Check out our list of the 25 Best Lesbian Movies. Even though we’ve given them numbers, they’re listed in a fairly random order. Whether a title is number 1 or number 18, it’s a queer movie you’ll want to check out. Did we include your favorite lesbian movie?

When it comes to lesbian movies, the landscape has changed dramatically over the years. What used to be rare and often coded representation has now become a much more visible and even celebrated part of cinema.

From groundbreaking indie films to Hollywood dramas and international gems, lesbian love stories have been told in many powerful ways.

These movies don’t just resonate with LGBTQ+ audiences—they stand as unforgettable works of art that explore love, identity, desire, and resilience.

In this updated 2025 list, we’ve gathered 25 of the best lesbian movies of all time. Some are romantic, some are heartbreaking, and others are bold explorations of queer life through different lenses.

Whether you’re looking for an emotional classic, a stylish period drama, or a modern favorite that pushes boundaries, this list has something for everyone.

1. Carol (2015)

Todd Haynes’ gorgeous adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt is one of the most iconic lesbian romances of all time. Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, it’s a sweeping love story set in 1950s New York, balancing restraint with breathtaking intimacy.

2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

This French masterpiece by Céline Sciamma is a slow-burn romance between an artist and her subject. With stunning cinematography and raw emotion, it has become a modern queer classic.

3. Imagine Me & You (2005)

A charming British rom-com about love at first sight—literally—when a bride falls for a woman she meets at her own wedding. Sweet, funny, and full of heart.

4. Bound (1996)

The Wachowskis’ neo-noir thriller is a stylish, gritty tale of passion, crime, and betrayal. Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly light up the screen with electric chemistry.

5. Nina’s Heavenly Delights (2006)

Nina is a young woman who escaped to London to avoid an arranged marriage. Three years later, she returns to Glasgow to help save the family restaurant while being helped and distracted by Lisa, as the two fall in love. The women are portrayed by Shelley Conn and Laura Fraser.

6. The Handmaiden (2016)

Park Chan-wook’s erotic psychological thriller, inspired by Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, is a dazzling and twist-filled exploration of desire, deception, and empowerment.

7. Desert Hearts (1985)

Often hailed as the first positive lesbian romance in American cinema, Donna Deitch’s film is a heartfelt and hopeful love story set in 1950s Nevada.

8. Pariah (2011)

Dee Rees’ semi-autobiographical film is a moving coming-of-age story about a young Black lesbian navigating family, friendship, and identity.

9. Elena Undone (2010)

This indie romance is known for featuring one of the longest on-screen kisses in film history—a heartfelt love story between two women from very different worlds.

10. Disobedience (2017)

Starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, this film explores forbidden love within an Orthodox Jewish community, blending passion with themes of faith and freedom.

11. Ammonite (2020)

Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan bring quiet intensity to this 19th-century romance inspired by the life of paleontologist Mary Anning.

12. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)

A satirical cult favorite starring Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall. Bright, campy, and bold, it tackles conversion therapy with humor and heart.

13. Happiest Season (2020)

A holiday rom-com that struck a chord with audiences everywhere. Starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, it blends Christmas cheer with a heartfelt coming-out story.

14. Summertime (2020)

This French drama is a tender story about two women who fall in love in 1970s Paris against a backdrop of political change.

15. Water Lilies (2007)

Céline Sciamma’s debut feature is a coming-of-age drama exploring first love, sexuality, and self-discovery among teenage girls.

16. Saving Face (2004)

A romantic comedy that blends cultural identity with queer love, following a Chinese-American surgeon navigating her relationship with a female dancer.

17. The Kids Are All Right (2010)

This Oscar-nominated dramedy centers on a lesbian couple raising two teenagers, exploring family, love, and identity with warmth and humor. Starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.

18. Rafiki (2018)

Banned in its home country of Kenya upon release, this vibrant film tells the story of two young women falling in love despite societal pressures.

19. Girls Like Girls (2026)

Hayley Kiyoko’s movie is based on her book, which was based on her own hit music video. The story of Coley, who meets Sonya, which sparks new feelings. Self-doubt and the expectations of others hinder their connection. A wonderful and heartfelt  LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story.

