The Best WLW Movies To Watch This Pride Month — From a Film Major
It’s Pride month which means that it’s time for me to share my favorite WLW (women loving women) movies! And I’m a film major so you should probably take my opinions as seriously as you would take Donald Trump’s (not seriously at all!!).
Anyway, I decided to focus on lighthearted films with happy endings since those of us close to the WLW genre know that lesbian and bisexual relationships involving women tend to end poorly (The 100, Killing Eve, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the list goes on and on and on and on). Thanks “Bury Your Gays” trope!!
These films highlight WLW relationships in the same way that your typical heterosexual romantic comedy would, and that’s generally what I love most about them. I also love that they all pass the Bechdel test.
So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite WLW movies for pride month:
Imagine Me and You (Ol Parker, 2006)— This film stars Piper Perabo and Lena Headey (For my GOT fans out there) as a recently married woman begins to fall in love with the florist for her wedding. The film features heaving pining, comedy, British accents, and much more! If you love a “running through the streets to profess your love for someone” moment, this is the film for you! (Please keep in mind this film is from 2006 and has some cringeworthy moments: a straight man saying that he can “turn” a gay woman straight.)
The Half of It (Alice Wu, 2020) — A classic love triangle comedy/drama involving jocks, nerds, and popular girls. The only twist: the popular girl might also be into girls. This film was originally put out during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and got me through those quarantine blues. Sure, this film is pretty cheesy and has A LOT of cliches running through it, but it really filled my gay heart to see these cliches in a relationship that I could relate to.
Booksmart (Olivia Wilde, 2019) — This is one of my favorite films PERIOD. The film centers around two best friends trying to make the most of their last night of high school after realizing that they had wasted most of it studying. The WLW relationship of the film is a side plot that doesn’t get the most screen time, but that’s part of why I love it. The relationship is treated no differently than any other, and Kaitlyn Dever and Diana Silvers are HOT so you should probably check this film out just for that.
Saving Face (Alice Wu, 2004) — First off, this movie was directed by Alice Wu, the same woman who directed The Half of It. Alice Wu’s films generally focus on Asian LGBTQ+ characters, and Saving Face is no different. This film is classic early 2000’s cinema and most likely got overlooked due to its focus on queer characters of color. This film was really ahead of it’s time and I wish that it was more common amongst WLW viewers. There’s some great comedy and some heartwarming mother-daughter moments.
Crush (Sammi Cohen, 2022)- The most recent film from this list, Crush is a story about a young artist who finds herself in a love triangle between her long time crush and her crush’s sister. First off, I was so happy to see a love triangle that involved three women considering that’s something that’s pretty much unheard of in any show other than “The L Word”. Crush is a typical high school romantic comedy with angst and awkward moments, but it’s a fun watch and I highly recommend it!
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