A Round-Up of LGBTI+ Movies to See in 2017

LGBTI+ characters have always been historically underrepresented in Hollywood. Last year’s Academy Award winning movie, Moonlight, was the first mainstream movie that featured a young character discovering their sexuality — it took Best Picture, which is unprecedented for a movie that focuses on LGBTI+ characters. Moonlight raises the bar — and 2017 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for LGBTI+ representation in mainstream movies. Which movies should be on your To-See list this year?

1. Women Who Kill (Release Date: July 26, 2017)

This movie is almost here and we couldn’t be more excited. Women Who Kill follows two true-crime podcasters who find themselves in the middle of the crimes that they spend their time researching. Main characters Morgan and Jean are a former couple, though they still tend to spend a lot of their time together. They have other relationships that add to the story, but the film tends to center around the two of them.

Women Who Kill is equal parts suspense and LGBTI+ genre film, with both parts meshing together perfectly. This independent film will be hitting theaters the last week of July and we can’t wait.

2. God’s Own Country (Release Date: October 27, 2017)

Brokeback Mountain might have been a great LGBTI+ movie, showcasing the forbidden romance between two men, but it has such a tragic ending. There’s no reason that stories like that can’t have a happy ending like every other RomCom, right?

God’s Own Country, which premiers in October, tells a similar story — romance between two men who work with livestock on a farm in Yorkshire. The movie is filmed in such a way that it almost mimics a documentary, following the romance between these two men as it unfolds on the farm. The biggest difference between this film and Brokeback Mountain is that there is no tragic ending waiting for you, so feel free to immerse yourself in this sweet romance.

3. Call Me by Your Name (Release Date: November 24, 2017)

Movies set in the 80s are almost always full of teenage romance, and this story is no different — but it does have a twist. Call Me By Your Name tells the story of Elio Perlman, a boy who falls in love with his father’s research assistant who has come to stay with them while he studies. His love interest, Oliver, is played by Armie Hammer and the movie follows the fast-paced and passionate romance that develops between them.

The critical review for this movie has, thus far, been glowing and it is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated movies of the year.

4. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Release Date: Fall 2017)

If you’ve let your Netflix subscription lapse, it’s time to start it up again. This documentary follows the life and death of one of the most well-known transgender rights activists of all time — Marsha P. Johnson, the legendary woman who is thought to have thrown the first brick during the Stonewall Riots that started the Pride movement. The movie is filled with film that has never been seen before — footage that was saved from the garbage before it was lost to history.

This one of a kind documentary will hit Netflix sometime this fall and it definitely should not be missed.

5. Princess Cyd (Release Date TBA)

Princess Cyd is still waiting for a release date, but it’s shaping up to be one of the broadest representations of female sexuality in modern media to date. Cyd, the central character, explores relationships with both male and genderqueer partners, while Miranda prefers intellectualism to sexuality.  While these may seem like stereotypical bisexual and asexual characters, the movie doesn’t label any of its characters, making it a perfect example of the enormous gray area that is sexuality.

This is easily one of the most exciting films to hit the genre this year, and we hope it makes it to theaters before the end of 2017.

6. BONUS: Don’t Call Me Son (Release Date: November 2, 2016)

Ok, so this movie wasn’t exactly released in 2017, but its close enough. And if you haven’t seen it yet, this is the year to check it out. Don’t Call Me Son is a Brazilian film that challenges the idea of the gender binary — Pierre is a boy by birth, but has an androgynous appearance, dresses in both masculine and feminine clothes during the film, and sleeps with both men and women.

All is right with the world until his mother is arrested — apparently for stealing him and his sister at birth.  When he’s returned to his birth family, they’re expecting their missing son and brother — a mold that he just can’t fit into.

This movie didn’t get a wide release but if you get a chance to watch it, it’s well worth the time.

Any way you look at it, 2017 is shaping up to be an intriguing year for LGBTI+ movies. Moonlight certainly sets the bar high, and hopefully Hollywood will continue to create even more of these amazing genre films.

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