Cruel & Unusual

2006

Five transgender women share their experiences behind bars in this shocking documentary. Though they consider themselves women, their male genitalia forces them into men's prisons, where they face unspeakable abuse from both inmates and officials. Easy targets on the inside and frequently denied the medical care and hormone treatments they require, these inmates spend years caught between worlds, making their sentences even harder to bear.

3.0 Average Rating

Head On

1999

This edgy indie drama follows 19-year-old Ari (Alex Dimitriades), a gay Greek-Australian whose roiling ethnic- and sexual-identity struggles lead to a wild, 24-hour odyssey. When he's not dealing drugs or bedding nameless partners, Ari joins his younger sister (Andrea Mandalis) in a battle of wills against their reactionary parents. Though he ultimately runs afoul of the law, Ari remains impenitent about his self-destructive hedonism.

3.0 Average Rating

The Einstein of Sex

2000

Long before the Stonewall Riots, Masters and Johnson or even the Kinsey Report, there was Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a gay German Jew living in 19th century Berlin. Now, Rosa von Praunheim, the firebrand of German cinema, presents a compelling account of the doctor who founded the first gay political group in 1897 and established the first medical practice for gays, the renowned Institute on Sexual Science, which thrived until Nazi oppression.

2.9 Average Rating

All About Love

2010

After more than a decade apart, ex-lovers Anita (Vivian Chow) and Macy (Sandra Ng) reunite unexpectedly, and learn they still share a mutual passion. But there's one -- or rather, two -- big hurdles: the babies they're carrying in their pregnant bellies. William Chan and Eddie Cheung co-star as the fathers-to-be in this Hong Kong romance about uncommon complications and commitment from director Ann Hui.

2.9 Average Rating

Everything Relative

1996

Reunited for a special occasion, a group of women friends -- both gay and straight -- relive their memories of their college days during the 1970s, rekindle faded friendships and ignite new romances. During their weekend in the country the friends trace the changes they've undergone in the last 20 years -- a journey that's bound to open old wounds and perhaps heal them. Monica Bell stars.

2.9 Average Rating

Zus & Zo

2002

This lively comedy from the Netherlands (nominated for an Oscar in 2003) tells the story of three sisters whose gay brother, Nino, decides to marry a woman so he can inherit the family's beloved summer retreat, Paraiso, on the Portuguese coast. Determined to save the hotel for themselves, the sisters will stop at nothing to sabotage the engagement and keep their would-be sister-in-law from coming into possession of the home.

2.9 Average Rating

F**king Different São Paulo

2009

Eleven filmmakers from São Paulo, Brazil, unleash a vibrant mix of voices in the fourth installment of producer Kristian Petersen's conceptual short-film series, which gives gay and lesbian filmmakers free reign to tell untold stories. Selections include Gustavo Vinagre's "Dykeland," about an all-girl rock band; Ricky Mastro's "Felizes Para Sempre," about a surprisingly happy marriage; and Joana Galvão's animated "Um Olhar."

2.9 Average Rating

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing

1987

Loony but lovable klutz Polly (Sheila McCarthy) lands a job in an upscale art gallery. In a major gaffe, she hangs a piece of art she mistakenly credits to her boss, Gabrielle (Paule Baillargeon), but which really was created by Gabrielle's lover, Mary (Ann-Marie MacDonald). And when she develops an inconvenient crush on Gabrielle, Polly's troubles begin to multiple faster than dabs of paint on a Jackson Pollock canvas.

2.9 Average Rating

Waiting for the Moon

1987

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this erudite biopic provides a fictionalized portrait of one of history's great literary couples: Gertrude Stein (Linda Bassett) and Alice B. Toklas (Linda Hunt). During the summer in which the film takes place, Alice attends to an ailing Gertrude; they visit Fernande Olivier (Bernadette Lafont), Guillaume Apollinaire (Jacque Boudet) and others; and Hemingway (Bruce McGill) pays a call.

2.9 Average Rating

Shake It All About

2001

Jacob and Jorgen are a longstanding gay couple. After Jacob finally proposes to an overjoyed Jorgen, something entirely unexpected happens in this offbeat comedy: At a party, Jorgen kisses a woman ... and that woman is Jacob's sister-in-law.

2.9 Average Rating

November Moon

1984

To escape the escalating Nazi threat in her native Germany, young Jew November Messing (Gabriele Osburg) finds sanctuary and love with a daring mademoiselle. November is taken in by a Parisian family. The brother and sister of the household develop amorous feelings for November -- who falls for the mademoiselle, Férial (Christiane Millet). When the Germans occupy the city, Férial takes enormous personal risks to shield her lover from the Nazis.

2.8 Average Rating

On the Downlow

2007

In this fascinating 2007 documentary, experimental filmmaker Abigail Child and cinematographer Arthur Jafa shadow four African-American males who are living dichotomous sexual lifestyles in Cleveland. Tending to their sexual needs "on the downlow" while maintaining a veneer of being straight, these conflicted men are ultimately forced to confront the realities of their sexual choices and the subsequent effects on their lives.

2.8 Average Rating

Gaudi Afternoon

2001

Barcelona hasn't turned out to be the romantic dreamland fledgling translator Cassandra (Judy Davis) thought it would be. She's about to return to America when the mysterious Frankie (Marcia Gay Harden) offers her a large sum of money to track down Frankie's missing lover. Soon, Cassandra's embroiled in a kidnapping case full of double crosses and lesbian femmes fatales! Juliette Lewis and Lili Taylor co-star.

2.8 Average Rating

Watching You

2003

Catch some of the best lesbian-themed short films from around the world in this fascinating collection. The selections include "4PM," a British movie in which a one-night stand brings comic relief; the Israeli feature "Watching You," in which the green-eyed monster -- jealousy -- rears its hideous head; "Dear Emily," an American short in which an older woman reminisces over her first crush, and more.

2.8 Average Rating

He Likes Guys

2008

This anthology of gay men's shorts offers an eclectic mix of comic, dramatic and erotic films, including "Laundromat," in which two young men at a relationship crossroads come face-to-face with the joys and challenges of long-term commitment. Other titles in this provocative collection include "Silver Road," "Steam," "Traces," "Babysitting Andy," "Waiting for Yvette," "Seeing You in Circles" and "Just."

2.8 Average Rating

Late Bloomers

1997

At a suburban Texas high school, Dinah (Connie Nelson), a geometry teacher and basketball coach, and Carly (Dee Hennigan), a principal's assistant and wife of an algebra teacher, lip lock during basketball practice and soon find themselves in the midst of a passionate affair. But when word gets out, the ensuing scandal rocks the foundations of their pious community.

2.8 Average Rating