Top 10 Best LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Movies

In this raunchy comedy, Amy and Molly hope to make up for their time spent focused on school with one wild night of partying before graduation. Unlike many of the other movies on this list, “Booksmart” treats Amy’s sexuality as simply matter of fact, as she spends the film pursuing a girl she has a crush on. Filled to the brim with zany characters and delivering one quotable line after another, it’s one of the most distinct high school comedies to be released in the 2010s. The friendship between the two leads is at the heart of the movie, though, and their chemistry is what makes this a modern teen classic.

Gus Van Sant’s cult classic drama is widely regarded as a landmark in queer cinema of the late 20th century. With electric performances from River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, it follows Mike and Scott as they embark on a search for Mike’s mother, learning about one another along the way. It’s a touching and at times brutally honest tale of transitioning from one phase of life to another, and it doesn’t pull any of its narrative punches. Though its Shakespeare-inspired story is relatively tame by today’s standards, its subject matter and style were innovative at the time and opened the door for several later films on this list.

Hilary Swank won an Oscar for her portrayal of real-life transgender man Brandon Teena in this retelling of the final months of his life. When he befriends Lana, the two fall in love despite the extreme bigotry surrounding them. Notably, it was one of the first films with a transgender protagonist to reach a mainstream audience and find box office success. It succeeds by portraying Brandon not as a token trans character, but as a fleshed out one with his own wants, needs, and characteristics. It’s a rough film, and some elements of it may not have aged very well, but that doesn’t erase its place in LGBTQ+ film history.

Clocking in at three hours, “Blue is the Warmest Colour” is certainly a slow burn, but one that cares about and revels in its central characters. The movie centers on the young love between the young Adèle and the artistic blue-haired Emma. Director Abdellatif Kechiche places the audience right in the center of their whirlwind romance, with stunning visuals to highlight the emotional depths that the film dives into. It manages to be a gorgeously sincere look at two young girls in love, while never feeling overly sentimental. The fervency between the two leads is palpable as the radiant performances and superb cinematography work together to craft an utterly unique vision.

“Mysterious Skin” tells the parallel story of UFO enthusiast Brian and teenage gay callboy Neil, who share a painful event from the past. The two deal with their trauma in vastly different ways, as Brian attempts to find the truth in alien abduction theories and Neil tries to find fulfilment in New York. Although it’s a particularly harrowing film, it treats its themes and content with the greatest care, crafting a beautiful and ultimately uplifting story. Featuring a marvellous early-career performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it’s a hidden gem that’s hard to watch, but truly thought-provoking.

This British indie flew under the radar when it premiered in 2017, which is a shame since it was one of the year’s best films. It tells the story of Johnny, a depressed alcoholic farmhand who begins to rethink his life when he meets and begins to fall for Gheorghe. A poignant romance wrapped in a gritty setting, this juxtaposition sets the stage for the raw passion of the leads’ relationship as it develops over the course of the film. Despite the muddy backdrop, it’s ultimately a story of learning how to love oneself as well as another, and the beauty is hidden beneath the muck.

A deeply personal film, “Pariah” is writer/director Dee Rees’ semi-autobiographical story of self-discovery. Alike is a young poet who has recently come to terms with her attraction to women and her preference to present herself androgynously. While she has supportive friends, her parents struggle with her changing identity. It presents familiar themes in a fresh way as Alike juggles her true self with her relationship with her family. That said, every character is written and played with a degree of empathy, never outright villainizing the parents for their views, and helping us to understand how difficult Alike’s struggle is. Equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring, “Pariah” manages to tap into the most human elements of the experience of coming out.

When “Love, Simon” debuted in 2018, it was the first film from a major Hollywood studio to focus on gay teen romance, and it made quite a splash. Simon Spier is a secretly gay high school senior who finds solace in a pen pal named Blue. The two come out to each other and Simon begins to have feelings for him, even though he has no idea who he’s talking to. It manages to tap into the anxieties of coming out with more than enough charm, humor and sincerity to go around. Just as groundbreaking as it is heartwarming, “Love, Simon” is one of the most important LGBTQ+ movies of the 2010s.

Based on André Aciman’s novel of the same name, “Call Me by Your Name” follows 17-year old Elio over a single summer in Italy. He falls for the artistic grad student Oliver and the two begin to bond, and eventually have a passionate summer fling. Despite telling an admittedly simple story, the emotions are raw and true, and Timothée Chalamet’s phenomenal performance is a masterpiece unto itself. Director Luca Guadagnino captures the frenzied intimacy of a first love with gusto, with every shot more evocative than the last. The movie lives and breathes as it follows Elio on his journey, and it will stay with you long after your first viewing.





Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



“Get Real” (1998)





“Alex Strangelove” (2018)





“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)





“I Killed My Mother” (2009)





“G.B.F.” (2013)

As the first best picture winner to feature LGBTQ+ themes, Barry Jenkins’ dazzling portrait of a young man growing up black and gay was the only choice for our top spot. It depicts the life of Chiron as he comes to terms with who he is in three parts: as a youth, as a teen, and as an adult. Loaded with themes of race, sexuality, and identity, “Moonlight” reaches a depth that many films attempt, but few are able to achieve. With a compelling hero and a singularly brilliant vision, it’s a movie that transcends the life it portrays, and surely one that we will be talking about for a long time to come.