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Most
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Top
Lesbian Film Reviews
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Below
is a list of some of the best films which deal with
lesbianism. Most have been compiled by Raymond Murray,
author of Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of
Gay and Lesbian Film and Video. Mr. Murray is also
the founder and president of TLA Video, a wonderful
company which features “hip, foreign, alternative
movies;” among these are hundreds of movies
featuring gay women and men. TLA has six stores
and a huge Website where you can buy these great
movies without the hassle of ordering from a local,
sometimes homophobic, video store (see the index
for more info). Thanks to Mr. Murray for giving
me permission to use his great reviews. If you want
more information on the films, or to purchase them,
click on the link below the reviews.
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Aimee
& Jaguar (1999, 126 min, Germany)
Director: Max Farberbock Studio: Zeitgeist
Starring: Maria Schrader, Juliane Kohler, Johana
Wokalek, Heike Makatsch
“Aimee & Jaguar” is a rare film. It
leaves the audience weeping about the dire consequences
an intense love has wrought, but exhilarated over
the existence of such love. Aimee tells the true
story of Lilly (Kohler) and Felice (Schrader), lovers
in WWII Germany. Lilly is married to a Nazi officer
away at the front and has many affairs while her
husband is gone. Felice is the leading light of
her circle of lesbians, in love with Ilse (Wokalek),
but smitten with Lilly. Felice knows that the relationship
is impossible, but she doesn't care. She's headstrong
and she's met her soul mate. Felice is not only
a lesbian, but Jewish as well . . . prime target
for the Nazis to ship off to the camps. The story
is told through flashbacks when Lilly is an old
woman being brought to a retirement home where she
happens to meet another of their circle from the
war.
More
info on Aimee
& Jaguar
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Aimee
& Jaguar
Sad story, but very important to watch. A history
lesson that none of us should ever forget.
****
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Aimee
& Jaguar
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All
Over Me (1997, 90 min, US)
Director: Alex Sichel Studio: New Line
Starring:Alison Follard, Tara Subkoff, Wilson Cruz,
Cole Hauser, Leisha Haley
This independently made film wonderfully captures
the growing pains of adolescence and the joy, tentativeness,
and excitement of a gawky teenager’s emerging
lesbian identity. Set in New York's Hell's Kitchen
area, the story focuses on Claude (Alison Follard)
and her best friend Ellen (Tara Subkoff). Claude
feels completely alone, suffering not only from
the typical neuroses of adolescence but from her
unrequited love for Ellen, who is enthusiastically
straight. Moody and uncommunicative, Claude eventually
finds solace with a wannabe riot girl and fellow
baby dyke, Lucy. This is a story about change, separation,
and self-discovery that is both knowing and sensitive.
More
info on All
over Me
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
All
Over Me
We saw it and liked it OK.
**
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Antonia's
Line (1995, 93 min, The Netherlands)
Director: Marleen Gorris Studio: Fox Lorber
Starring: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans,Veere
Van Overloop
A celebration of the love, unity, and strength of
women, this touching family chronicle/fable from
lesbian director Gorris centers on four generations
of women. The story, set in a small Dutch village,
spans decades—from the devastation of the post-war
period to the present—and follows the fiercely
independent-minded Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy),
who returns to her childhood farmhouse to till the
soil and raise a family; all without the aid of
the misogynistic townsfolk, a hypocritical church,
and the often violence-prone men. Antonia is aided
by her lesbian daughter, a granddaughter, and great-granddaughter
and a group of social rejects who flock to her.
This Oscar-winning Best Foreign Film is masterful
storytelling that enthralls. (Dutch with English
subtitles)
More info on Antonia's Line
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Anotonia's
Line
Didn't see it, but heard it is very good.
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Bar
Girls (1995, 95 min, US)
Director: Marita Giovanni Studio: MGM
Starring: Nancy Allison Wolfe, Lisa Parker, Camile
Griggs, Paula Sorge, Justine Slater
The mating rites and the accompanying mind games
of L.A. lesbians are uncovered in this knowing romantic
comedy. Lauran Hoffman's script (based on her autobiographical
play) centers most of the action at the West Hollywood
Girl Bar where “love” comes easy and often
for its denizens. Loretta (Nancy Allison Wolfe),
a writer and one of the bar's bed-hopping regulars,
meets and all-too-quickly falls for the self-assured
Rachel (Liza D'Agnostino), a bewitching aspiring
actress. Their union is threatened, however, when
J.R. (Camilla Riggs), an attractively butch cop,
enters the scene. The sex-induced theatrics of these
and other characters are detailed in both a humorous
and dramatic fashion.
More
info on
Bar
Girls
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Bar
Girls
Good ol' Lesbian Movie.
