The Fifty Greatest Gay Movies!

16. Mysterious Skin (2004)

Gregg Araki split gay filmgoers with earlier experimental movies like The Living End (1992) and The Doom Generation (1995). But virtually everyone agreed that his 2004 film Mysterious Skin, based on the novel by Scott Heim, was something special. After decades of books and movies chronicling the travails of sexual abuse, the topic had almost become a cliché. Mysterious Skin proved that, in talented hands, there’s always more to say about any rich topic.

The film is explicit and sometimes difficult to watch, but it is never exploitative. The unsettling imagery comes fast and furious, building to a shocking, yet oddly cathartic ending. Many of us knew Joseph Gordon-Levitt only from Third Rock From the Sun, but his breakout performance in this movie was widely applauded — kudos that the actor richly deserved. And let’s face it: actors who convincingly play child molesters almost never get praised, since unlike many villains, their characters are so difficult to “like” on any level. But Bill Sage’s performance as the creepy yet charismatic coach was utterly convincing and absolutely fearless.

17. Sommersturm (Summer Storm) (2004)

Young love is confusing, tempestuous, and unpredictable — just like, well, a summer storm. In this 2004 German coming-of-age film, teenage rowers from all over the country gather for a regatta at a quiet country lake. But the last minute addition of an all-gay crew, the Queerstrokes, forces closeted Tobi to finally come to terms with his feelings for his best friend and teammate Achim, who is in his own complicated relationship with his girlfriend Sandra. Summer Storm brims with youthful energy and passion and features terrific, naturalistic performances by all the young leads. Better still, it helped reclaim the genre of the sports film for us gay folks.

18. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

This isn’t a movie — it’s a rite of passage! Decades before Hollywood deigned to present even the most tepid, sanitized versions of homosexuality, somehow this deliriously subversive — and wantonly, openly gay — shock-fest found its way into theaters. And it’s stayed in those theaters; it’s currently the longest running theatrical release in film history, still playing in theaters (usually at midnight shows) more than thirty years after its original 1975 release.

How to explain the lasting appeal of this oh-so-weird film that was named the most groundbreaking gay film of all time? Well, Tim Curry’s stunning, jaw-droppingly audacious performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the self-proclaimed “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania," doesn’t hurt. But this gender-bending wonder has moved beyond being a mere “movie” and into the realm of “phenomenon.” Naturally, a remake is reportedly in the works starring Marilyn Manson, but what are the odds lightning will strike the same place twice? In the meantime, don your fishnets, memorize those lines so you can talk back to the screen, and let’s…do…the…time-warp…again!

19. The Birdcage (1996)

Some gay filmgoers found the over-the-top characterizations in 1996’s The Birdcage, an Americanized, Mike Nichols-directed version of the French farce La Cage aux Folles, to flirt dangerously close to offensiveness. And it is hard to imagine a more stereotypical portrayal of a gay man than Nathan Lane’s Albert. Or is the film somehow sending up and/or reclaiming those stereotypes?

No matter your take, the film clearly celebrates differences and ultimately finds the heart in its characters — all while viciously mocking moralistic right-wing Republicans. It’s also hard to overstate the impact of a beloved comedian like Robin Williams, then at the very height of his popularity, taking on the role of a gay man openly in love with another man.

20. Sordid Lives (2000)

In this popular cult movie, all the characters are either in prison or mental institutions — or they should be! Sordid Lives presents a cast of colorful Southerners, based, in part, on creator Del Shore’s own childhood. Gay viewers know camp when they see it, and it doesn’t hurt that this 2000 movie has a cast to die for, including Olivia Newton-John, Beau Bridges, Bonnie Bedelia, Leslie Jordan, and Delta Burke. The movie even inspired a new “prequel” TV series, now playing on Logo (which owns AfterElton.com).