazon Prime.
10. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Set in the early ’90s, this coming-of-age drama follows the story of Cameron Post (Chloë Grace Moretz) after she’s sent to a conversion therapy centre called God’s Promise. It is based on the novel of the same name, and fair warning: you’re going to need tissues for this one.
Stream it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, or Apple TV.
11. Crush (2022)
Starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho, this cute coming-of-age story follows Paige Evans (Blanchard), an artistic student who joins the track team to get close to her crush — only to fall for her twin sister (Cravalho).
Stream it on Disney+.
12. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
While The Miseducation of Cameron Post handles the sobering topic of gay conversion therapy with gravitas, But I’m a Cheerleader goes the other direction, tearing it down with satire and comedy. But as (hysterically) funny as this movie is, that doesn’t mean it’s totally lacking in the lesbian movie romance department — you’ll satisfy that itch with the sweet connection that blossoms between Megan (played by somehow-not-a-lesbian Natasha Lyonne) and Graham (played by definitely-a-lesbian Clea DuVall). The movie also stars RuPaul and, for the second time on this best lesbian movies list, Melanie Lynskey.
Stream it on Amazon Prime, Plex, and Apple TV,
13. Carol (2015)
A popular and aesthetically much-copied pick on any ranking of good lesbian movies, Carol is a romantic drama set in New York City during the early 1950s. Starring sapphic fan favourite Cate Blanchett, queer icon Sarah Paulson, and Rooney Mara, the film, which is based on the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, follows the affair between an aspiring female photographer and an older divorcee.
Stream it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV or Google Play.
14. Ride or Die (2021)
Looking for lesbian movies on Netflix? Give Ride or Die a try. Based on Ching Nakamura’s manga series Gunjō, this Japanese drama tells the story of Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) who, upon learning her friend Nanae (Honami Sato) is in an abusive marriage, kills her friend’s husband. Together, Rei and Nanae run for their lives—and discover their tumultuous feelings for each other in the process.
Stream it on Netflix.
15. The Half of It (2020)
What happens when you’re hired to write love letters for the high school jock and end up falling in love with his crush? The Half of It is an endearing coming-of-age story about young love and learning to embrace yourself. But even more than that, it’s a story of friendship that puts a queer, platonic twist on rom-com tropes in the best way.
Stream it on Netflix.
16. The Favourite (2018)
An award-winning film that earned Olivia Colman her Best Actress Academy Award, The Favourite is a must-watch for fans of period drama and dark comedy. In it, Emma Stone and honorary lesbian Rachel Weisz star alongside Colman as two cousins fighting to become the — you guessed it — favourite of Queen Anne (Colman). Questions of historical accuracy aside (although some historians do speculate that Queen Anne had romantic relationships with women), this is likely one of the best lesbian movies of the past decade purely in terms of the amount of critical acclaim it received.
Stream it on Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Google Play, or Apple TV.
17. The Kids Are Alright (2010)
The Oscar-nominated film The Kids Are Alright features a star-studded cast, including Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and Josh Hutcherson. Lauded as one of the first mainstream movies to depict a queer couple raising teenagers, this film tells the story of Nic (Hutcherson)’s choice to find his biological father — and what happens when he finally does.
Stream it on YouTube, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV.
18. The Prom (2020)
Ryan Murphy directed this one, and it needs to be said: Murphy is not unproblematic. As complicated as feelings about him tend to be, it’s hard to have a lineup of recent queer movies and TV shows that doesn’t have his name attached somewhere. Should you choose to partake in the Murphy-verse, and if you liked Glee specifically, you’ll likely enjoy The Prom, a feature-length adaptation of the award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. The plot is essentially this: After Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) is denied bringing her girlfriend (Ariana DeBose) to prom, a group of has-been Broadway stars comes to the rescue.
Stream it on Netflix.
19. Kajillionaire (2020)
Evan Rachel Wood and Gina Rodriguez star in this imaginative crime drama, directed by quirky queen Miranda July, about a con artist family whose world is completely upturned after inviting an outsider to join a heist. It is, as can be expected from July, eccentric and funny, but it’s also got real weight and heartache to it, making for an arty and overall excellent lesbian movie.
Stream it on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play or Apple TV.
20. Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
This early aughts independent rom-com is based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick. At nearly 30, Jessica Stein is ready to settle down but keeps striking out on dates with some pretty god-awful men. (Can you see where this is going?) After seeing an intriguing personal ad from museum curator Helen Cooper in the “Women Seeking Women” section of the newspaper, she takes a leap and answers it. We’ll warn you: There’s some controversy around whether Kissing Jessica Stein should even be considered a lesbian movie, but at least within the context of queer cinema history, it’s definitely a movie that made its mark.