***
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Basic
Instinct (1992, 127 min, US)
Director: Paul Verhoeven Studio: Artisan
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne
Tripplehorn,
George Dzunda, Dorothy Malone
When it opened at theatres, this thriller was surrounded
by controversy for it raised a red flag for gays,
lesbians, and feminists with its shockingly “retro”
stereotypes of man-hating lesbians with a “basic
instinct” for murder. The film follows Michael
Douglas as a burned-out cop who falls in “lust”
with the prime suspect in a series of brutal ice
pick murders, lasciviously portrayed by Sharon Stone.
“Basic Instinct” is seen by some as the
despicable leader of “the lesbian as killer”
genre, and others view it as a sexy tale of a lesbian
who enjoys the pleasure of other women as well as
sticking ice picks into men.
More
info on Basic Instinct
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Basic Instinct
When buying tickets for this movie, a friend asked
for "Two for Basic Insults." We liked
it way better than that, although the Bi Woman,
Psycho Killer Theme persists.
****
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Better
Than Chocolate (1999, 98 min, Canada)
Director: Anne Wheeler Studio: Trimark/Trimark
Starring: Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina
Cox, Anne-Marie MacDonald, Peter Outerbridge, Marya
Delver, Kevin Mundy, Tony Nappo, Jay Brazeau
Winner of Audience Awards in the Philadelphia, London
and Toronto Gay and Lesbian Film Festivals, this
enjoyable tale tells of lesbian love winning against
all the odds. When 19-year-old Maggie’s mother
calls and says she is moving in, Maggie, who quit
law school and has been sleeping on the couch at
the lesbian book store, must find a sublet apartment
and make it livable fast. To complicate matters,
she has just met Kim, an artistic road warrior who
has rolled into town and moved into both Maggie’s
heart and ‘her new home. But Maggie hasn’t
come out to her mother yet so it’s time to
hide the sex toys and “straighten up.”
Add to the picture her lovesick best friend Judy,
a transsexual estranged from her family; her uptight
lesbian boss; and Maggie’s randy teen brother
who gets a few lessons on life, and you get an entertaining
romantic comedy of errors and the frailty of the
human heart.
More
info on Better
than Chocolate
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Better
Than Chocolate
GREAT HAPPY STORY that everyone should see!
*****
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Bound
(1996, 108 min, US)
Director: Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski Studio:
Artisan
Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano
Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly star as neighbors
who become lovers first, then partners in crime.
The question in this film is who will betray whom.
“Bound” is an unexpected accomplishment,
stylishly shot and edge-of-your-seat tense. It is
also a landmark for its depiction of its lesbian
heroines.
More
info on Bound
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Bound
Liked it,
although the Bad Lesbian Theme persists.
****
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Bound
and Gagged—A Love Story (1993,
96 min, US)
Director: Daniel Appleby Studio: Image
Starring: Elizabeth Saltarrelli, Ginger Lynn Allen,
Chris Denton, Karen Allen, Chris Mulkey
This frantic lesbian comedy is an amazingly self-assured
independent feature. Cliff, a slacker loser, finds
that his best friend Elizabeth, a fun-loving but
irrational bisexual, is hopelessly in love with
an abused woman (former porn queen Ginger Lynn Allen).
Things get out of control leaving the love-lorn
Elizabeth no option but to abduct her love and hit
the road, roaming the Midwest in a queer Thelma
and Louise fashion.
More
info on Bound and Gagged -- A Love Story
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Bound
and Gagged—A Love Story
Better left unsaid.
*
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Boys
Don't Cry (1999,
116 min, US)
Director: Kimberly Peirce Studio: Fox
Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter
Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III,
Alison Folland, Alicia Goranson, Matt McGrath
One of the best films of 1999, this fictionalized
drama focuses on the tragic real-life story of Brandon
Teena, a biological woman (Teena Brandon) who decided
quite early to live her life as a man—a decision
he paid for with his life. Hilary Swank, in an Oscar-Winning
performance, is riveting as Brandon, a sweet, but
far-from-perfect 21-year-old drifter who just simply
wanted to be a boy and love women. The harrowing
tale follows Brandon as he befriends and moves in
with a group of poor but fun-loving people. He also
falls in love with Lana (Chloe Sevigny in an equally
impressive performance), a tough-talking gal who
finally meets a man who respects her and treats
her right. But when Brandon is exposed as a woman,
ignorance, fear, and homophobia drive two of her
male friends to violently confront him.
More
info on Boys
Don't Cry
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Boys
Don't Cry
Very sad and violent
movie, but important to watch.
****
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Boys Don't Cry
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Boys
on the Side
(1995, 117 min, US)
Director: Herbert Ross Studio: Warner
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew
Barrymore, James Remar,
Matthew McConaughey, Estelle Parsons, Billy Wirth
Whoopi Goldberg plays a lesbian who takes to the
road with Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker
in this life-affirming “Thelma and Louise +
One” soap opera. Only problem with this free-wheeling
comedy is that everyone gets laid except for our
sweet Whoopi!
