Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This vertical drama apparently blew up when it first came out, probably because it’s so easy to binge on a phone. The story follows Lucas and Prince Nicholas as they go from being school rivals to friends and eventually into a much messier, secret romance. It’s your classic setup where they have to balance their feelings with the pressures of school and massive cultural gaps, all while trying to make sure nobody finds out what’s actually going on between them. The plot is about as straightforward as it gets. Prince Nicholas starts college, but he’s on a tight deadline because he’s supposed to be crowned king in just a few months. His mom, the Queen, has already decided he needs to marry Alex, who is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Lucas, another student, is immediately annoyed by all the royal fanfare, and once he hears about the plan for Nicholas to marry his best friend Alex, he decides to interfere. They start off hating each other, but scene by scene, they start catching fee...

This film is a fictionalized take on the biographical drama of Miguel de Cervantes and his five-year nightmare as a prisoner in Algiers. While it’s rooted in his actual imprisonment from 1575 to 1580, the movie isn't a dry history lesson; instead, it takes big creative swings to imagine how the legendary author found his creative spark while trying to survive. Although you wouldn't necessarily label it a "queer film" first and foremost, it features a major gay romantic subplot that’s a really nuanced, intense "enemies-to-lovers" story involving the Bey of Algiers. It has all the bells and whistles of a historical epic, from the massive production scale to the stunning period costumes. The story kicks off during an era of religious crusades and slave trading, where we meet a young Miguel Cervantes. He’s just survived a massive injury that’s left his left arm basically useless, only to be captured by Moorish raiders. He’s thrown into prison alongside other nob...

This show brings together two people who couldn't be more different—a doctor who works in critical care and relies entirely on science, and a guy named In who reads tarot cards and occasionally catches glimpses of the future. It’s a really cool concept for a series, but unfortunately, the show ends up being mostly filler across its ten episodes, which run about 45 to 50 minutes each. I’m starting to notice a frustrating trend where these shows have a solid hook for the beginning and a clear finish, but everything in the middle just feels like fluff used to pad the runtime. Even with cute lead actors, the story just couldn't do enough to keep me truly interested. In is a college graduate who lost his parents in an accident when he was a kid and possesses a supernatural gift for visions. When he sees a premonition that his best friend’s brother, a doctor named Thap, is going to be murdered, he steps in to try and stop it. After several close calls where someone clearly tries to t...

I’ve always been a sucker for movies about dancing and queer themes, so I was really hyped to check this one out. It’s the kind of film that moves past the usual dialogue and lets the story unfold right there on the dance floor, using movement to talk about things like rivalry, desire, and feeling exposed. The cinematography is super glitzy, and the dance numbers are just perfectly put together, thanks to the amazing lead actors—one of whom you might recognize from the  Cherry Magic series. That said, while the visuals are great, I felt like the movie hit a bit of a snag during the big emotional climax where it didn't quite sell the depth of the guys' passion as much as I wanted. The two main characters are total opposites: Suzuki Shinya is a Latin dance champ who is all about instinct and fire, while Sugiki Shinya is a ballroom pro who lives for discipline and absolute control. Sugiki has a partner named Fusako, and while they’ve crushed it in competitions across Japan and eve...

Back in 2013, a surprise federal court ruling actually legalized gay marriage in Utah, which was wild at the time. This documentary dives into how an activist named Mark Lawrence and a lawyer named Peggy Tomsic managed to pull off the impossible and overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage. It’s a really intense look at the clash between LGBTQ+ advocates and the massive influence of the Mormon Church. You get a raw, behind-the-scenes view of the legal drama and the personal toll it took on everyone involved. For most people who don't live in Utah, the state is basically just synonymous with being Mormon, and they probably have no clue about this specific legal fight.  Church and State  does a great job of explaining the vibe there so outsiders can understand why this win was such a shock. It shows how deeply the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is woven into everything, including how the government runs. The most interesting part of the doc is how it comp...

