There are more films on streaming services than ever, so why does finding a decent, non-shitty LGBTQ+ movie sometimes feel like a full-time job? That task can feel especially daunting when you’re staring down Prime Video, which is plagued by huge horizontal rows that are sensory overload all on their own. Then there are all the icons: some movies have blue check marks? Others have gold shopping bags? What does it all mean? Our gay brains were not built for this.
But don’t lose hope! As a site chock-full of queer pop culture obsessives who very much want you to watch good movies so we can keep talking about them incessantly, we at Them have tracked down the best LGBTQ+ flicks on Prime Video so you don’t have to! Once you dig past the user interface, you’ll find this easy-to-overlook streamer is actually home to a wide variety of quality films. With the integration of Freevee, Amazon’s ad-supported streamer, the options have only grown. From boarding school drama to bisexual disaster comedy to gothic revenge thrills, the gang’s all here.
If you’re on the hunt for a guide to the best LGBTQ+ films on Max, Hulu and Netflix, we’ve also got those — but if you’re looking for some of the funniest, freshest, and most galvanizing queer cinema on Prime Video, peruse our guide below. — Abby Monteil
In this underrated Amazon Original, a prestigious boarding school is divided into five social factions. Queen bee Selah Summers (Lovie Simone) rules an influential faction of teenagers called the Spades alongside a bustling alcohol and drug-dealing business. But soon, the unexpected arrival of her charismatic new protégée Paloma (Celeste O’Connor) threatens to unravel the teen empire that Selah holds dear. It’s thrilling to watch Selah and the Spades blend mafia intrigue and high-school social politics, and an upcoming TV series inspired by the film promises to deliver more of that delicious mix. But the homerotic relationship between the film’s central characters — and its graceful inclusion of Selah’s asexuality — also give this acclaimed indie drama a welcome queer edge. — Abby Monteil
Bros may have been saddled with “representation” discourse and unfortunate marketing jargon like “sometimes love doesn’t win, it slays,” but it managed to be a genuinely funny rom-com nonetheless. In a way, it features a classic “opposites attract” set-up: neurotic podcast host Bobby (co-writer Billy Eichner) finds himself uncharacteristically drawn to Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a bro-ish lawyer who’s still finding his place within gay culture. Come for the film’s sharp observations about masculinity and the conceits of modern gay visibility, and stay for Bowen Yang’s haunted LGBT history ride. – Abby Monteil
We were long overdue for a trans rom-com heroine, and luckily, Billy Porter’s Anything’s Possible delivered. Set in the Pose star’s hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the film follows high schooler and animal enthusiast Kelsa (Them alum Eva Reign) as she embarks on an unexpected romance with her dreamy classmate Khal (Abubakr Ali) during her senior year. Featuring an adorable screenplay from trans writer Ximena García Lecuona, Anything’s Possible gives Reign the chance to put her bubbly rom-com heroine charm on full display. — Abby Monteil
Given how much lesbians love processing and dizzyingly intricate interpersonal relationships, it’s surprising that more lesbian mumblecore comedies don’t exist. But The Feels does, and it stars Crazy Rich Asians’ Constance Wu to boot. In the movie, a lesbian couple heads off on their bachelorette weekend, and like many a queer getaway, things quickly turn personal when one bride admits she’s never had an orgasm. Save this one for a rainy day with your chosen family and plenty of time to interject with your own gay processing. — Abby Monteil
It might not have been appreciated by critics or the box office when it first came out in 1999, but more than two decades later, Jamie Babbit’s But I’m A Cheerleeader has surpassed its cult favorite status to become a bona fide queer comedy classic. Everyone’s favorite straight woman with dyke vibes, Natasha Lyonne, plays our heroine Megan, an archetypical cheerleader whose conservative parents (correctly) assume she’s a lesbian and send her to a pastel-colored conversion camp. While I completely understand weariness with conversion therapy films, But I’m A Cheerleader’s ability to poke fun at the inherent campy absurdity of compulsory heterosexuality makes it a delightful and hilarious coming-of-age tale. It’s also stacked with an absolute murderer’s row of talent, including baby Clea DuVall and Melanie Lynskey! Ah, the ’90s. — Abby Monteil
The Handmaiden has been iconic ever since it was introduced to the world via the immaculate Vulture headline “The Korean Gothic Lesbian Revenge Thriller That’s Captivated Cannes.” Park Chan-Wook’s absolute banger of a film transposes the events of the English historical crime novel Fingersmith onto 1930s Japan-occupied Korea. It’s got one hell of a meet-cute, following a working-class grifter (Kim Tae-ri) who’s hired to steal a Japanese heiress’ (Kim Min-hee) inheritance by posing as her maid. But wouldn’t you know it, the sparks flying between the duo give a whole new meaning to the notion of “be gay, do crime.” From its glorious love scenes — which are central to the plot, thank you very much — to its riveting twists and its rare sapphic happy ending, The Handmaiden is a ride worth taking over and over again. — Abby Monteil