More
info on Boys on the Side
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Boys
on the Side
Very good, but another sad movie.
****
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Boys on the Side
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But
I'm a Cheerleader (2000,
90 min, US)
Director: Jamie Babbit Studio: Universal
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Mink Stole, Bud Cort,
RuPaul Charles, Cathy Moriarty, Clea DuVall
Poor Megan (Lyonne) she may be a pretty high schooler,
model student, and cheerleader who's dating the
captain of the football team, but her loving parents
think otherwise. You see, she's a vegetarian, she
doesn't like kissing her boyfriend, and one can't
ignore those Melissa Etheridge records. Afraid that
their daughter will fall in with the dark forces
of same-sex love, she is quickly carted off to “True
Directions,” a scarily cheerful five-step de-homofication
rehab camp. There she finds herself joined by a
group of butch baby dykes, lipstick lesbians, and
several queeny gay boys. Sapphic sparks fly when
Megan locks eyes with Graham (DuVall), a tomboy
beauty with no intention of going straight.
More
info on But
I'm a Cheerleader
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
But
I'm a Cheerleader
Fun, fun, movie! We watch it every time it is
on cable.
****
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But I'm a Cheerleader
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Amazing
Dreams Short-Short Review:
Celestial
Clockwork
Didn't see it, but heard it is very good.
?
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Celestial Clockwork
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The
Celluloid Closet (1995,
102 min, US)
Director: Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman Studio:
Columbia
Featuring: Lily Tomlin, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg,
Shirley MacLaine, Tony Curtis,
Tom Hanks, Gore Vidal, Quentin Crisp
Inspired by the late Vito Russo's book on the depiction
of homosexuality in Hollywood cinema, this documentary
offers a candid mini-history of gays and lesbians
onscreen. “The Celluloid Closet” takes
a chronological approach to the subject, offering
clips from the turn of the century through the silents,
to the effeminate caricatures of the 1930s, the
pitiful homosexual of the 1950s and '60s, the violently
deviant homosexual of the '70s and '80s, and concluding
with the squeaky clean image of recent times. While
encompassing in scope, the film is simplistic; however,
“The Celluloid Closet” is more than recommended.
For something deeper, it is best to also read Russo's
book.
More
info on The
Celluloid Closet
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Celluloid Closet
Great documentary! Important for
anyone in the GLBT community to watch.
*****
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The Celluloid Closet
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Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Chained
Girls
Didn't see it, but sounds like campy fun.
?
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Chained Girls
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Chasing
Amy (1997,
105 min, US)
Director: Kevin Smith Studio: Disney
Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason
Lee, Dwight Ewell,
Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Matt Damon
"Chasing Amy” makes the proposition that
a seemingly well-adjusted lesbian, one who states
repeatedly that she is a dyed-in-the-wool dyke,
needs only a penis to make her embrace heterosexuality.
Ben Affleck plays a comic book artist who meets
a kindred spirit (Joey Lauren Adams). After a few
platonic dates, he finally breaks down and confesses
his love for her. At first angry, she soon declares
similar feelings and they begin a relationship.
That is, until he discovers her sordid, straight
past, which he can’t stop obsessing over. He
then dumps her, while she tearfully pleas for forgiveness
and understanding.
More
info on Chasing
Amy
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Chasing
Amy
We liked this one, even though it is the Boy Meets
Lesbian, Boy TURNS Lesbian Into Straight? Bi?
We were not sure. While this movie is very funny,
it has a surprising emotional depth to it that
is worth seeing.
****
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Chasing Amy
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Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
The
Children's Hour
Sad movie with the Depressed, Oppressed, Repressed
Lesbian Theme, but worth watching for the great
actresses and also for a bit of history in lesbian
movies.
***
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The Children's Hour
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Chutney
Popcorn (1999,
90 min, US)
Director: Nisha Ganatra
Starring: Jill Hennessy, Nisha Ganatra, Madhur Jaffrey
Director, co-writer and star Nisha Ganatra explore
the clash between the values of a traditional Indian
family and their rebel lesbian daughter in this
comedy. Reena (Ganatra) is a second generation Indian-American
who rides a motorcycle, designs and photographs
henna-tattoos and lives with Lisa (Jill Hennessy),
her lovely, but commitment-fearing blonde American
lover. Her defiant way of life and lack of proper
decorum prove to be a constant annoyance to her
mother (Madhur Jaffrey) as well as to Sarita, her
happily married sister (also married to an American).
But when Sarita is unable to conceive a child, Reena,
mindful of having a chance to do something her "perfect"
sister can't and to gain her mother's approval volunteers
to bear the child. An inventive, charming, heartwarming
dyke/family comedy.