20. Margarita with a Straw (2014)

This Indian drama follows a bisexual woman with cerebral palsy as she explores love, independence, and self-acceptance.

21. Kyss Mig (Kiss Me) (2011)

A Swedish romance about forbidden love between two soon-to-be stepsisters. Beautifully shot and emotionally gripping. Perfect for fans of our #6 on the list: Imagine Me & You.

22. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

Set in the 1990s, this drama follows a teenage girl sent to conversion therapy after being caught with her girlfriend. Thoughtful and moving.

23. My Summer of Love (2004)

Emily Blunt stars in this British drama about two young women from different backgrounds who develop an intense and complex relationship.

24. Mulholland Drive (2001)

David Lynch’s surreal mystery includes a passionate and unforgettable lesbian romance at its core. Dreamlike, strange, and deeply affecting.

25. Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Based on a true story, this psychological drama starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey explores obsession, love, and tragedy.

Free Lesbian Bonus: Sister Wives (short film)

No, not a reality show or some obscure male gaze movie, but a lesbian short film (made by a woman) that you can watch for free on YouTube.

In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we decided to cover it with a review to help spread the message. It even stars someone who recently played the lead in a Netflix series based on an Agatha Christie novel.

Check out our Sister Wives review here, where we also link to the movie on YouTube >

THE END OF OAK STREET is not just an awesome summer blockbuster; it’s also a movie featuring a queer coming-of-age story. And while it isn’t maintext, it’s hardly subtext either. This story made my gay little 1980s-loving heart soar. Read more about the LGBTQ character in The End of Oak Street here!

First of all, this feature will include minor spoilers for The End of Oak Street. Not about the actual dinosaur survival plot, but rather one character in particular. Consider yourself warned.

Looking for a spoiler-free The End of Oak Street movie review by a gay woman? I’ve already released one here >

Now, let me get back to the main story: The gay character in this new and wonderful movie starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery as the Platt family.

In case you forgot, there was also queer representation in the Jurassic World: Dominion movie, which we covered here >

Okay, now it’s all about The End of Oak Street…

The gay daughter in The End of Oak Street

The LGBTQ coming-of-age story in The End of Oak Street is all about the teenage daughter in the movie. Her name is Audrey, and she’s the oldest child in the household.

Her character is portrayed by Maisy Stella, who many LGBTQ people may recognize from My Old Ass. She played the younger version of Aubrey Plaza‘s character, who was also queer. In fact, she was very much out and proud, but that movie also played out in the present.

The End of Oak Street does not. It’s set in 1982, which was not a time when coming out (or being out) was particularly easy. Sure, it was getting better, but that all depended on where you lived, who you were around, and what your family believed.

Another detail about Audrey is that she is very interested in STEM, wants to go to Cornell because her hero, Carl Sagan, teaches there, and is always reading a book or looking at the sky. Her character would definitely have been a boy if this movie had been made in the 1980s.

Maybe that’s why I love this movie so much: It’s full-on 1980s, but has details that you would never have seen in a movie made in the 1980s. Also, the soundtrack is amazing, which I will get back to, as the first queer clue I noticed involved an iconic song.

The fierce lioness in The End of Oak Street

In The End of Oak Street, the real powerhouse of the family is Denise, the mother portrayed by Anne Hathaway. She is a brilliant woman, a fierce mother, and when there’s a shotgun, she is the one to pick it up. Little details, like showing an older picture of Denise standing proudly with a weapon, let us know that she’s the expert in the area.

As it turns out, she’s the expert in a lot of areas. Her husband, Greg (Ewan McGregor), is trying to be the kind of husband that he feels is expected. However, somewhere along the line, he seems to have forgotten that he married a very capable woman.

The events happening in this movie will soon remind him, and it’s a realistic take on how people can find each other again. Not saying it’s all rainbows and lollipops, but they suddenly see each other again.