Here’s another one of those vertical BL shows where you can basically check off every single cliché on your list as you go. Surprisingly, it’s not as over-the-top as some of the others, and the story is actually pretty straightforward—well, as straightforward as these things ever get, anyway. The plot kicks off with Avery getting married to a bride who happens to be incredibly tall. It’s hilariously obvious to us that the "bride" is actually a man, but for some reason, Avery and every other person in the show are totally oblivious. The marriage is just a contract set up by their parents to keep the family wealth safe. On their wedding night, they agree not to get physical and just keep up appearances for the public, which they do for a while. Things get messy when a random CEO starts hitting on the "wife," which makes Avery super jealous. After one drunken night, they finally sleep together, and the truth comes out the next morning: the bride is actually a guy named...

I remember being so annoyed at how abruptly the first season ended, so I was actually glad to see they made a sequel. But honestly? They could have just tacked on two more episodes to the original and called it a day. Dragging this out into a second season felt totally unnecessary, and the excuses they use to keep the plot moving are so weak they barely make sense in the modern world. Just like before, this season is eight episodes long, with each one only lasting about eight to ten minutes. If you remember, the last season wrapped up with Jeong U and Han being a happy couple right until Han’s ex showed up out of nowhere. The ex wanted a second chance despite their messy past, but Han shut him down fast. The ex didn't take it well, though, and warned him there’d be trouble. He even called Jeong U to talk trash about Han, but Jeong U stayed loyal, and the two planned a getaway trip to escape the drama. But on the day of the trip, Jeong U never showed up. Han was devastated when his ...

I honestly had no clue what to expect going into this one, but I think being in the right headspace made all the difference. The movie is a super slow, almost meditative story about a brief but incredibly intense relationship between two guys in the early 1900s. It’s a really solid story, but man, it moves at a snail's pace. Still, it dazzles you with how beautiful it looks and some truly striking acting. It’s basically a love letter to the music of that era, but even more so, it’s about a love that just wasn't meant to be. Plus, with Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor as the leads, you already know the acting is going to be top-tier. The story follows Lionel Worthing (played by Paul Mescal), who’s had a deep, almost magical connection with music since he was a kid—he can feel it and see it in a way most people can't. This talent gets him off his family's farm in Kentucky and into the Boston Conservatory in 1917. That’s where he meets David White (Josh O’Connor), a fello...

This Thai BL tries something a bit different by mixing a gaming theme with a typical workplace romance. You definitely shouldn't overthink the logic of the plot, because the way they go about developing this romance simulation game doesn't actually make any sense, but the chemistry between the leads is definitely there. I was really into the first few episodes, but it eventually turned into a standard story filled with way too much filler just to stretch it out to 12 episodes. And let me tell you, these episodes are long—almost an hour each, and sometimes even more. The show follows two love stories, the main one and a side romance between their friends. Hill is a young guy who is totally addicted to a romance sim game on his phone and is obsessed with the main female character, Yuka. This AI-generated girl helped him get through some really tough times and provided the emotional intimacy he needed, so he’s thrilled when he lands a job at the company that created her. However, ...

I was really surprised by this one because even though there are a million movies about the 1947 India-Pakistan partition, this one feels totally different. Instead of just focusing on the usual stuff like the riots and the violence, it zooms in on a much more personal story about two families thrown together by fate. The director actually tackles the parts of partition people don't talk about as much, specifically what the women went through and, believe it or not, a gay and bisexual relationship. It shows how all that psychological damage from back then is still messed up today, and I’m honestly shocked an indie Hindi film had the guts to portray a queer bond like this. The story follows a woman named Lajma in present-day Pakistan who decides to head back to India to visit her old family home where her aunt and uncle lived. Being there brings back a massive flood of memories, so most of the movie is told through flashbacks. We see her uncle escaping to Delhi during the partition,...