More
info on Chutney
Popcorn
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Chutney
Popcorn
Loved this one! Fun look at young lesbians, and
gives unique cultural insight into how families
deal with their lesbian children.
*****
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Claire
of the Moon (1992,
106 min, US)
Director: Nicole Conn Studio: Fox Lorber
Starring: Trisha Todd, Karen Trumbo, Faith McDevitt
At an oceanside women writers' retreat in Oregon,
Dr. Noel Benedict (Karen Trumbo), a brooding psychologist
and lesbian author of “serious” books,
finds herself rooming with her opposite—Claire
(Trisha Wood), a willowy yet cynical straight blonde
woman who is determinedly messy and fun-loving.
Their budding relationship becomes a tense and inadvertently
amusing cat-and-mouse game as they alternately try
to overcome their insecurities, accept their true
feelings, and pounce on each other. “Claire
of the Moon” is a drama of simmering female
sexual desire and equally strong denial.
More
info on Claire of the Moon
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Clair
of the Moon
Good ol' Lesbian Movie.
***
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Daughters
of Darkness (1971,
96 min, Belgium)
Director: Harry Kumel Studio: Anchor Bay
Starring: Delphine Seyrig, Daniele Ouimet, John
Karlen
One from the vaults! Delphine Seyrig stars as a
Hungarian countess and present-day vampiress who,
in order to continue her daily blood baths, must
continually prowl for nubile virgins. Her blood-gathering
soirees take her to Belgium where she, along with
her lesbian secretary, seductively stalks the hotel
for a quick fix. Campy, funny and erotic, this Gothic
tale explores the darker side of sexuality with
shocking frankness.
More
info on Daughters of Darkness
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Daughters
of Darkness
Lesbian Vamps. Not as good as The Hunger, but
some nice biting action!
***
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D.E.B.S.
(2004,
91 min, US)
Director: Angela Robinson Studio: Sony Pictures
Starring: Devon Aoki, Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster
Finally, the female super agent genre receives an
overtly dyked-up makeover compliments of writer-director
Angela Robinson. Unbeknownst to high schoolers taking
the S.A.T., there’s a diagnostic test embedded
within that's designed to judge their abilities for
lying, cheating and killing. High-scoring students
are recruited for an elite academy of U.S. secret
agents: the D.E.B.S. (Discipline, Energy, Beauty and
Strength). Four of the D.E.B.S., Amy, Dominique, Janet
and Max, land a daunting new mission: track down and
capture the legendary, deadly villainess Lucy Diamond
(Jordana Brewster, bearing more than a passing semblance
to Demi Moore’s lesbianesque Charlie’s Angels
baddie). But Amy, who recently broke up with her boyfriend,
Bobby, realizes that she would rather love Lucy than
arrest her. Between dodging bullets, applying eyeliner
and all this sexual confusion, what’s a checkered-skirt-wearing
young secret agent to do?
Robinson first made D.E.B.S. as a short film for the
lesbian filmmaker empowerment group "Power Up."
Its tremendous response resulted in Sony’s Screen
Gems division backing a feature version. Bursting
with colorful visuals and CGI effects, sassy dialogue,
gun-slinging action and a superb cast including The
Fast and The Furious’ Jordanna Brewster, model
Devon Aoki and Michael Clarke Duncan as the Academy’s
President, D.E.B.S. is guaranteed to fulfill its mission
of delighting you.
More
info on D.E.B.S.
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
D.E.B.S.
WE LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! Think of a lesbian-themed Charlie's
Angels, where one of the Angels was bursting from
the closet after a super villian who looks A LOT like
a young Demi Moore, and you've got an idea of what
you are in store for! Saw it twice in two days--it's
that much fun! Great writing, great
soundtrack, great young actresses--what more could
anyone ask for?
***** |
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Desert
Hearts (1985,
93 min, US)
Director: Donna Deitch Studio: MGM
Starring: Helen Shaver, Patrice Charbonneau, Audra
Lindley, Gwen Welles
An American lesbian classic, “Desert Hearts”
was trail-blazing in its positive depiction of a
love affair between two intelligent and attractive
women. An uptight English professor travels to Reno
to get a divorce (the film is set in 1959), and
there meets a sexy, free-spirited sculptress. Their
attraction for each other and their budding love
is played out in a realistic, romantic, and all-together
sensuous fashion.
More
info on Desert Hearts
Amazing Dreams Short-Short Review:
Desert
Hearts
Most lesbians have a lesbian movie they just love,
and this is our all-time favorite. Based on the
book Desert
of the Heart by Jane Rule
the
movie is sweet and important for any woman, especially
those over 35, who is coming to terms with her own
sexuality.
*****
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