Watching this movie in the theater, I just saw Anne Hathaway portraying Denise as this amazing lioness of a mother. She would protect her family, but also expected them to be smart themselves. Ewan McGregor is good in this movie; Anne Hathaway is the kind of mom we all knew in the 1980s, but rarely saw in a Hollywood movie.

Pay attention to the details…

When I’m watching The End of Oak Street again, and I definitely will, I plan on paying even more attention to the details. I have no doubt I missed something in the beginning of Audrey’s story.

Like when she’s looking at a boy and girl her own age kissing. Is she looking at him or her? Who does she want to be kissing?

Well, for me, the answer became apparent shortly after the big event that leads their entire neighborhood to suddenly be in a tropical climate full of dinosaurs. None of her friends are there, and she is clearly missing someone.

She goes to the family car, parked in the garage. There, she plays the Steve Winwood song “Valerie” on the car stereo cassette player.

Wait, isn’t that an error? Oh yes, it is…

The song “Valerie” was recorded in 1981, but not released as a single until October 1982, and The End of Oak Street takes place in the summer of 1982. The song is from the album “Talking Back to the Night”, which was released on August 2, 1982.

The story plays out in July or June. I forget which, but it’s made very clear in the movie, and it was not August yet.

That means writer-director David Robert Mitchell wanted to include this song for that scene so badly that he ignored this error.

Just sayin’!

Oh yes, my gaydar was going off

Anyway, as Audrey sits in the parked car, gripping the steering wheel and singing along, I turned to my wife in the theater and whispered: “She’s singing about the girl”.

When I tell you that my stomach was suddenly full of butterflies as I felt like I was watching myself at that same age, I am not exaggerating. Okay, I would’ve been her age in the 1990s, not 1982, but I listened to those same 1980s songs.

The lyrics playing were:

“So wild, standing there
With her hands in her hair
I can’t help remember
Just where she touched me
There’s still no face
Here in her place
So cool, she was like
Jazz on a summer’s day
Music, high and sweet
Then she just blew away“

I just kept noticing how clearly she was saying “She” and how there was so much longing there. Again, I recognized this feeling.

Anyway, my wife didn’t quite catch on, but accepted that it was possible. She often tells me: “You think everyone is gay!” to which I reply: “Because the world assumes everyone is straight.” Anyway, in the case of The End of Oak Street, it will become more evident that I was right.

For the record, I am rather often right, because I do have excellent gaydar.

Ahhh, young love… in a world of dinosaurs

The real “proof,” if you will, came when a character we had only seen in passing earlier joins the Platt family. A girl,  Jeanette (Jordan Alexa Davis), who just moved into the neighborhood, is on her own in this new dinosaur-filled world of dread.

The Platt family takes her in, and as Audrey is tending to a cut on Jeanette’s leg, there is that lingering eye contact from both. Then comes that smile of recognizing what kind of look they are both giving to the other.

As an added bonus, the younger brother, Brian (Christian Convery), had seen Jeanette just before the dinosaur-inducing event, and was clearly very interested in her. When he tries to get involved with the conversation between Andrey and Jeanette, there is no reaction from Jeanette, who just keeps looking at and talking to Audrey.

The camera focuses on Brian’s face as he comes to the realization that the audience should also have come to by now; Jeanette is not interested in me, but she clearly is interested in my sister.

YOUNG QUEER LOVE… WITH GHOSTS?

Another huge Hollywood movie teasing an LGBTQ coming-of-age plot was this one >

From this point on, there is virtually not one single scene with both Audrey and Jeanette without showing them holding hands. They are constantly together, worried about each other, and holding on to each other.

This is young love in a world full of confusion from dinosaurs rather than their feelings. In fact, they both know what they’re feeling; the struggle is with the place they’re in, not them.

Bottom line: You should watch The End of Oak Street because it’s an awesome summer blockbuster. However, you should expect your gay little heart to soar a little extra at times thanks to Audrey’s story.

The End of Oak Street is out in U.S. theaters from August 14, 2026.

The L Word Stars Return in New Queer Series About Female Friendship and Fame. Based on the book ‘So Gay For You’ by Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig.

