There aren’t many queer movies out there, and there are even fewer involving queer women. When they are included, they have little to no screen time, perpetuate harmful stereotypes, and are killed off quickly. Bury your Gays is a trope for a reason. Queer characters are showcased in the media for diversity points and then are killed when they no longer serve the story. Even when they don’t die or are given adequate screentime, they rarely get the happy endings that heterosexual characters do, and are often in “forbidden” relationships that have to be hidden. Or the relationship is heavily sexualized, perpetuating the stereotype of the queer community being overly sexual and predatory.
Not only is this not a realistic representation of queer relationships, but it forces queer people to watch media they can’t relate to and to constantly experience tragic stories that paint queerness as something that’s melancholic and taboo. As a bisexual person, I got really tired of my only options for sapphic films being overly sexual or incredibly tragic. Queer people should be able to experience the same kinds of love stories as heterosexuals, so I searched long and hard for sapphic films that aren’t period films, tragic, or have sad endings, courtesy of this list on Letterboxd.
Imagine Me and You (2005)
Imagine Me and You is an adorably British rom-com starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey. It follows newly married Rachel, who notices florist Luce at her wedding and is instantly smitten. She tries to figure out her feelings for this woman while being married to someone she thought she loved, and while it sounds sad, it’s really quite adorable. It’s a cheesy, feel-good movie, just as one would expect from a heterosexual romcom. Plus, the love interest is a florist and Cersei Lannister, and gays love that stuff.
D.E.B.S (2004)
D.E.B.S is a cinematic masterpiece. I rated this 4 stars on Letterboxd, which is the same rating I gave American Psycho, except this is better because there are almost no men. It’s about a team of female spies working to take down supervillain Lucy Diamond. When in a standoff with the villainess, spy Amy Bradshaw reveals to her that she’s writing her senior thesis on the villainess, and they begin their enemies-to-lovers journey. It’s so campy and aggressively mid-2000s, full of velour tracksuits and cheesy one-liners, and most importantly, despite being made in the early 2000s, it doesn’t treat lesbianism as a joke, or as something overly sexual. It’s simply a masterpiece of a story about a spy falling in love with a hot supervillain. Who doesn’t love polar opposite enemies-to-lovers stories?
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
This movie takes place in a conversion camp. It’s also a romantic comedy. But trust me, this is a super campy, satirical rom-com with a notable 90s and bubblegum pink aesthetic. It follows perky cheerleader Megan, who falls in love with rebel Graham. RuPaul also stars in the film, playing an “ex-gay” donning a “Straight is Great” t-shirt and hot pants. Everything down to the casting, the relationships, and her aesthetic is perfect.
San Junipero – Black Mirror (2016)
This technically isn’t a movie, but this is my absolute favorite episode of Black Mirror. For the purposes of avoiding spoilers, I won’t reveal much, but not only is it diverse, but it’s absolutely beautiful, and the relationship between Yorkie and Kellie brings tears to my eyes in the best way. I want what they have.
The Half of It (2020)
This one doesn’t focus solely on romantic relationships between women but is rather a coming-of-age drama about figuring yourself out. Shy Ellie is tasked by her new, lovable jock friend named Paul to write letters to the girl he likes on his behalf in hopes of earning her affection. It gets tricky when Ellie realizes she has feelings for the girl she’s supposed to be setting Paul up with. It’s really charming and I definitely recommend it to people who like coming of age films.
While sapphic films that aren’t depressing are few and far between, the ones that do exist are gems that everyone should check out.