If you were ever that queer kid who ate lunch in a beloved teacher’s classroom, or who dreamed about moving in with Matilda’s Miss Honey, the 2018 South Korean drama House of Hummingbird is bound to strike a chord with you. Set in 1994 Seoul, Kim Bora’s debut feature follows Eun-hee (played by Park Ji-hu), a sensitive 14-year-old bisexual girl searching for love while enduring the harsh realities of her abusive home. This naturalistic coming-of-age film film is ultimately a hopeful treatise about charting your own path forward into the larger world during queer adolescence. — Abby Monteil
When Saturday Church opens, young, genderqueer teenager Ulysses (Luka Kain) is struggling to explore his identity and find community in the aftermath of his father’s death. Meanwhile, his freedom of expression is stifled under the harsh guardianship of his conservative aunt (Regina Taylor). As a form of escapism, he often imagines a song-filled fantasy universe until he literally enters a new world through his discovery of the West Village’s drag ball scene. Although Saturday Church’s depiction of the harsh realities faced by queer youth can occasionally lead to scenes of flat melodrama, there’s plenty to love here, from its charming songs to its stacked cast (hey, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez!). — Abby Monteil
Black poet, attorney, civil rights activist, and overall visionary Pauli Murray played a major role in advancing legal scholarship that proved crucial for marginalized communities, influencing efforts to desegregate schools and protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination. Despite being a major influence on Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Murray’s work behind the scenes often goes undiscussed in American history. That’s a problem that this biographical documentary aims to address, touching on the Murray’s life, work, and queerness by acknowledging how their art shaped their activism. — Abby Monteil
A little bit of Sex Education, a sprinkling of Handsome Devil, and a heaping spoonful of Derry Girls equals Dating Amber. Set in rural 1990s Ireland, Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew) become each other’s beards to get through high school. While carrying out their farcical love affair, they strike up new romances, explore what it means to love themselves, and imagine a world beyond their small community. Dating Amber balances the line between earnest and clever, but what makes it shine is the bone-deep chemistry between its leads. Though Eddie and Amber initially join forces to hide their truth, in doing so, they discover the invigorating magic of being seen — and known — by the people you love, and want to love. — Sadie Collins
Desiree Akhavan has long been on the frontlines of premium messy bisexual media, and it’s high time some additional respect was put on her name! To see what I mean, look no further than her directorial debut Appropriate Behavior, in which she plays a fictionalized version of herself grappling with her identity. Not quite at home within her traditional Persian family or the queer world of Brooklyn, this slice-of-life film is a refreshingly candid personal tale and a rom-com rolled into one. — Abby Monteil
Hollywood needs a reminder that the ’80s LGBTQ+ movement wasn’t just happening in Greenwich Village or Le Marais. Imbued with the grime of punk and the echoing complexity of Latinx queer life, This is Not Berlin is that reminder.
Situated in 1986 Mexico City, 17-year-old Carlos (Xabiani Ponce de Leon) is a misfit. He doesn’t connect with his peers, his family, or the path set in front of him. An alternative presents itself when he’s dragged to an otherworldly nightclub, where he discovers the underground queer movement, rich with liberators ideas, shaved heads, and mind-altering drugs. As he digs deeper into the scene, Carlos is forced to explore what kind of liberation he actually craves. His subsequent journey, with all its mess and gossamer drug-fueled nights, is an electrifying snapshot of queer life in 1980s Mexico. — Sadie Collins
Aptly described as an “emotion picture,” this feature-length companion to Janelle Monáe’s 2018 album Dirty Computer is a gorgeous, sensual testament to the multi-hyphenate’s talent as a queer, Afro-futurist storyteller. Monáe stars as an android named Jane 57821, who challenges her totalitarian society after embarking on a burgeoning romance with a young woman named May Apple (Tessa Thompson). Will we ever know exactly what went down between Monáe and Thompson in real life? Probably not! But this electro-pop musical is a rousing call to be a “free-ass motherfucker” regardless. — Abby Monteil
If you’re in the mood for an eccentric “be gay, do crime” movie with some real gravitas, Kajillionaire is the film for you. Miranda July’s latest film stars Evan Rachel Wood as Old Dolio, the 20-something daughter of two con artists who’s beginning to question the insular grifter lifestyle in which she was raised. When a hasty heist forces the family to team up with charismatic outsider Melanie (Gina Rodriguez), Dolio’s life gets turned upside down in more ways than one. July has always excelled at using the trappings of quirky indie cinema to probe heavier thematic material, and Kajillionaire is no exception. Plus, it features one of the greatest film-closing kisses in recent memory. — Abby Monteil
First of all, any movie that credits the lesbian yeehaw classic Desert Hearts as a gay awakening just gets the queer experience. Loosely adapted from Emily M. Danforth’s novel of the same name, the second Akhavan-directed movie on this list follows a lesbian teen (Chloë Grace Moretz) who gets sent to a conversion camp in the ’90s. Once there, she builds connections with fellow “disciples” Jane Fonda (Sasha Lane) and Lakota Two-Spirit teen Adam Red Eagle (Forrest Goodluck). I haven’t seen many gay movies that capture the enduring, life-saving joy of found family quite like Cameron Post does, and it’s well worth a watch with some of your best friends. — Abby Monteil
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