My favorite streaming service is free, has no ads, and is chock-full of high-quality queer cinema. Sound good to be true? It’s not! Accessing Kanopy may require you to jump through some initial hoops. But if you’ve got a public library card or attend school at one of the many participating institutions, you can watch thousands of movies at no cost without any commercials whatsoever. And I’m not talking about bottom-of-the-barrel freemium content, either! Kanopy’s got Oscar winners, festival favorites, and forgotten classics, and none of them are interrupted by an obnoxiously loud teeth-whitening commercial every five minutes. It also has an especially large library of LGBTQ+ cinema, featuring titles like Titane and Tangerine that would be stand-outs on paid streamers. Pound for pound, I’m finding better movies on Kanopy these days than I am on many services I pay actual money to use.
If you don’t have a library card, remember that times have likely changed since you were a kid: it’s often easy to get one online. (I got mine, and a Kanopy subscription, all from the comfort of my keyboard.) Kanopy even makes it easy to find your nearest library; on their signup page, click “Find Your Library,” enter your location, and get a card. Sure, it doesn’t have the same name recognition as Netflix, Hulu, Max, or Prime Video, but why pay several monthly charges when you can get great movies for the low, low cost of zero dollars? Whether you’re looking to cut back on your monthly entertainment costs, or simply to access a little-known treasure trove of queer media, it’s definitely worth taking a look at what Kanopy has to offer.
The only catch is that the number of movies you can watch per month is limited. (There had to be one string attached, right?) To help you pick what you should spend your credits on, we’ve curated 15 of the best LGBTQ+ movies on Kanopy below. Choose wisely. — Samantha Allen
This lovable indie feature earns kudos for featuring a teenage LGBTQ+ romance without making coming out a central part of the narrative. Single father Frank (Nick Offerman) and his high-school age daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) are struggling to keep their Brooklyn record store afloat when a song they record becomes an unexpected viral hit. Together, they record more songs, including an ode to Sam’s girlfriend Rose (Sasha Lane), but with college on the horizon, their minor stardom comes with an expiration date. Featuring music by Keegan DeWitt that you’ll be humming long after the end credits roll, Hearts Beat Loud is a charming addition to a growing canon of films that feature casual queer representation. — Samantha Allen
Shot entirely on an iPhone 5S, Sean Baker’s off-kilter answer to traditional Christmas fare finds best friends and trans sex workers Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee-Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) plotting to get back at Alexandra’s unfaithful pimp ex-boyfriend on Christmas Eve. Tangerine is a refreshingly candid look at the lives of trans sex workers of color, and it also happens to be funny as hell. — 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
Julia Ducournau’s Titane is a polysemous wonder of a film, inviting trans readings without ever becoming overly literal in the process. Described in words, the plot is an outlandish mouthful: an auto show model (Agathe Rousselle) who was involved in a car crash as a child adopts a masculine disguise to run from law enforcement after committing a murder, only to end up posing as the son of a fire chief (Vincent Lindon). And it certainly is a weird trip. But it’s also an unforgettable journey, toying with the line between human and machine, and interrogating the nature of love itself. — Samantha Allen
One of the greatest luminaries of the 20th century, gay writer and activist James Baldwin is brought to life in Raoul Peck’s incendiary 2017 documentary I Am Not Your Negro, which draws from Baldwin’s final, unfinished manuscript. In the work, titled Remember This House, Baldwin began writing about the lives of his friends and fellow civil rights icons Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers, all of whom were assassinated. Imagining what a finished version of the book would look like using a mix of archival footage and Samuel L. Jackson’s narration, Peck links the visions of civil rights leaders to modern movements like #BlackLivesMatter and the fight for better Black representation in Hollywood. It’s a stirring reflection on how far we have (and haven’t) come in America, told in a manner befitting the legend’s life and work. — Abby Monteil
Queer romantic comedies often ignore non-white narratives, which is, as Breaking Fast proves, a damn shame. This rom-com, centering a religious gay Muslim man as our protagonist, is as cheesy, sappy and happy-ended as can be. It’s wonderful. Mo (Haaz Sleiman), an observant Muslim still reeling from his last breakup, is understandably nervous to put himself out there again. However, as these things often go, an irresistible magnetic force presents itself in the form of aspiring actor Kal (Michael Cassidy). As the couple get to know each other over the course of Ramadan, breaking fast over homemade meals and escalating towards something serious, their pasts and preconceptions threaten to leave everyone burned. Don't worry, though: true love wins out in the end. — Sadie Collins
In the back-and-forth about whether straight actors should be able to play gay roles, it seems everyone has agreed that there are certain exceptions, chiefly Cate Blanchett. Between Maurice, A Very English Scandal, and Paddington 2, I would humbly add Hugh Grant to that list. Based on the E.M. Forster novel of the same name, Maurice is a characteristically gorgeous Merchant Ivory production about two young men who begin an affair at Cambridge that carries lasting consequences after they leave school. Released near the peak of the AIDS crisis, Maurice insisted on the dignity of gay love in an unaccepting era. — Samantha Allen
