Queer women on screen have often been depicted poorly, but in the last decade, there has been a huge influx of positive sapphic representation in movies. For many years, queer cinema mainly consisted of white, gay men. Now, queer women are finally being brought into the spotlight. In the last few years, there are tons of movies released that have become favorites of the queer community. As a cinephile myself, here’s a list of sapphic movies I’ve enjoyed that cover many different genres and I always recommend to people.
“But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999)Â
“But I’m a Cheerleader” is probably the earliest positive sapphic film I’ve seen. It came out nearly 25 years ago, and has become a cult classic. The movie stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan, a high school cheerleader who is sent to a conversion therapy camp by her parents to cure her “lesbianism.” Megan eventually comes to terms with her sexuality and embraces her true self. She starts a romance with another lesbian at the camp and rebels against conversion therapy teachings by sneaking off to a local gay bar with the other campers. At the time, this movie was extremely popular within the queer community and is considered to have redefined the sapphic film genre.Â
“D.E.B.S” (2004)Â
“D.E.B.S” is an action-comedy movie about a group of paramilitary spies in a “Charlie’s Angels”-like society. The main character, Amy, is chasing supervillain Lucy Diamond, who is actually just a neurotic and awkward lesbian whose reputation makes her seem way more evil than she actually is. Lucy and Amy fall in love in this sapphic enemies-to-lovers action comedy that has become a cult classic within the queer community. Starring Sara Foster and Jordana Brewster, “D.E.B.S” is a movie I thoroughly enjoyed as it is way ahead of its time and celebrates queer love in a way that was almost unheard of 20 years ago
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019)Â
This French period drama stars Noemie Merlant as a painter named Marianne. Marianne has been commissioned to paint a portrait of a young woman named Heloise who is to be married off soon. Marianne and Heloise fall in love, but are forced apart by their circumstances. This movie is thought-provoking and emotional, and its use of music throughout keeps you at the edge of your seat for its entire 2 hour runtime.
“The Half of It” (2020)Â
This coming-of-age dramedy stars Leah Lewis as Ellie, a young, Chinese-American high school student who is a social outcast in her small town. She helps a jock named Paul win the heart of a popular girl, Aster, who she secretly has feelings for as well. Through her friendships with Paul and Aster, Ellie slowly comes out of her shell and embraces her sexuality. This movie is a Netflix original, and an emotional and heartwarming story that every young queer person should watch.
“Happiest Season” (2020)Â
This holiday romantic comedy has an ensemble cast of icons and is the first lesbian Christmas movie to be produced by a major Hollywood studio. It stars Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as a lesbian couple. Stewart’s character, Abby, intends to propose to her girlfriend on Christmas day after winning over her family and getting the blessing of her father. However, she discovers that her girlfriend has actually not come out to her conservative family and Abby must pretend to be her girlfriend’s roommate during their trip. “Happiest Season” is a Hulu original and a perfect addition to your holiday movie lineup this winter.
“Crush” (2022)Â
“Crush” is the ultimate sapphic high school romantic comedy. Starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho, Crush is the story of a young teenager who joins her high school’s track team to impress her longtime crush Gabriella. After joining the team, she ends up falling for Gabriella’s twin sister AJ instead. This movie is cheesy and predictable, but it’s wholesome and the kind of love story I wish I had when I was in high school. It’s a Hulu original movie with a really funny cast and a feel-good vibe that makes it a perfect night-in movie.
“Badhaai Do” (2022)Â
This Bollywood movie stars Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar as a gay cop and lesbian gym teacher who enter into a lavender marriage to appease their conservative Indian families. They must keep their cover within their community while also developing their respective queer relationships with their partners. It’s an award-winning movie that has a bit of everything: comedy, romance, music, drama, and super emotional moments that highlight the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community in India. It’s available to watch on Netflix and is so far one of my favorite Bollywood movies of this decade.
“Bottoms” (2023)Â
This dark, satirical comedy gives the queer community everything we’ve ever wanted: lesbians being chaotic. The movie stars Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott as two high school lesbians who start a fight club as a way to impress their respective cheerleader crushes. Things get messy when the girls’ true intentions are exposed and they must rally to save their high school football team from rivals who intend to carry out a rather dark tradition at this year’s game.Â
“Drive-Away Dolls” (2024)Â
“Drive-Away Dolls” is a raunchy comedy that follows two lesbians in the 90s, played by Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Vishwanathan. The two go to a drive-away service and embark on a cross-country road trip, hitting all the lesbian bars they can on the way to Tallahassee. Things go south when they discover that their drive-away car has a briefcase containing some… interesting items inside that have landed them in the middle of a criminal operation. “Drive-Away Dolls” is the first installment in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s “lesbian B-movie trilogy” that will be followed by the upcoming film “Honey Don’t!” which will also star Qualley. This movie is idiotic and satirical, but a great option if you want to sit back and take a sip of wine every time something on-screen makes you cringe.
There are many more queer films not mentioned in this list, either because there are too many to list or I haven’t gotten the chance to watch them for myself yet. If you’re new to queer cinema, I highly recommend starting with this list as you will get all the essentials of sapphic love from a variety of genres.