This is such a cute and endearing little series that’s basically designed to put a smile on your face. It’s definitely not trying to reinvent the wheel, but it does a nice job of showing how a bit of competition can finally make you realize that the person you want has been standing right in front of you the whole time. The plot is pretty straightforward: you’ve got this adorable young guy who suddenly finds himself with three different suitors and has to figure out which one—if any—is the right match. It runs for eight episodes at about 24 minutes each; honestly, it probably could’ve been even shorter, but it’s still a breezy watch. The story follows young Yoo Doha, who is feeling pretty down after getting fired from his job. To his surprise, his former team leader reaches out because he wants to stay in his life. But as we find out right away in the first episode, the old boss isn't the only one after him; there’s also a bold and charming barista who owns a local cafe, plus Doha...

I remember really liking the sassiness of the first season, so I was actually pretty excited to dive into season two. But honestly, I’ve gotta say this latest round was a bit of a letdown compared to the original. The jokes just didn't land for me, the humor felt like it was trying too hard, and the whole thing just felt a little off. There are seven episodes in total, starting with a special that aired a few months ago for Pride. In that one, Cam and his drag family try to do a story hour, but the crowd isn't exactly feeling the vibe. To catch you up: Cam and Greg are this solid couple who previously tried a poly thing with a younger guy named Princeton, which totally crashed and burned. They’ve got lesbian neighbors, and one of them is tight with Princeton. Even though the poly thing failed, the couple is still determined to have threesomes, so each episode follows their search for a third. In one bit, Cam brings home a guy from the gym who looks exactly like Greg—they though...

This one turned out to be a really funny and sweet coming-of-age movie about a teenage boy who is absolutely obsessed with playwriting and the dream of living in New York. While he’s trying to finish his latest masterpiece, he ends up falling hard for a local handyman and has to figure out what those feelings actually mean. I honestly didn't have high expectations going in, but I ended up being pretty impressed. It’s a simple story, but it does a great job of showing that subtle moment where a kid starts to realize his sexuality at such a young age without making it feel forced. The story follows 14-year-old Griffin, who is the ultimate theater kid—he’s got all the drama and the ego to match. Every summer, he writes a play and puts it on in his parents' basement with his friends. His new project,  Regrets of Autumn , is a heavy drama about a messy marriage involving cheating and alcoholism, which kind of mirrors the fact that his own parents' marriage is falling apart. His ...

This vertical drama is definitely one of the more straightforward ones I've seen lately. It keeps the focus pretty tight on the romance and how these two guys slowly fall for each other, without getting too bogged down in extra nonsense. The leads are honestly super hot—very much that "twink" aesthetic—and while the story doesn't exactly break new ground, it’s a lot less cringey than usual. Like most of these micro-shows, it’s probably going to slip my mind in a week, but at least I wasn't rolling my eyes every five seconds while watching it. The plot is about as simple as it gets. Alex is running for college president, and his main rival is Xavier, a handsome guy from a struggling background. During a big debate, they accidentally trip and end up kissing, which immediately sends the campus rumor mill into overdrive. Alex’s campaign manager decides to lean into the chaos and suggests they start fake dating to boost his popularity. Alex managed to talk Xavier into ...

This movie is such a sharp look at the way we mess with other people’s heads and even our own. It really digs into how unreliable and messy our memories get as we grow up, showing how we can basically rewrite our own history and lie to ourselves without even knowing it. While it misses the mark a few times in how it’s put together, the whole idea is super gripping, and there are some genuinely tragic moments that really stick with you. It’s not strictly a "gay movie" in the usual sense—the main guy is bisexual and has a boyfriend in the present day—but the plot is about so much more than just sexuality. By following four rich kids in Venezuela, it explores things like class tension, masculinity, and how fragile our past really is. The story jumps back and forth constantly between the past and the present. We meet Alain, a young guy who’s pretty troubled and seems totally bored with life. His boyfriend, Salvador, is a journalist, and their conversations end up triggering all t...