I may be a rom-com devotee, but God’s Own Country is the love story I hold tightest, despite its sharp edges. It’s espresso in your chocolate – bitterness that makes the sweet taste sweeter. Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor), a gay sheep farmer living in Yorkshire, spends his days fighting with his ailing father, disappointing his grandmother, and getting very, very drunk. When his family hires Romanian farmhand Georghe (Alec Secăreanu) to camp with Johnny and help with lambing season, tensions boil. However, when they’re alone, Johnny allows himself to be tamed into something unfamiliar, soft and delicate. But, of course, all delicate things run the risk of shattering Equal turns carnal and romantic, God’s Own Country is about how to care for someone when you don’t care for yourself, and how to accept the growing pains that come with being loved. — Sadie Collins
This 2012 documentary, produced by Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman, is a vital record of ACT UP’s advocacy during the AIDS crisis, featuring powerful archival footage from several of the group’s powerful Days of Action, including the 1989 demonstration at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Every queer person should familiarize themselves with the work of ACT UP, which remains perhaps the best model for impactful queer activism in harrowing political times. As we face down an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, revisiting the work of ACT UP is more essential than ever. — Samantha Allen
Thelma bravely asks, “What if an oppressed lesbian had godlike powers, maybe commits murder, and harnesses her full strength while experiencing her first gay love?” And it’s great! The titular Thelma (Eili Harboe) moves away from her uber-religious father to attend university in Oslo. While there, she develops a crush on fellow student Anja (Kaya Wilkins), leading her to discover the fullness — and deadliness — of her own psychokinetic abilities. When Anja goes missing, our distraught protagonist must explore the root of her powers, uncover the truth about her past, and find the strength to finally take what she wants. Taking inspiration from the same feminine horror tradition as films like Black Swan and Carrie, Thelma manages to rise up above them all, molting into something tender, empowering and, ultimately, cathartic. — Sadie Collins
Somewhere between The Farewell, Columbus, and The Wedding Banquet sits Monsoon, in the eye of its own storm. And, in that eerie calm, it has become one of my favorite queer films. Kit (Henry Golding), a gay British Vietnamese man who left Saigon as a child after the Vietnam War, returns to the country to reconnect with his roots after spending his life feeling alienated and ostracized. As he searches the country for an appropriate place to scatter his parents’ ashes, he falls for an American named Lewis (Parker Sawyers). Monsoon is a subtle, tender love story that feels focused on Kit while also encompassing the complicated nature of sexuality, war, and diaspora. — Sadie Collins
Take a a dollop of Lady Bird, add a dash of Euphoria, sprinkle a hearty drizzle of Mermaids on top, and you’ve got the sweetly delicate drama Princess Cyd. Southern queer teenager Cyd (Jessie Pinnick), who lives with her depressed single father, is desperate for a life beyond the humid shores of South Carolina. She finally gets her wish when her aunt Miranda (Rebecca Spence) offers to let her stay with her in Chicago for the summer. The pair embark on a challenging journey of connection as they learn more about each other and themselves. Cyd also falls in love – but I won’t spoil anything. Niece-aunt relationships are rarely explored in cinema, and certainly not with this amount of depth. Princess Cyd is a fantastic portrayal of the kind of beautifully nuanced relationships many queer girls form with women in their family as they grow up. — Sadie Collins
Handsome Devil is not only a portrait of toxic masculinity at a boarding school, it’s also a perfect testament to how much two queer teenagers can rock the boat if they join forces. When Ned (Fionn O’Shea), a bullied teen at a rugby-obsessed boarding school, is assigned to room with rising rugby star Conor (Nicholas Galitzine), torment feels imminent. However, it becomes apparent that there’s more to Conor than meets the eye, and he has to decide if he’s going to let Ned inspire him to embrace all parts of himself, or keep living a life half lived. Also, “hot priest” Andrew Scott is in this movie, and his pipeline to Fleabag has never been clearer. Watch it. — Sadie Collins
Gregg Araki is one of the key filmmakers who emerged in the New Queer Cinema movement of the 1990s, which challenged traditional heteronormative storytelling frameworks to tell raw, unapologetic stories about queer life outside the mainstream studio system. Outside of directing a particularly homoerotic episode of Riverdale (yes, really), I’m happy to report that Araki is still out there making memorable films and TV shows that relentlessly spit in the face of conservative, studio note-laden art with campy aplomb. One notable example is his 2010 film Kaboom, which follows a group of chaotic bisexual college students who try to figure their shit out while racking up a complicated web of one-night stands and relationships that would make the infamous L-Word chart blush. Oh, and there’s also a cult trying to take over the world. Typical queer college stuff! — Abby Monteil
Early on, The Watermelon Woman protagonist’s best friend utters a truism that is bound to hit single queer film lovers where it hurts: “All you do, because you don’t have a girlfriend, is watch these boring old films.” She’s not wrong! But quite frankly, if you haven’t seen this movie, you’re missing out on one of the great films to come out of the New Queer Cinema movement and a vital entry in the Black lesbian film canon. Writer-director Cheryl Dunye plays a lesbian aspiring filmmaker who sets out to uncover more about the life of the titular “Watermelon Woman,” a Black actress who played “mammy” archetypes in the 1930s. Juggling ’90s rom-com witticisms and a frank condemnation of the ways in which Black women and queer people have been treated throughout Hollywood history, The Watermelon Woman is worth tuning into over and over again, whether you have a girlfriend or not. — Abby Monteil
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