- Why, hello it's that time of year again
the time where I'm going to count down for you
the best of the LGBTQ+ films that you need to look out
for in the coming year of 2018.
The first one is Love, Simon.
This is the adaption of a book called
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
It is a sort of teen comedy drama that revolves
around a boy who exchanges anonymous emails with another
boy at his school who is also gay.
Because we all love a bit of teen drama, while this is
happening he is also being blackmailed by someone
who has found out about his sexuality.
We've had a lot of kind of queer teen movies before but,
they've always been kind of indie and a little bit cult.
Where as this feels like it's going to get kind of
a big release around it which I think is gonna be really
interesting and refreshing to see.
Number two: A Fantastic Woman.
This is a Chilean drama about a transwoman who is kind of
dealing with the death of her older lover
and the suspicion that's cast upon her when he dies.
First things first, it is a trans actress in a trans role.
Amazing! We've had a lot of roles recently where trans roles
have gone to cis actors and her performance has gotten it
a lot of interest from critics and awards.
So very excited to see that.
Words people have used to describe it run all the way
from subtle and tender to intense and conflict-driven.
So it sounds like it's gonna be a really interesting drama
which has a transwoman right at the central focus.
Number three: The Miseducation of Cameron Post.
This is again based on a book called the Miseducation
of Cameron Post which is set in the 90s and it tells
the story of a girl who is sent to gay conversion therapy.
Now, if you're someone who is familiar with queer films
you'll know that this isn't necessarily going over new
territory, you know we've got But I'm a Cheerleader
which is an absolute cult classic.
But this one is going to be doing it, I think,
a little bit more seriously.
Current reviews from it suggest that it's pretty straight
forward and may dip into some cliches.
But again I think that the work that can do in terms
of bringing this kind of story to a younger generation
maybe not as mainstream as Love, Simon, I think it remains
to be seen what the release is going to be around it.
But, some really good potential there.
And I think it will also be good for younger viewers
to see a character who isn't seriously struggling
with her sexuality, from what I can tell from the reviews
they are sticking with the idea that Cameron is very
comfortable in her sexuality and it's the people
around her who need to change.
The fourth film I'm recommending is actually also around
gay conversion therapy it's, Boy Erased, based
on a memoir of the son of a Baptist preacher.
It's gonna star Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman
so, big star power behind this film as well.
Number five is the one that I personally am absolute
the most excited for which is Saturday Church.
So Saturday Church tells the story of Ulysses
after his father dies.
It's kind of played with the tension between his surviving
family and his relationship with them as a sort of very
effeminate boy and his newfound family of kind of
queer and trans people that he seeks out as well.
It's a drama but it also has kind of fantasy elements
and music and song and dance in it as well,
which I'm very excited for especially because Ulysses
within his journey finds and explores the ballroom scene
and a lot of aspects of queer culture that's coming together
into a film that a lot of critics especially seem really,
really excited about.
The next film is actually another high school story.
It feels like this sort of teen high school genre is
something that's really having a boom this year,
is Freak Show.
Freak Show is a film about a boy who decides to run
for homecoming queen, expect plenty of costumes,
sequins, and gender obliterating.
It's worth noting that this film seems to have massively
split critics, so I think it might be worth checking out
and seeing if it's for you and which side
of that you fall down on.
Next is Believer, which is the only documentary on our list.
It follows Dan Reynolds, who is the front man of the band
Imagine Dragons, as he explores the relationship
between the Mormon faith and sexuality.
The story behind it is that the Imagine Dragons song
It's Time was actually covered in the t.v. show Glee,
and it was sung between two boys who were
in a romantic relationship, and a lot of fans contacted
Dan and essentially kind of assuming that he wouldn't
be okay with it because of his faith.
And he seemed a little bit taken aback by this,
and kind of eventually this documentary blossomed
out of that and a few other conversations he was having.
And it really explores this spate of teen suicides
that was happening in Utah at the time and the movements
to try and prevent it and it just seems like it's gonna
be a really really interesting exploration of kind of
sexuality and religion which has nuance on both sides.
And last but not least is a film that I'm hoping is going
to be released this year but may only see limited
festival run before a more wider release which is
Vita and Virginia.
It's going to be a biopic telling the story of the
relationship between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf.
two incredible literary women together
and explore their relationship and all the things
that they wrote about in their letters to each other
and I'm very excited to see where it goes essentially.
All we know about at the moment is that it's started
principal photography, there are now shots from the sets,
and it looks stunning, and hopefully as I said it will
be done by this year and we can still count it
in 2018, but otherwise look out for it in my 2019
review next year.
So that's my list, what about you?
Are there any films that you're looking forward to seeing
this year, either new releases or old classics that you
haven't got around to watching yet?
Let me know in the comments below.
If you'd like to help support me make these videos,
then I'm gonna leave the link to my patreon in the
description along with links to my social media
so you can find me all over the internet.
And until I see you next time, bye.