There’s something undeniably electric about watching queer history loop back on itself. This time, with better lighting, sharper humor, and a whole lot more control behind the scenes. And honestly? It’s about time.

A new queer series based on the bestselling memoir So Gay for You is officially in development, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most exciting sapphic TV projects in years. Not just because it’s queer. Not just because it’s funny. But because it dares to center something often sidelined in LGBTQ+ storytelling: female friendship.

And yes, The L Word DNA is impossible to ignore.

From Cult Classic to Cultural Continuum

If you know, you know, but in case you don’t: Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey weren’t just part of The L Word—they were so much of the vibe. Through their characters, Shane McCutcheon and Alice Pieszecki, they helped define a generation of queer storytelling that was messy, magnetic, and deeply human.

Now, they’re stepping back into the spotlight. This time, it’s not to recreate the past, but to reinterpret it.

The upcoming series adaptation of their memoir, So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All, will have Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey both star and executive produce. And yes, it’s as meta as it sounds.

I love it already!

A Comedy About What Happens After the Icon Era

Created by Charlie Covell – the brilliant mind behind The End of the F***ing World and Kaos – the series shifts focus from the high drama of fictional LA lesbians to something arguably more radical: What happens when the cameras stop rolling.

Think post-fame identity crises.

Think navigating queerness outside a scripted universe.

Think long-term friendship that survives fame, fandom, and the weirdness of being forever associated with a cultural phenomenon.

In other words, it’s not trying to be The L Word. It’s asking what the cost to be part of it was.

The Real Love Story? Female Friendship

Let’s be clear: this is not a romance-driven narrative. That’s what makes it feel fresh.

At its core, So Gay for You is about the kind of friendship that becomes infrastructure. The person who knows your origin story, your chaos era, and your soft spots. The kind that queer audiences, especially women, rarely see centered with this level of nuance.

In a media landscape still obsessed with coupling, there’s something quietly revolutionary about saying: This is the relationship that mattered most.

The L Word Effect – Then and Now

It’s impossible to overstate the impact of The L Word: Generation Q and its predecessor, The L Word. For many, it was the first time queer women weren’t just side characters or tragic arcs. They were the main event and the stars of their own stories.

And yet, legacy can be complicated.

This new series seems ready to unpack that complexity: the fandom, the pressure, the expectations, and the strange afterlife of playing iconic queer roles. It’s nostalgia, but with self-awareness. Reverence, but not blind devotion.

A New Chapter for Queer Storytelling

With executive producers like Jessica Rhoades (Black Mirror) and backing from Amazon MGM Studios, the project signals something bigger than just another reboot-adjacent series.

It’s part of a broader shift. One that shows queer creators reclaiming their own narratives, not just in front of the camera, but behind it.

And maybe that’s the real full-circle moment.

Because this time, the story isn’t just about representation.

It’s about authorship.

If you haven’t already read the book So Gay For You, I highly recommend it. It’s also available as an audiobook, read by the authors Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey.

Shudder’s 1000 WOMEN IN HORROR proves how LGBTQ women are shaping horror. We probably always have, but now we’re front and center in the new Shudder Documentary. Whether as actors or creators (both even), we are everywhere. Read why you should watch the new release – as if the title alone wasn’t enough?!

1000 WOMEN IN HORROR is out on Shudder, and you should absolutely check it out. First and foremost, because it pays a long overdue tribute to women. Sure, the Final Girl has always been a key element of slashers, but female writers and directors have also been involved for decades.

And yes, this includes queer women!

Horror has always been a genre for outsiders. For anyone who has ever felt too weird, too loud, too much — or simply not enough — horror understood you long before mainstream culture caught up. So it should come as no surprise that queer women have been at the heart of the genre for well over a century.

What is surprising is how rarely that story gets told. A new Shudder documentary is here to change that.

WANT TO READ A REVIEW OF THE DOCUMENTARY?

Head on over to Heaven of Horror, where I reviewed this already >

1000 Women in Horror, streaming now on Shudder as part of Women’s History Month, is a 96-minute celebration of the women who built, shaped, and continue to revolutionize horror cinema from 1895 to the present day.

