From big star projects to indie darlings, it was a particularly rich year for LGBTQ+ film. During a time in this country filled with so much uncertainty and fear, it’s refreshing to see filmmakers telling stories that need to be told. Here is a look at some of the highlights of the season.
Many of the year’s notable queer offerings launched at the Sundance Film Festival in January. My favorite LGBTQ+ film of the year was James Sweeney’s superb “Twinless.” “Twinless” is a twisty, unpredictable film starring Dylan O’Brien (playing two roles) and Sweeney as friends who bond at a support group for those who have lost a twin. What happens after should not be spoiled, but is quite clever with an unexpected emotional payoff.
Another success out of Sundance was “Plainclothes.” Carmen Emmi made his directorial debut with this story about an undercover cop (Tom Blyth) who falls for one of his potential marks (Russell Tovey). The two leads create sparks in a psychological drama/thriller that, while featuring some sad moments, also has an optimistic air.
Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone headlined “The Wedding Banquet,” Andrew Ahn’s remake of the classic Ang Lee film about a gay Korean man who suggests to his female friend seeking IVF treatment that they get married so he can stay in the U.S. The film proved to be warm and funny. Another quality LGBTQ+ film was Daniel Minahan’s “On Swift Horses,” with stellar work from actors like Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones. The spring release was an underrated and sleek drama about a love triangle (of sorts) between a man, his wife, and his brother – and the latter two’s romantic awakenings.
One of the year’s higher-profile films – and sadly, one of the biggest box-office thuds – was “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” an adaptation of the 1992 Broadway musical, which itself was adapted from the 1976 novel. The film stars Diego Luna as Valentin, a political prisoner, and Tonatiuh as his openly gay cellmate Molina. Jennifer Lopez appears in the movie as several characters in the splashy, 1950s movie musical that Molina talks about to escape his pain. Director Bill Condon directed “Dreamgirls” and is certainly capable behind the camera, yet this is a mixed bag. It’s well made and technically splendid, but the scenes with the two men are so enthralling that the musical numbers don’t always mesh with the rest of the film.
Two of my favorite actors, Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor (who was everywhere in 2025), teamed up for director Oliver Hermanus’ “The History of Sound.” The performances are fine, but the film is slow moving to a fault and retro.
If you blinked, you likely missed Atlanta-born director Tommy Dorfman’s charming coming-of-age film “I Wish You all the Best.” Based on the popular novel, the movie opened in theaters a few weeks ago to little fanfare. It’s about a non-binary teenager (Corey Fogelmanis) who goes to live with their sister after their parents kick them out. Lena Dunham leads a strong ensemble, and the film deserves to get more attention upon its VOD/streaming run.
Few performers were in the news this year as much as Sydney Sweeney. In David Michôd’s “Christy,” she plays lesbian wrestler Christy Salters Martin. The drama has serious flaws but was much better than I envisioned, dealing with Martin’s personal life, professional career, and domestic violence. Sweeney is quite believable in the role.
Following their collaboration on the 2023 film “Passages,” filmmaker Ira Sachs and actor Ben Whishaw worked together on the acclaimed “Peter Hujar’s Day,” also starring the amazing Rebecca Hall. Tessa Thompson shone in “Hedda,” Nia DaCosta’s reimagined take on the Henrik Ibsen play “Hedda Gabler,” and Tina Romero’s “Queens of the Dead” proved to be a campy, fun, queer zombie comedy.
Andrew Durham’s “Fairyland” is an AIDS drama based on Atlanta-born Alysia Abbott’s memoir about growing up with a gay father in San Francisco. The romantic comedy “A Nice Indian Boy,” starring Jonathan Groff and Karan Soni and directed by Roshan Sethi, also made some news in 2025. This year also featured the critically-blasted Luca Guadagnino drama “After the Hunt” with Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri.
In the indie world, we had “Outerlands,” directed by Elena Oxman, and “Lesbian Space Princess,” made by the team of Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs. Other small indies included Anthony Schatteman’s exuberant “Young Hearts,” David Joseph Craig and Brian Crano’s dark horror film “I Don’t Understand You,” and Julia Jackman’s fantasy romance “100 Nights of Hero.”
Last, but certainly not least, was director Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon,” which might get Ethan Hawke a nod for Best Actor at the Oscars. Hawke stars as gay songwriter Lorenz Hart with help from a compact, effective supporting cast that includes Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott.
Among the best documentaries of the season was Ryan White’s “Come See Me in the Good Light.” The film is about poet Andrea Gibson, who was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer and passed away earlier this year. White, who grew up in Atlanta, could easily be an Oscar nominee in a few months. Other 2025 documentaries of note include “Sally,” about astronaut Sally Ride; Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard’s “I Was Born This Way,” about Carl Bean and his titular disco track; Kim A. Snyder’s chilling “The Librarians”; and Deborah S. Esquenazi’s heartbreaking “Night in West Texas,” about a gay man in jail for a murder he did not commit
This next film won’t open in Atlanta until February, but Harry Lighton’s “Pillion,” a BDSM comedy/drama starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, is bound to get a lot of LGBTQ+ attention in the new year.