Stream it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Google Play.
21. My Summer of Love (2004)
Emily Blunt and Natalie Press star in this award-winning British drama adapted from the novel of the same name. In it, two unlikely women from two different walks of life become fast friends — and maybe something more — during one summer in the Yorkshire countryside. If you’re known to swoon at pastoral cinematography and British accents, you’re probably going to like this story of adolescence and coming into yourself.
Stream it on BBC iPlayer.
22. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
In our book, no list of the best lesbian movies would be complete without Fried Green Tomatoes. That’s true even though the movie version is technically a story of two Really Close Friends who, you know, run a business together, live together, and raise a child together. Typical friend stuff! In a sense, it doesn’t matter if the movie is explicitly gay or not — the subtext is all there, and the 1987 book it’s based on is super-explicitly queer. Stream it and see for yourself why Idgie and Ruth are so important to lesbian cinema lore.
Stream it on ITVX, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV.
23. Ammonite (2020)
Loosely based on the life of palaeontologist Mary Anning (played here by Kate Winslet), this romantic drama focuses on the speculated affair between Anning and married geologist Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan). If you love the sound of cold, moody days by the sea, dripping wax candles, and lots of fossils, you’re probably going to enjoy this aesthetically very 1840s-lesbian movie, even if the chemistry between Winslet and Ronan, frankly, isn’t quite there.
Stream it on YouTube, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime.
24. The New Mutants (2020)
Lesbian superhero movie, anyone? How about a lesbian superhero movie that’s also a lesbian horror film? Maisie Williams and Anya Joy Taylor team up in this horror movie set within the X-Men universe. With a queer romance at its centre, this genre-blending movie is *extremely* underrated.
Stream it on Disney+, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime.
25. Go Fish (1994)
A film festival favourite and groundbreaking lesbian movie at the time of its release, this ’90s drama delves into the lesbian scene in Chicago, following a young college student, Max West (Guinevere Turner) and an older woman, Ely (V.S. Broadie). It’s got its share of lesbian movie romance, for sure. But it’s also an ode to lesbian friendship and has been lauded, then and now, for its authentic representation of lesbian community.
Stream it on Amazon Prime.
26. Freeheld (2015)
Based on the true story told in an Oscar-winning short documentary of the same name, Freeheld introduces us to New Jersey police lieutenant Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) who’s just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Alongside her registered domestic partner, Stacie Andree (Elliot Page), Hester fights to secure pension benefits for Andree before she dies.
Watch it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play or YouTube.
27. Pariah (2011)
An award-winning Sundance film, Pariah follows the life of Alike (Adepero Oduye), a 17-year-old Black teen in Brooklyn who’s learning to navigate her sexuality and define her identity as a butch lesbian while dealing with familial and societal pressures. The film’s writer and director, Dee Rees, has called the movie semi-autobiographical, and that undoubtedly lends it some of its poignant resonance and celebrated authenticity.
Stream it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, or Youtube.
28. Wild Nights with Emily (2018)
Fans of Taylor Swift ancestor Emily Dickinson will appreciate this lesbian dramedy detailing the life of the famed poet, her struggles to become a published writer, and her lifelong romance with her friend-turned-sister-in-law Susan Gilbert.
Stream it on Amazon Prime, or Apple TV.
29. Bessie (2015)
Queen Latifah stars in the titular role of this HBO TV film. Following the life of American blues singer Bessie Smith, Bessie gives viewers an inside look into the life and struggles of “The Empress of the Blues.” The film earned four Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and ultimately won one for Outstanding Television Movie, and it’s still one the most watched HBO original film in the network’s history.
Stream it on Now TV, Google Play, or Amazon Prime.
30. I Can’t Think Straight (2008)
Just one of the few feature-length films that put queer South Asian women at the forefront, I Can’t Think Straight follows the illicit affair between Tala (Lisa Ray), a young Jordanian of Palestinian descent preparing for her wedding, and Leyla (Sheetal Sheth), a British-Indian woman. The movie is based on a novel of the same (kind of incredible) name.
Stream it on Apple TV.
31. Disobedience (2017)
Starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, this sapphic romantic drama follows Ronit (Weisz), a young woman who’s just returned to her Orthodox Jewish community after being ostracized for her sexuality. Being back home also means being near childhood friend Esti (McAdams), and even after years apart, the two women reconnect, driving them to explore the intersection of their attraction to each other and their faith. Know going in that, in debates about the best lesbian sex scenes on screen, there’s one in this movie — as acted, we should definitely note, by straight actors — that’s inspired some debate among queer viewers.
