Image credit: First Run Features

What makes a cult classic? Technically, it’s any piece of cinema that has acquired a cult following. An elaborate subculture that has fans delving into the lore, that typically, is not widely known, but well loved by those who do. Of course there are exceptions, where big Hollywood budget films have turned into a cult film due to its depth and obscurity, either over time or in its rejection of mainstream cinema tropes. In short, they’re films that have, in one way or another, revolutionised their corner of cinema. And this is particularly poignant when it comes to LGBTQIA+ movies.

While there are some major blockbuster films out there with explicit or implicit queer ties, when it comes to the classic queer film, it’s still generally considered to be under the alt-indie genre. Over the years, many queer films have been released that have instantly become iconic amongst queer circles and have been incredibly important for queer pop culture, but still remain largely underrated. A crime, in our opinion. To remedy this, we bring you a list of some of the best queer cult classics ever made. From classic titles that brought new facets and understanding of queerness to the spotlight, to more modern projects that have brought the LGBTQIA+ community closer in their frank, funny and poignant depictions of queer life, these are films that everyone—queer or not—should see at least once in their lifetime.

Ahead, read more about these 20 must-watch queer cult classics.

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Image credit: Alliance Communications

All Over Me (1997)

Alison Folland, Tara Subkoff and a young Leisha Halley—best known for playing Alice in the queer cult classic TV show The L Word!—star in All Over Me, a criminally underrated, vintage riot grrrl-inspired flick. Following the classic teenage love story about falling for your best friend, set against the backdrop of Hell’s Kitchen in the late ’90s, the premise is iconic alone. The drama takes some dark, dangerous turns through a murder case and a chaotic love triangle, but despite all the intensity, it’s a whole lot of two girls eating ice cream, listening to music and falling in love.

Image credit: Lionsgate Films

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)

In Jamie Babbit’s directional feature debut, a young Natasha Lyonne plays Megan, a high school senior cheerleader whose parents have started to suspect she’s a lesbian, namely because she’s developed interests in vegetarianism, Melissa Etheridge, and intently watching her fellow cheerleaders. After being sent to a two-month conversion therapy camp, where Megan meets Clea DuVall, Melaine Lynskey and Dante Dasco’s characters, she finds her community and falls in love amongst the neon-coloured backdrop of camp. It’s funny, cute and it satirically examines the absurdity of conversion therapy from both humorous and poignant angles—a true iconic queer teen rom-com.

Image credit: StudioCanal

Carol (2015)

Based off Patricia Highsmith’s famous novel, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara’s performances in Carol gave us a new queer cult classic drama to cling to in 2015. Set in the ’50s, the story follows Therese Belivet, played by Mara, a department store worker who meets the gorgeous and alluring Carol Aird, played by Blanchett. What follows is a beautiful and poignant story of their love and relationship, and all the forces of that period in time that try to keep them apart. You’ll swoon and you’ll cry, and you won’t ever forget this incredible film.

Image credit: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Desert Hearts (1985)

An oldie but a goodie, Desert Hearts is set in Nevada in 1959, and follows the story of an English professor who’s in the process of divorcing her husband. As she starts on a journey of finding her true self, she begins a sultry affair with a young female artist. It’s flirty, gorgeous, enchanting sapphic cinema at its best. No notes.

Image credit: Miramax

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Incredible breakout performances from a young Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey make Heavenly Creatures the classic that it is. This dark psychological thriller follows the obsessive relationship between Winslet and Lynskey’s young characters who conspire to murder one of their mothers when she attempts to separate them. Based on a real life murder case from the ’50s, this intense drama perfectly captures the dreamy yet terrifying air of young, dangerous infatuation. 

Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Bottoms (2023)

The newest addition to this cult classic list, for young Gen Z queers, Bottoms is a cinematic dream. Starring Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott, the film follows two unpopular gay best friends who start a fight club at their high school in an attempt to hook up with their crushes. It’s wild and raunchy, full of Gen Z-coded humour, and perfectly balances iconic camp absurdity with the poignancy of queer high school romance, imbuing messages of female solidarity and friendship amongst the fun, surrealist comedy. Love.

Image credit: Camera Film

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

A beautiful and heartbreaking portrayal of nascent queer desire, Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a period drama that took the indie-cinema scene by storm when it came out. The story follows an artist hired to paint the portrait of a young woman who is soon to be married, and the friendship between painter and subject that blossoms into a passionate love affair. Many film buffs called this one of the best pieces of cinema they’d seen in a decade, and we’re inclined to agree.

Image credit: Fine Line Features

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

A cult classic that came out of the New Queer Cinema movement of the early ’90s, My Own Private Idaho stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, two best friends and hustlers on a journey through the Pacific Northwest as Phoenix’s character Mikey starts to develop unrequited feelings for Reeves’ Scott. A modern, imaginative loose retelling of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, this heartbreaking homage to young love has gone down in queer cinema history for its magnetism, sensitivity and sweet surrealism. 

Image credit: Sony Pictures

Saving Face (2004)

A fantastic modern intergenerational queer rom-com, director Alice Wu’s Saving Face follows a young lesbian Chinese-American surgeon in New York, Wilhelmina, played by Michelle Krusiec, as she attempts to cope with her mother’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy and her own secret relationship with her dancer girlfriend. When Wilhelmina and her mother have to move in together, the pair have to navigate their mother-daughter relationship, and the way their own romantic relationships clash with cultural and familial expectations. 

