The 10 Best Gay-Themed Films of 2021

Selecting the best gay-themed films of 2021 proved an initially complicated task this year, which I needed to simplify quickly.

Firstly, I wanted to be as fair as possible, and since I felt the majority of LGBTQ+-themed films I saw in 2021 were gay-male-themed, I needed to make that clear up front, ergo the "gay" vs. LGBTQ+.

Secondly, I saw many of these films at festivals, meaning a slew of my favorites have yet to open. What to do with that? Be inclusive. Done.

Thirdly, a few films that I included last year did not open officially until this year. Such is the constant confusion with gay cinema, since release dates are in flux, and many go straight to streaming now. I'm including them, as well.

My rule is all inclusive. If it's worthy, it's here. Please try and seek these titles out. Gay cinema needs our support.

Special Mention to these Lesbian-themed titles that were amazing:

"T11 Incomplete" (avail on Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV & Tubi)
"Shiva Baby" (avail on Hulu, YouTube & Apple TV)
"Titane" (in theaters and avail on Apple TV & Vudu)
And...
"Benedetta" (currently in theaters) ...for a mad, campy time.

Honorable Mention to:

"The Power of the Dog" ?

Because I'm being so inclusive, I cannot leave out the most homoerotic mainstream film that doesn't purport to be overtly gay-themed, but is so gay it hurts. Not since "Brokeback Mountain" has the pain of a cowboy's forced masculinity been portrayed so achingly (by an astonishingly immersive Benedict Cumberbatch). And Kodi Smit-McPhee is the seductive, enigmatic temptation toying with him. This one deserves multiple viewings, and happens to be my favorite film of 2021. I did not include it in my top 10 to give room for indies.�

"The Power of the Dog" is currently streaming on Netflix.

The Top Ten

10. "Dramarama"

In Jonathan Wysocki's engaging feature debut, "Dramarama," a sextet of California theatre nerds are about to leave for college in 1994. One teen discovers he's gay long after his friends have suspected. (I know I was there.) This impressive, smart, well-acted (especially by charming Nico Greetham) flick is relatable to anyone who's ever felt repressed or uncomfortable in their own skin.

"Dramarama" is available to buy or rent:
Click here to watch the film.

9. "The Man with the Answers"

Writer-director Stelios Kammitsis' "The Man with the Answers" is an enthralling film about Victor (Vasilis Magouliotis), a young man living in Greece who has just lost his grandmother and decides to drive to Bavaria in search of his estranged mother. He meets Matthias (Anton Weil), a shady German, on the ferry to Italy. The two embark on a rather disputatious road trip, and... fall in love. It's sweet, messy, and captivating. In English, German, Greek, and Italian w/ English Subtitles.

"The Man with the Answers" will be available on DVD in January from Kino Lorber. For more information, click here.

8. "Everybody's Talking About Jamie"

Newcomer Max Harwood dazzles as the titular character in Jonathan Butterell's film adaptation of the award-winning West End musical. Inspired by true events, 16-year-old Jamie dreams of being a drag queen; the film follows his turbulent, yet ultimately ebullient, journey towards that goal. The joyous musical numbers and queer-positive message make for a truly smashing sit.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

7. "Summer of 85"

François Ozon blends the playful with the macabre to adapt Aidan Chamber's YA novel, "Dance on My Grave," and make it his own. "Summer of 85" is a fascinating look at a love affair between two teen boys (promising newcomers Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin) of different classes, set in the 1980s. The film asks intriguing questions about why we fall in love, and whether we can ever really know one another. In French, with English subtitles.

"Summer of 85" is available to stream on Hulu, Amazon Prime, Showtime, Apple TV & YouTube.

6. "Wildhood"

Brettan Hannam's first feature, "Wildhood," is a glorious film that tells a transfixing and transformative Native American/LGBTQ+-themed story about spiritual and sexual awakening. The movie centers on Link (impressive newcomer Phillip Lewitski) who, on a journey to find his mother, encounters a fellow Two-Spirit Mi'kmaw, (an excellent Joshua Odjick). There is an immediate, if unspoken, attraction that the two eventually pursue. This film is a wonder to behold.

"Wildhood" world premiered at TIFF and was acquired by Films Boutique, but there are currently no updates on release plans.

5. "Benediction"

Terence Davies' exquisite cinematic poem, "Benediction," is a biopic of the 20th century English poet Siegfried Sassoon, an exploration of identity, and a depiction of the desire between men at a time when acting on such feelings was verboten. Young Sassoon (a smashing Jack Lowden) dared to think for himself, which turned him into an irascible old man (Peter Capaldi). Jeremy Irvine flies his flamboyant flag as actor/singer/divo Ivor Novello, one of Sassoon's lovers.

"Benediction" premiered at TIFF, and has been acquired by Roadside Attractions. No release date has been announced yet.

4. "Cicada"

Matt Fifer & Kieran Mulcare's "Cicada" is a deeply nuanced portrait of a bisexual man (Fifer) who plunges into meaningless, often anonymous sexual encounters until it's time to confront his damaging demons once he meets his potential Mr. Right (Sheldon D. Brown). Fifer is a filmic force: His script is dense and honest, and his performance, fearless. A real gem.

"Cicada" was released in select theatres by Strand and can currently be streamed on iTunes, Amazon Prime and Vudu.

3. "Firebird"

Peeter Rebane's engrossing Cold War thriller, "Firebird," seems to have played at more LGBTQ+ Festivals than there are states of the union, racking up tons of awards in the process, and all of them are deserved. The film, set in the late '70s into the '80s, explores the forbidden love between an Estonian private (a fierce Tom Prior) and his Lieutenant (an excellent Oleg Zagordnii) during a time when being gay was not an option. The tech credits are masterful, but it's Prior who co-wrote, co-produced, and plays the lead in the movie that proves to be the film's shining star.

"Firebird" will be released in late spring 2022.

2. "Mascarpone" ("Mascile singolare")

When I first saw "Mascarpone" in early fall, I found it a delectable, life-affirming, queer-positive story about a young man finding his place in the (gay) world. I was quite taken with Giancarlo Commare in the lead role and the entire ensemble of versatile actors (in every meaning of the word), as well as the caring and nurturing direction by Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati, and the witty, wacky-yet-sincere script by Guida, Pilati, and Giuseppe Paternò Raddusa.

On a recent second viewing, with Omicron raging rapidly, all the above remains true, but the character's fears and insecurities resonated even deeper, as did the über-important message the film delivers about discovering who you are on your own instead of allowing someone else to define you. In these social-media-infected times, when we are more and more isolated because of COVID, it's so important to continue to keep making our own mascarpone until we get it right. (And to understand that, see the film).

"Mascarpone" will be released in April 2022.

1. "Great Freedom" ("Grosse Freiheit")

A truly astounding cinematic sucker punch, Sebastian Meise's "Great Freedom" – Austria's International Oscar submission – chronicles more than two decades of the horrors wrought by Paragraph 175 in Germany through the examination of one gay life. In a truly mesmerizing and unnerving performance, Franz Rogowski embodies Hans, a concentration camp survivor immediately placed into prison after liberation, for being homosexual. Prison is where he returns again and again, simply because he is gay. Meise is unsparing in his depiction of the persecution, and Rogowski – along with the entire cast (including Anton von Lucke and Thomas Prenn) – is remarkable. "Great Freedom" recently made the Oscar International Feature Short List. It's a rich and powerful work. In German with English subtitles.

"Great Freedom" will open theatrically in NYC on March 4, 2022, at Film Forum and expand nationwide.