Find a decent lesbian movie is like looking for a proverbial needle in a haystack. You know there are some out there, but by the time you find it, you are pretty much exhausted and it is way past your bedtime anyway. You would think that these days when it has become normal to see two women kissing on mainstream television in prime time, that it would be different. Unfortunately, the genre fell into the hands of Hollywood executives, and their vision of a lesbian relationship is often different than reality. For those of us trying to see a good movie, that is a never-ending source of frustration and annoyance.
1. Below Her Mouth
Year: 2016
Director: April Mullen
Starring: Erika Linder, Natalie Krill, Sebastian Pigott
When a woman questioning her sexuality encounters a beautiful experienced lesbian, the outcome is rather predictable. The passionate performances by Erika Linder and Natalie Krill create some of the sexiest scenes and brave direction faithfully depicts the relationship between two women.
2. Loving Annabelle
Year: 2006
Director: Katherine Brooks
Starring: Erin Kelly, Diane Gaidry, Laura Breckenridge
The Sapphic student/teacher trope with some twists. After being expelled from her last two schools, Annabelle Tillman, an intelligent but rebellious girl, arrives at the elite Catholic boarding school. She doesn’t have issues with being lesbian, but the trouble starts brewing when she falls in love with her teacher, Simone Bradley, played by Diane Gaidry. Simone tries to resist her relentless pursuits, but Annabelle simply won’t take no for an answer.
3. Pariah
Year: 2011
Director: Dee Rees
Starring: Adepero Oduye, Kim Wayans, Aasha Davis
Trying to live your life as a butch lesbian in Brooklyn isn’t an easy task, as young Alike (played by Adepero Oduye) discovers. Pariah is a dramatic coming of age story, with a teenager trying to figure out how she and her sexual orientation fits with her friends and family. Navigating those relationships with people who aren’t always supportive of her lifestyle often leads to an unpleasant situation. She desperately tries to juggle school, family, and friends and doesn’t always succeed.
4. The Firefly
Year: 2013
Director: Ana Maria Hermida
Starring: Carolina Guerra, Olga Segura, Manuel José Chaves
After tragically losing her brother, Lucia finds comfort in his fiancee, Mariana. Two women don’t know each other, but the common grief over a loss brings them closer together until the inevitable happens and they fall in love with each other. Lucia must make a choice of either returning to her husband or staying with Mariana.
