Every June, we come together to celebrate Pride Month — an annual celebration of love, equality, compassion, and acceptance, embracing the vibrant diversity of humanity. It is a special month dedicated to honoring pride and the freedom to live out one's authentic self.

In this spirit, one of the most powerful and precious gifts of storytelling is the ability to offer us an experience of knowing we always belong, bridging gaps of distance and time to touch the lives and hearts of many from across the world. Over the years, storytelling has provided a medium to guide people in exploring the diverse facets and intricacies of being queer through films — portraying moments of vulnerability, struggles with acceptance, and joyous celebrations where characters get to be unapologetically themselves on screen.

Such good LGBTQ+ representations in films foster a sense of community and validation, reflecting a world that is evolving to embrace diversity and inclusivity.

With that, here is an unranked list of essential and captivating LGBTQ+ films to celebrate Pride Month. As we immerse ourselves in the stories we watch, we not only find entertainment but also wield the power to amplify voices that were caged for so long, challenge biases, spark discourse, and contribute to fostering a future built on acceptance and equality.

Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai, 1997)

"Ho Po-Wing always says, 'Let's start over,' and it gets to me every time. We've been together for a while and we break up often, but whenever he says, 'Let's start over,' I find myself back with him."

Given what the title suggests, you might be anticipating a joyful and romantic story about unrequited love, but Happy Together is certainly far from that. It is important to note that Wong Kar-Wai, the director, clarified that he did not intend to categorize it as a 'gay movie.' Instead, the film offers a nuanced portrayal of a tumultuous relationship between two men, capturing their journey of learning and growth. Nevertheless, its exploration of queer themes and the complexities of love solidifies its significance in LGBTQ+ cinema.

Happy Together tells the story of Lai Yiu-fai and Ho Po-Wing, a young couple caught in a cycle of breakups and short-lived reconciliations. Neither is willing to leave or fully let go of the other, yet they seem to lack the love required to learn how to sustain their relationship. They decide to travel from Hong Kong to Argentina in search of a new beginning, only to find themselves drifting further apart as they struggle to understand each other.

It is a devastating film about the pain of love and life — being with someone you do not truly desire and still loving them despite them being bad for you. It delves into longing for change, for something new, while struggling to let go of the past.

Aimée & Jaguar (Max Färberböck, 1999)

"Your husband is a Nazi, and your lover is a Jew and a woman. This is a catastrophe."

One fun fact about this remarkable film is that it is based on a true story set in Berlin in 1943. During the tumultuous time of World War II, amidst Allied bombings and the Gestapo's purges of Jews, a love affair unfolds between two women: Felice, a Jewish member of the underground, and Lilly, a mother of four who is married to a Nazi soldier.

War can often be a time for desperate and risky love affairs, but theirs was so dangerous that it felt like a bold defiance against the laws and even the entire world aligned against them. But, for Lilly, this affair becomes the defining experience of her life, as her love for Felice is a revelation that fuels her with hope for survival in this wartime.

It is a poignant love story between two women who belong to opposite sides of the war yet are drawn closer through flirtatious and romantic poems, letters, and other means. Their love endures despite it being doomed from the start.

Naanu Avanalla...Avalu (B.S. Lingadevaru, 2015)

"I am not he….I am a she."

Based on the empowering life of Living Smile Vidya, a transgender woman working as an actress in India, this film revolves around her life and the struggles faced by both her and the transgender community in India as they seek recognition and acceptance amidst societal obstacles. Vidya, who was once a fearless young boy named Madesha from rural Karnataka, was cast out by her father and got bullied because of her feminine persona.

Nevertheless, she was determined to pick herself up and reclaim her life as she embarked on a journey to embrace her identity and become a woman — a decision that altered her destiny forever.

Throughout the film, Naanu Avanalla…Avalu explores the concept of 'otherness' not as something to exploit but as something to embrace and celebrate, fostering a sense of community and a willingness to embrace one's differences.

Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)

"At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gon' be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you."

In society, we are often taught, through our community and the media we consume, that masculinity equates to aggression, violence, and heterosexuality. It causes us to see the world through this lens of hypermasculinity, leading to the inclusion of homophobia, as heterosexuality is tightly bound to masculine ideals. Such influence can be so pervasive that even gay Black men themselves can sometimes experience internalized homophobia. Moonlight provides a good representation of this.

This thought-provoking, coming-of-age film explores the journey of a young Black man named Chiron, struggling to find himself amidst a community that frequently ostracizes him. The narrative unfolds across three defining chapters in his life — early age, adolescence, and adulthood — during which he grapples with joy, pain, and beauty of love while striving to understand his identity with grace, compassion, vulnerability, and respect.

It is undoubtedly a film that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime.