LGBTQ+ film favourites this Pride

Three Boar writers give their opinions on what you should watch this Pride month!

Here are their recommendations…

1. Call Me by Your Name (2017) dir. Luca Guadagnino

By Yusra Babar

“Because I wanted you to know.”

I do not exactly remember when I first watched Call Me by Your Name, but I remember the warm yet empty feeling it left behind. The story follows a moment of emotional growth, which does not reach a neat conclusion. Elio comes of age during the summer of 1983, but his love for Oliver is left unresolved.

The story is part passion, part torment, a nuanced depiction of young love riddled with yearning and innocence. Elio and Oliver’s connection unfolds with a shared intimacy, where shared silences communicate their feelings more than words. Guadagnino builds a beautifully mundane world that leaves you wanting more: a golden Italian summer with shared lazy bike rides, peaches, and quiet afternoons. The story lingers in the stillness of love. Guadagnino forces his viewer to feel Elio’s desire and his subsequent devastation.

It is a film about familial bonds, friendships, identity, and the lasting mark of one’s fading first love.

The soundtrack plays a big part in my love for the story. Sufjan Stevens carries the weight of longing through soft, aching instrumentals. The melodies are gentle, humming Elio’s desire in the background of each scene. Call Me by Your Name is more than just a slow burn on queer love. It is a film about familial bonds, friendships, identity, and the lasting mark of one’s fading first love.

2. Femme (2023) dir. Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping

By Aram Akbari Madovi

Queer film, like its community, has mastered the art of subversion and the 2023 release of Femme, directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, is a testament to the perpetual push and pull the LGBTQ+ community embodies in their everyday lives. We follow Jules, a drag artist in London, who retreats into himself after suffering a horrific attack. Months later, he recognizes his assailant in a gay sauna and realises he has the perfect opportunity to get closure – for what phrase better sums up the film than “Seduction is revenge”? As the two characters get more and more entangled, lines are constantly blurred between desire and hatred, the feminine and masculine, and a cruelty and tenderness that make you ache.

Tinged with a hapless melancholy, the film highlights the challenges that make the Queer community proud, resistant and kind people.

Performances from Nathan Stewart–Jarrett and George Mackay have a subtly of depth which anchor an electric chemistry through a maelstrom of violence and erotica. Tinged with a hapless melancholy, the film highlights the challenges that make the Queer community proud, resistant and kind people. The visuals speak to a production that understands the contrast in the vibrant urban lives of gay individuals, and the storytelling is complex enough to keep the audience filled with serious anxiety. Femme is an enticing and challenging film to watch. It performs a willingness to portray the full spectrum of human emotion, even the seemingly sinister bits.

3. All of Us Strangers (2023) dir. Andrew Haigh

By Naomi Pandey

Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers, based on the novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada, is one of my favourite films exploring LGBTQ+ identity, as well as my personal favourite film that I saw in 2024. While Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal deliver a fabulous performance, the reason I’d recommend this film is for its sensitive and tasteful exploration of queer identity. Adam (Scott) grapples with loneliness, which is revealed to be a result of his unhealed grief from losing both his parents.

Along with the strong storyline, the set design and colour grading of this film is unmissable.

A glimmer of fantasy and magical realism is introduced when Adam meets his parents while revisiting his childhood home, as they turn out to be the same age they were when they passed away. Piercing through this wound is new neighbour Harry (Mescal), who forms a connection with Adam, and is increasingly concerned about him. Along with the strong storyline, the set design and colour grading of this film is unmissable. With blue, purple and brown tones, the film alternates between coolness and warmth in both theme and mood. My favourite part, however, is Adam’s characterisation. Adam’s pain is immensely raw and palpable, and as the film takes you through a journey of pain and healing, it leaves in its viewer an indelible sense of warmth and, hopefully, a fond memory.