Gay & Lesbian
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Gender Rebel
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Gender Rebel

2006
Director Elaine Epstein's captivating documentary explores the lives of three biological females who reject the conventional concepts of gender and see themselves not as female or male, but something in between. The camera follows these individuals as they encounter challenges at every turn -- from the strain on their relationships to confrontations from communities intolerant of their way of life -- and find a way to cope with social alienation.

Directed by:

  • Elaine Epstein
    • rating:3.2.png 3.2 Average Rating


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    I Can't Marry You
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    I Can't Marry You

    2004
    Helmed by Catherine Gray and narrated by Betty DeGeneres -- mother of lesbian celebrity Ellen DeGeneres -- this hourlong documentary tackles the controversial topic of gay marriage in the United States. Via interviews with civil-rights attorney Evan Wolfson and 20 same-sex couples, the film chronicles their struggles against religious opposition and homophobia -- issues not faced by their heterosexual counterparts.

    Directed by:

  • Catherine Gray
    • rating:3.2.png 3.2 Average Rating


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    High Art
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    High Art

    1998
    Magazine editor Syd (Radha Mitchell) is stuck in a dreary relationship with her boyfriend (Gabriel Mann) when she befriends her upstairs neighbor Lucy (Ally Sheedy), a well-known photographer whose live-in actress girlfriend (Patricia Clarkson) is struggling with a drug addiction. Lucy fascinates Syd, and the pair hit it off. But when Syd calls on Lucy to do an assignment for the magazine, their friendship soon grows into something much more.

    Directed by:

  • Lisa Cholodenko
    • rating:3.2.png 3.2 Average Rating


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    Andre's Mother
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    Andre's Mother

    1990
    Terrence McNally's play (presented here as part of the "American Playhouse" series) centers on the AIDS-related death of a young man named Andre. In just over an hour's time, we see how Andre's mother (Sada Thompson) and his lover, Cal (Richard Thomas), come to terms with their grief both separately and together, and how they take the first difficult steps to move forward with their lives in the wake of the tragedy. Deborah Reinisch directs.

    Directed by:

  • Deborah Reinisch
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Sister My Sister
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    Sister My Sister

    1994
    This darkly engaging film dramatizes real-life events that scandalized French society in the 1930s, when Christine (Joely Richardson) and Lea Papin (Jodhi May), sisters who worked as maids, murdered their overbearing bourgeois mistress and her daughter. Their lives stifled by their employer, the sisters also formed an incestuous sexual relationship. Nancy Meckler directs this tale of rage and twisted love that also features Julie Walters.

    Directed by:

  • Nancy Meckler
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Chutney Popcorn
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    Chutney Popcorn

    2000
    When Reena (Nisha Ganatra, in her feature film debut) learns that married sister Sarita (Sakina Jaffrey) can't have a baby, she decides to play surrogate mother, but Reena's girlfriend (Jill Hennessy) worries that three might be a crowd. Themes of love, family obligations and fertility swirl through the story as Sarita grapples with her failure to conceive, and Reena's mother remains in the dark about her daughter's same-sex relationship.

    Directed by:

  • Nisha Ganatra
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Alive and Kicking
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    Alive and Kicking

    1996
    Nancy Meckler's poignant drama centers on the unconventional romance between two polar opposites: egotistical HIV-positive ballet dancer Tonio (Jason Flemyng) and his portly, alcoholic therapist, Jack (Antony Sher). After losing his lover to a long-fought battle with AIDS and discovering that he, too, is infected with the deadly disease, Tonio turns to a troubled shrink, and soon, the pair embarks on a surprisingly tender and rewarding affair.

    Directed by:

  • Nancy Meckler
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    The Two Cubas
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    The Two Cubas

    2005
    Living within the confines of Fidel Castro's intolerant regime, Jose Rodriguez and Jose Luis open up to the creators of this Logo network documentary series and share their experiences on what it's like to be a gay man in Cuba. While Rodriguez never sees himself living any other place than Cuba, it's always been Luis's dream to travel to Germany, and it's the circumstances surrounding this desire that occupies much of this unique series.