Directed by Donna Davies and written by horror historian and film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas — based on her acclaimed 2020 book of the same name — the documentary brings together actors, directors, writers, and producers who have all left an indelible mark on the genre.

Here at Womentainment, we also wanted to highlight that this documentary focuses on all women. This includes queer women, who are woven throughout this story in ways that deserve their own spotlight.

Horror Has Always Been Queer – Whether We Called It That or Not

Long before anyone used the word “queer” in a positive context, horror was doing something quietly radical: centering outsiders, giving power to those society deemed monstrous, and letting the “Other” win.

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas has written that horror at its best gives a voice to those who would otherwise struggle to be heard. Also, how its “Others” include anyone whose identity is defined by negations: Not-white, Not-male, Not-straight.

This is the philosophy baked into the DNA of 1000 Women in Horror – the book as well as this new documentary on Shudder.

While the documentary does not wave a pride flag explicitly, it does something arguably more powerful. This documentary presents a community of women horror creators. Women who have built spaces for themselves precisely because those spaces did not exist.

They wrote what was missing.

Then they directed what no one else would greenlight.

And it was all made possible because they produced films from sheer necessity and desire.

That is, at its core, a profoundly queer impulse.

Why Shudder Keeps Getting It Right for LGBTQ Women in Horror

It is worth noting that 1000 Women in Horror is hardly Shudder’s first foray into this territory. The platform previously released Queer for Fear. This is a docuseries exploring the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the horror and thriller genres, all while tracing queer influence.

From its literary origins with Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde, through to contemporary genre filmmaking. The Queer for Fear series was a landmark, and now 1000 Women in Horror continues the conversation. However, this time, it shifts the lens specifically onto women.

In doing so, Shudder’s 1000 Women in Horror documentary also makes space for the many queer women whose contributions have been overlooked or undervalued.

As a horror critic (over at Heaven of Horror), I found it genuinely moving to watch this documentary. It truly treats the women who make horror with the same reverence usually reserved for the male auteurs who dominate the conversation.

And as someone who covers entertainment for audiences who care about representation, I find something else thrilling as well. The simple fact that so many of the women featured are queer or queer-adjacent. Whether in their storytelling, or simply unapologetically themselves in ways that resonate far beyond genre. Often both!

Womentainment recommendation: Should you watch it? Absolutely!

Despite its title, 1000 Women in Horror is not a niche documentary for hardcore horror fans only. It is a film about creativity, resilience, and the radical act of making art that reflects your own experience.

For LGBTQ women, for women who love women, for anyone who has ever felt like a monster in a world that prefers them invisible; This is your documentary!

Stream it on Shudder now. Then go and watch everything the women in it have ever made. You will not run out of great horror anytime soon.

The new Spanish thriller series That Night (org. title: Esa noche) just dropped on Netflix. While the Arbizu sisters are at the center of the mystery, it’s the woman who married into the family who’s the beating heart of every scene she’s in. Her name is Luisa, and she’s the most lovable LGBTQ character.

That Night is a six-episode Spanish-language limited series that premiered on Netflix on March 13, 2026. It’s based on a book by a UK author, so it’s already generating buzz for its tense, layered thriller plot. When a young single mother gets embroiled in a murder during an island getaway, her sisters rush to help — but only make things worse.

It’s gripping, gritty, and full of moral chaos. However, for LGBTQ viewers, there’s something else entirely worth talking about: Luisa. The lovable wife of one of the Arbizu sisters.

Who Is Luisa in That Night on Netflix?

Luisa is the wife of Paula (played by Elite and Las Pelotaris 1926 alum Claudia Salas), the eldest of the three Arbizu sisters. She’s portrayed by Nüll García, and from the moment she appears on screen, something becomes abundantly clear — Luisa is the emotional backbone of this entire family.

Not just of the couple. Of everyone.

