With the marriage referendum taking place this month, we thought it only fitting that we celebrate some of our favourite representations of LGBT couples onscreen. Here’s to love.
5. Patrick and Thad, The Family Stone
We know, after the absurd “we have two gay characters, let’s marry them off!” debacle in Sex and the City 2, who would have thought that any Sarah Jessica Parker film would be celebrated for a great gay romance. But in a comedy about warring family members and unstable romances, the most solid love comes from Thad, a deaf white man, and his tender-hearted black husband Patrick. Affectionate, witty, and subtly defiant to oppression, their relationship is a diverse but not didactic one, simply showing how powerful love can be.
4. Harvey and Scott, Milk
We know, we know, Sean Penn and James Franco together in one film should be enough to turn anyone off romance. But in this incredible film about rights activist Harvey Milk, the two actors transcend their problematic personas to give stunning performances that capture both a deep love and a revolutionary time in LGBT rights. Though the true story and ending is tragic, the romance is an inspiring one, befitting the film’s subject.
3. Violet and Corky, Bound
The first film by the now revered Wachowskis is a rare realistic portrayal of a relationship between two lesbians which manages to be sexy without fetishising, and empathetic without being sentimental. The directors revealed that the studios wanted to change Corky’s character to a male role, showing the directors’ dedication to pushing for LGBT narratives.
2. Ricky and Francesca, Boy Meets Girl
A new film by Eric Schaeffer, this film is fantastic not only because of its portrayal of the growing love between trans woman Ricky and the adoring Francesca, but because it’s one of the few films about trans characters that actually stars a trans actress in the lead role. Though it can be conspicuously educational about a certain trans life and experience, the awkwardness, curiosity and tenderness suits the young characters. At one point, Francesca wonders aloud if falling for a woman with a penis means she’s gay. “It has to make me something,” she says. Ricky doesn’t skip a beat: “Human?” she replies. Indeed.
1. Ben and George, Love is Strange
Love Is Strange is the story of Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) who, after 40 years of love and almost-monogamy, have finally been granted the right to marry in New York. Lithgow and Molina radiate such a warm, lived-in but still utterly besotted glow that separately, their witty characters are truly heartwarming – together, they’re one of the most empathetic couples on film. As Ben deals with being the oldest man at parties full of Pretty Young Things, and Ben realises that being underfoot as an older man reads as “geriatric”, their lives are beautifully observed. A film that reveals the chasm between our expectations of friendships, romance and life – and the realities.