    Directed by:

  • Carolina Valencia
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Bedrooms and Hallways
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    Bedrooms and Hallways

    1998
    At the suggestion of a friend, gay Leo (Kevin McKidd) enters therapy after many failed relationships make him fear for his social life. In a group session (led by Simon Callow), Leo comes clean about his feelings for a straight member of the group (James Purefoy), which leads to an affair between the two. The situation becomes further complicated by the appearance of Leo's high school sweetheart (Jennifer Ehle), who still has feelings for him.

    Directed by:

  • Rose Troche
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family
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    Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family

    2005
    Shot over an eight-year span, filmmaker Susan Kaplan's absorbing documentary follows the domestic struggles of three consenting adults: bisexuals Sam Cagnina and Steven Margolin and their live-in straight partner, Samantha Singh. After building an unconventional life together, the threesome decides to conceive a child, which changes the emotional dynamics and sets the stage for -- ironically -- degeneration into traditional family dysfunction.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Kaplan
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Itty Bitty Titty Committee
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    Itty Bitty Titty Committee

    2007
    Set in Los Angeles, this sardonic indie comedy helmed by Jamie Babbit follows the exploits of Anna (Melonie Diaz), a lesbian and plastic surgeon's receptionist who embarks on a wild ride when she joins a cadre of ultraradical feminists. But things get complicated when she falls in love with the group's leader (Nicole Vicius), who's already involved with someone (Melanie Mayron). Carly Pope and Lauren Mollica also star.

    Directed by:

  • Jamie Babbit
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Making Grace
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    Making Grace

    2005
    In this intimate documentary, filmmaker Catherine Gund examines lesbian motherhood through the eyes of longtime partners Ann Krsul and Leslie Sullivan, who desperately want to have a child. Charting their unconventional path toward parenthood, from the first tough decisions -- such as choosing a sperm donor and deciding who will carry the child -- to their joy at the birth of baby Grace, this moving film reveals a uniquely emotional journey.

    Directed by:

  • Catherine Gund
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Total Eclipse
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    Total Eclipse

    1995
    Leonardo DiCaprio plays the prodigious 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud in this captivating historical drama. Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis), an older and more traditional writer, finds himself infatuated with the young Rimbaud. That make him unable to keep the peace with his wife (Romane Bohringer). A love/hate relationship develops between the two men as they forge the rough waters of creative expression.

    Directed by:

  • Agnieszka Holland
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Left Lane: On the Road with Folk Poet Alix Olson
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    Left Lane: On the Road with Folk Poet Alix Olson

    2005
    In this intimate documentary, you'll tag along with fiery folk poet and progressive lesbian activist Alix Olsen as she and filmmaker Samantha Farinella -- who's also Alix's tour manager -- hit the road. Stopping in such places as Lincoln, Neb., and Charlotte, N.C., Alix delivers dynamic performances and champions the fight for independent thinking and tolerance. Also included are insightful interviews with her feisty grandmother and mom.

    Directed by:

  • Samantha Farinella
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


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    Daphne
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    Daphne

    2007
    Geraldine Somerville stars in this BBC biopic as acclaimed novelist Daphne du Maurier, whose secret infatuations and affairs with the likes of heiress Ellen Doubleday (Elizabeth McGovern) and actress Gertrude Lawrence (Janet McTeer) are said to have informed much of her writing. Based largely on Margaret Forster's biography, Clare Beavan's film paints a stirring portrait of an artist's struggle for self-acceptance.

    Directed by:

  • Clare Beavan
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


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    I Am My Own Woman
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    I Am My Own Woman

    1992
    This docudrama tells the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdor -- born Lothar Berflede -- who, defining herself as a woman trapped in a man's body, survived World War II and the East German Stasis to become a founder of the German gay liberation movement. Melding documentary footage and interviews with dramatic reenactments, filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim paints a vivid portrait of a woman who defied convention to live according to her own rules.

    Directed by:

  • Rosa von Praunheim
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


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    Now and Then
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    Now and Then

    1995
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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