All three sisters — Paula, Cris (Paula Usero), and Elena (Clara Galle) — trust and love Luisa. In a show where loyalties shift, secrets pile up, and no one is entirely innocent, Luisa is the one person everyone seems to genuinely want in their corner.

She’s warm, steady, and perceptive in ways the blood relatives sometimes aren’t with each other.

Also, it’s worth noting that in a series like That Night, where everyone has untreated trauma, Luisa is the only one who has gone to therapy. A past relationship left her broken, so she took action to heal. The Arbizu sisters never did, and so their lives are the direct result of childhood trauma.

Well, that and a father who made sure they were never allowed to heal.

The One Person Who Won’t Accept Her — and Why It Says Everything

There is, of course, one notable exception to understanding Luisa’s universal warmth: the family patriarch. Despite how clearly his daughters love and rely on Luisa, their father never fully recognizes her as part of the family. It’s a painful dynamic that many LGBTQ viewers will recognize immediately.

The partner who is embraced by everyone except the one person whose acceptance feels most loaded.

What makes Luisa’s situation particularly compelling is why the father keeps her at arm’s length. It doesn’t appear to be simple homophobia (though that’s surely part of the architecture), nor is it simply his religion. Luisa simply won’t enable or excuse the patriarch’s trauma-inflicting behavior.

She sees it clearly, she won’t pretend otherwise, and that refusal to comply costs her his approval. In other words, his rejection of Luisa says considerably more about him than it does about her.

Paula, for her part, carries the weight of her father’s patterns in a different way. She has a fierce temper, and it’s not hard to connect that to growing up in this family. Her protectiveness over their relationship, over Luisa, reads as someone who has had to fight for her own love and dignity.

It’s complicated, real, and the show doesn’t flatten it.

The LGBTQ Representation in That Night Avoids Dreaded Trope

Here’s the thing that makes the queer storyline in That Night genuinely worth celebrating: outside of the father’s behavior, the lesbian couple is simply accepted. By the sisters. By the world of the show. Their marriage isn’t treated as a scandal or a secret or a source of external conflict.

It just is.

And — minor spoiler — while That Night is not a feel-good series (no one really ends up in a particularly happy place by the end), this Netflix series does not resort to the tired and harmful “Bury Your Gays” trope. The lesbians survive.

I recognize it’s a low bar. And yet it remains one we must explicitly clear in 2026.

Paula Usero as Cris: A Beloved Face Returns to LGBTQ Audiences

For eagle-eyed queer TV fans, the casting of Paula Usero as the middle sister, Cris, carries an extra layer of meaning. Paula Usero is especially known for her role as Luisita Gómez in Amar es para siempre and its spin-off #Luimelia, where she plays one half of the lesbian romantic lead couple.

That storyline became something of a phenomenon. The couple of Luisita and Amelia spread like wildfire across the world. You saw people falling in love with their storyline from countries in every corner of the globe.

The response was so intense that it led directly to the dedicated spin-off: #Luimelia, which rescues the two iconic characters and transfers them from the late 1970s to the present day. All while being played by the same wonderful actors.

The spin-off even won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series. Don’t miss out on it if you can find it. It has 26 episodes of one of the most beloved lesbian couples in Spanish television history.

Seeing Paula Usero in That Night, despite playing a different character entirely, is a quiet treat for the community that fell in love with her as Luisita. She remains a compelling screen presence, and That Night uses her well.

Why Luisa Matters In That Night on Netflix

In a genre full of crime, cover-ups, and moral compromise, Luisa stands out precisely because she doesn’t compromise. She loves fiercely. And she’s trusted completely by the people who matter. Always refusing to make herself smaller for a man who won’t grant her the basic dignity of recognition.

That’s not just good LGBTQ representation — that’s good character writing, and important messaging to all women.

Nüll García brings a quiet authority to the role that lingers. In a show about how far people will go for family, Luisa quietly demonstrates what it looks like when someone is family — whether the patriarch admits it or not.

That Night (org. title: Esa noche) is streaming on Netflix worldwide now. All six episodes are available.

Womentainment recommendation: Watch That Night on Netflix and check out this spoiler-free review of it >