Image credit: Focus Features

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

A heartbreaking classic that will go down in history as one of the best queer dramas ever, Brokeback Mountain follows Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal’s characters relationship as two closeted cowboy-shepherds, as they struggle with their personal fears, desires and internalised homophobia whilst falling in love. Staring in the ’60s and spanning three decades of their difficult yet passionate relationship, this neo-Western romantic drama is beautiful, gut-wrenching and completely revolutionised queer cinema forever. “I wish I knew how to quit you.” Cue the heaving sobs.

Image credit: Utopia

Shiva Baby (2020)

Another Emma Silgman classic, Shiva Baby is a queer indie-comedy that has already become one of the most memorable modern films of its genre, for its unique storyline, witty character dialogue and impeccable performances from lead Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon and Dianna Agron. The film follows Sennott’s character Danielle, a bisexual Jewish university student as she sits shiva with her family, where she runs into both her current sugar daddy and his family, and her ex-girlfriend. Messy, intelligent and darkly funny, this one is for the cinema history books.

Image credit: CJ Entertainment

The Handmaiden (2016)

Another one for the queer thriller lovers out there, The Handmaiden is a Korean adaptation of Sarah Water’s 2002 novel Fingersmith, altering the original setting of Victorian England to 20th century Korea during the Japanese occupation. Following the forbidden romance between a wealthy heiress and her maid, all while the maid attempts to execute a secret plot to defraud her, this erotic thriller will stay with you long after the credits roll. 

Image credit: First Run Features

The Watermelon Woman (1996)

The first feature film to ever be written and directed by an openly lesbian Black filmmaker, Cheryl Dunye, The Watermelon Woman goes down in history for more reasons than one. The late ’90s cult classic follows Dunye, who also plays the lead using her real name, as an aspiring director who works in a video store, attempting to make a film about a mysterious actress from the ‘30s known only as “The Watermelon Woman”. As Dunye’s character researches the actress’ life, uncovering the reality of being gay in that era, she balances her own budding romance and the racial dynamics at play in her own experience of queerness.

Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Thelma and Louise (1991)

Okay, so not technically a LGBTQIA+ film, but this classic has been queer-claimed for its sapphic energy for decades. Thelma and Louise follows two female friends in unfulfilling heterosexual relationships who start out on a fishing trip and end up being hunted by the police across the country after they kill a man. Starring the incredible Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, though the two friends aren’t explicitly in a romantic relationship (for the most part...), there’s something about these two fugitive women on the run together that feels allegorically queer. 

Image credit: 20th Century Studios

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

These cult classic needs little to no explanation. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a musical comedy-horror that has been a queer cinematic icon for many decades. Following a newly-engaged couple who break down on a stormy night and take refuge in the mysterious Dr. Frank-n-Furter’s castle, it’s camp, iconic and the epitome of queer musicals.

Image credit: A24

Moonlight (2016)

Oscar-winning cult classic Moonlight is, arguably, one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful queer films ever made. Following a young African-American boy named Chiron from a young child to adult as he navigates his sexual identity over the course of his life, this film is a slow, introspective look at contemporary experiences of male queerness in America. A stunningly simple premise, yet so powerfully executed, Moonlight is a definitive must-watch. 

Image credit: Miramax

Velvet Goldmine (1998)

This stylish, chaotic cinematic ode to glam rock stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the wild musician Brian Slade, a character loosely based on David Bowie, and Ewan McGregor as his counterpart Curt Wild, loosely based off of Iggy Pop. The film follows Christian Bale as Arthur, a gay journalist trying to track down the now-reclusive Slade for a story, while flashbacks to Slade and Wild’s past tell the story of their rise and fall in fame. “When I saw the film I thought the best thing about it was the gay scenes. They were the only successful part of the film, frankly,” Bowie himself once said when asked about the film. If that’s not a gold star for this queer classic, what is?

Image credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

An iconic piece of Australian queer cinema, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert will forever be one of the country’s most iconic Hollywood outputs. Following two drag queens and a transgender woman played by Hugo Weaving, Guy Pierce and Terence Stamp respectively as they travel across the Australian outback on tour, meeting various people who both accept and challenge their identities, this film is a poignant and beautiful look at queer acceptance, family and friendship.

Image credit: Sony Pictures

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

One of Timothée Chalamet’s career defining roles, Call Me by Your Name is a queer romantic drama based off the bestselling book of the same name by André Aciman. Following Chalamet’s character Elio, a teenager who develops feelings for his father’s university assistant Oliver over the course of a summer spent holidaying in Italy, this alt-indie success depicts what it’s like to come to terms with your sexuality, and experiencing your first queer love and heartbreak.

Image credit: Nordisk Film

Girl Picture (2022)

In this simple yet smart contemporary Finnish coming-of-age story, three young girls live through the cold darkness of Finland’s winter together, unpacking love, sex and what it means to have healthy relationships. Bringing together messages of not just queerness, but of girlhood and feminine relationships, this off-beat, quirky romantic drama will be sure to be remembered as a cult classic as the years drag on.

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