Stream it on Disney+, Amazon Prime, Google Play or Apple TV.
32. Summerland (2020)
Sometimes, you just want a lesbian drama movie that lets you live vicariously by the British seashore as a village outcast who’s known alternatively as “the witch” or “the beach bitch” and who spends their days studying folklore, paganism, and Morgan Le Fay. Or is that just us? In this drama, a reclusive writer in the British countryside reluctantly takes in a young boy during the London Blitz. In an effort to bond with the boy, she shares a story of her lover in college, a young woman who eventually broke her heart.
Stream it on Now TV, Google Play, Apple TV or Amazon Prime.
33. A Secret Love (2020)
This documentary follows the lives of Terry Donahue, a former professional baseball player, and her partner Pat Henschel who, for six decades, ran a successful business together while keeping their relationship hidden from their families. Capturing the ups and downs of their relationship as well as the challenges they faced coming out later in life, A Secret Love is a poignant and thought-provoking story of enduring love, the reality of queerness in times past, and the importance of getting to live life openly and honestly.
Stream it on Netflix.
34. Happiest Season (2020)
A sapphic holiday rom-com co-written and directed by lesbian legend Clea DuVall and starring Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Davy Levy? Say less. In this Christmas film, Harper Caldwell (Mackenzie Davis) invites her girlfriend, Abby Holland (Kristen Stewart), home for the holidays. The only problem? Harper isn’t out to her family yet—instead, she asks Abby to pose as her roommate for the holiday. While queer viewers’ reactions were pretty split at the time this movie came out, we’ll say: it’s a Christmas lesbian movie that subscribes to a lot of your typical rom-com and Christmas movie tropes. Maybe just let it be that?
Stream it on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV or Amazon Prime.
35. Gia (1998)
It’s the movie that launched a thousand Angelina Jolie crushes. With Jolie starring in the titular role, this 1998 biographical TV film recounts the life of Gia Carangi, one of the world’s first supermodels. Throughout the film, viewers watch as Gia rises to fame, battles substance abuse, and falls in love with Linda, a makeup artist.
Stream the movie on Now TV, YouTube, or Amazon Prime.
36. Bottoms (2023)
If you’re looking for new lesbian movies to watch and haven’t yet seen Bottoms, stop what you’re doing, no matter what you’re doing. The roaringly funny Bottoms, in which Fight Club (1999) meets high school, deserves your viewing attention ASAP. When two best friends start their own underground club in a grand attempt to lose their virginity, things quickly go awry. Starring The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, model Kaia Gerber, and Red, White, and Royal Blue’s Nicholas Gailtzine, you’re sure to love this lesbian feature film.
Stream it on Amazon Prime.
37. Lizzie (2018)
Starring Chloë Sevigny as the infamous Lizzie Bordon and Kristen Stewart (who’s basically lord of this lesbian movies list) as her love-interest and maid, Lizzie brings long-held speculations that the alleged axe murderer was queer to life. The resulting lesbian horror film will have you on the edge of your seat wondering exactly how it will end. Even though most of us already know…
Stream it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV or YouTube
38. Jagged Mind (2023)
This psychological horror film will have you questioning just about everything. When Billie, a young artist, starts to experience unexplained blackouts and strange visions, it raises the question: Could this be related to the new woman she started dating?
Watch it on Disney+.
39. Drive Away Dolls (2024)
A recent new entry in the canon of both queer comedies and road movies, Drive Away Dolls was co-written by Ethan Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke, who identifies as a lesbian. The couple said in press tours that they infused their own “very non-traditional marriage” into the movie, which follows two queer roommates on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee. After a run-in with a group of inept criminals, the lesbians-on-the-lamb antics only get antics-ier.
Stream it on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV or Amazon Prime.
40. Persona (1966)
The fact that Ingmar Bergman’s Persona isn’t explicitly queer doesn’t keep it off lists of the best lesbian movies in cinema history. A thriller about love, obsession, and blurred boundaries between identities, it follows noted stage actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) who, after the onset of a nervous breakdown, stops speaking and escapes to a beach house by the sea. A nurse (Bibi Andersson) joins her there, and things get pretty psychologically strange — and, to some viewers, pretty queer — from there.
Watch it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV or BFI Player.
41. Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
We couldn’t end our list of the best lesbian movies without at least one more K-Stew movie, could we? (Join us in immediately forgetting that we just called her that.) You’ve probably seen all the (hot) promotional photoshoots for this new A24 thriller, and if you haven’t, go look them up. Then, stream the heck out of this sapphic bodybuilding horror movie that’s getting buzz not only for its plot, but for its candidacy for best lesbian sex scenes.
Stream it on YouTube.
