British gay films
View full post on YouTube. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. We’ve narrowed down the list to films easily available on DVD, although honourable mention must go to the über-rare Two Gentlemen Sharing (), a swinging slice of the 60s that hinted at interracial homosexuality.
My favourite subcategory of film are those in which two people meet for a brief period of time and it derails the course of their love lives forever: In the Mood for LoveBefore SunriseRoman Holiday. And if you like Vicious (millions seem to), you may get a perverse kick out of Staircase (), a dreadful vehicle for Richard.
In this article, we embark on a cinematic journey through the finest gay movies set in the United Kingdom. What is it about our corner of the world which evokes something so… specific and full of yearning in love stories? James Wilby is the foppish eponymous Edwardian who must navigate his feelings for other men in an unwelcoming society; in the halls at Cambridge, and the English countryside.
My Summer of Love, a story of teenage romance, invokes both hazy longing and unease as hard-edged Mona Natalie Press and posh Tamsin Emily Blunt fall for one another, despite their warring personality types. This lowkey film, directed by Andrew Haigh, radiates that same sense of magic and difficulty.
So what key British gay films are out there? Perhaps because we find it hard to know what to say to one another at the best of times: mumbling in country houses, longing stares in a grimy club, tense words in rainy fields. From groundbreaking classics to contemporary gems, the British film industry has consistently embraced stories centered around the LGBTQ+ community, providing a platform for marginalized voices and challenging societal norms.
!!!=movies, TV series with primarily gay content.!!=relevant but secondary gay content and characters.!=gay undertone, short but specific gay situations, gay's favorite classics movies. Both actors give sensitive, witty performances, providing a heart to the film where the romance sometimes falters.
Adapted from a play of the same name by Jonathan Harvey, the British playwright imbues the film with noise, wit and tenderness. A gem. Add an LGBTQ lens, and those feelings are exacerbated — shot through with shame, restriction, tenderness, and camp.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.