Beyond the Rainbow: 4 Unconventional Must-Watch Movies For Pride Month
- Alex Leptos
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
Not every LGBTQ+ movie wears its queerness on its sleeve- and that’s what makes some of them unforgettable. With that said, let’s explore stories where queer themes simmer beneath the surface: through coded glances, psychological tension, and complex character dynamics. From moody thrillers to surreal dramas, some films challenge traditional narratives and offer a different kind of Pride Month movie experience. Whether you’re tired of the usual picks or just curious about more subtle LGBTQ+ representation in cinema, this list of unconventional movies to watch during Pride Month is for you.
Eileen
Starring Anne Hathaway, Thomasin McKenzie and Shea Whigham, Eileen is a psychological thriller in which Thomasin McKenzie’s Eileen becomes a little infatuated with Anne Hathaway’s femme fatale-esque Rebecca in 1960s Massachusetts- where both women are working in a boys’ correctional facility. Eileen is a loner with a paranoid, alcoholic widower father and the glamorous and sultry Rebecca is a new psychologist joining the prison staff.
Based on the book of the same name by Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen is a little noir, a little Hitchcock and a little Serkian, with Hathaway herself describing it as Carol meets Reservoir Dogs. Immediately transporting you back in time with its throwback opening credits, Eileen wears its inspirations on its sleeve. The ominousness that director William Oldroyd (and Ottessa Moshfegh) builds throughout perfectly sets you up for something bad to happen, yet you’re caught completely off-guard when it does.
The budding romance (?) that ensues between Eileen and Rebecca seems organic but also off, as we wonder just who Rebecca is and how she came to be here, and it's left to the viewers to ponder the possibilities of where this twisted romance might go.
All of Us Strangers
All of Us Strangers created quite the buzz in the British film scene which culminated in it being nominated for six BAFTA awards, and winning plenty of others. All of Us Strangers is a ghost story of grief and it achieves that so beautifully, whilst also tackling themes of queerness, trauma and how one handles it all.
Based on the 1987 novel Strangers by Taichi Yamada, writer/director Andrew Haigh shifts the characters’ sexuality and moves them from Tokyo to London. Andrew Scott is Adam, a lonely screenwriter who meets his neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal). After Harry has had a few drinks. Initially reluctant, Adam and Harry embark on a romance. Whilst that is happening, Adam makes frequent visits to his childhood home to spend time with his parents. Only his parents died in a car accident when he was twelve- a fact that he never really came to accept.
Adam and Harry seem to be the only two tenants in their building, and both haunted by their life experiences. They find comfort in each other in the present, as Adam goes back to his parents and plays out the conversations they may have had about life, love and his coming out, wondering what they would make of him now. The whole thing feels like a dream; as if you’re navigating through a mysterious land of things to discover, pondering what it all means.
The Power of the Dog
Under the direction of Jane Campion, Benedict Cumberbatch leads as Phil Burbank in this psychological drama set in the old west. Phil Burbank is fascinating in his constant need to validate himself as the roughest, toughest alpha of the group whilst showcasing his admiration for Bronco Henry- the man who raised he and his mild-mannered brother George (Jesse Plemons). His feelings for Bronco Henry however seem to go far deeper than admiration, and his macho exterior acts as a guard to hide them.
Said mild-mannered brother George makes for a nice contrast of personalities. Often at the mercy of his brother's teasing, George is softer-spoken and kind. He is sympathetic of restaurant owner Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) after Phil's belittling of them and his disdain of Peter's feminine qualities and falls for her. Phil is not happy about losing his brother to a woman. This prompts Phil to step up his intimidation game of Rose and Peter to sinister levels. Dunst is also wonderful and once again showcases her ability to play a fragile, tormented soul in much the same way as she did in Lars Von Trier's 2011 film Melancholia.
Things only get more complicated when Phil starts to spend more time with Peter which concerns Rose greatly. The unlikely bonding of the two brings to light a number of secrets, hidden pasts and intentions, causing a power-shift and changing the dynamics of each character and their relationships with each other. A call-back to the eroticism of silent cinema creates one of the film's most powerful and thought-provoking scenes.
The Power of the Dog is a story of many things: power, greed, shame, love, resentment, jealousy, hate, sexuality and perhaps every other negative human emotion that can be mustered all layered into a quiet, suspenseful package. It is a slow-burning, character focused psychological drama showcasing just how much someone may be hiding.
Love Exposure
The wildest wildcard entry on this (or probably any) list, Love Exposure is a movie that one must approach with an open mind because it is, as somebody once called it, "the filmic equivalent of a cocaine-laced double espresso." It's part satirical black comedy and part psychological drama; a wild journey of self-discovery, manipulation and influence.
Love Exposure is prolific auteur Sion Sono's four-hour-long tale of love, lust, deception, sin, pornography, death and mistaken identities (not necessarily in that order). It tells the story of Yu Honda (Takahiro Nishijima), a well-behaved 17-year-old raised in a devout Christian family who becomes a sinner following a string of unfortunate events. He meets a beautiful girl named Yoko (Hikari Mitsushima) while dressed as a woman after being on the losing end of a bet and they instantly fall in love. There are only two problems: Yoko thinks that the person she met is a woman and a religious cult leader named Kioke (Sakura Ando) is carefully manipulating both of their lives.
There is so much to say about this film and yet it would seem like a disservice to the movie's impact to provide you with any of it. Just know that there will be laughs, tears and dropped jaws complimented by fantastic performances all around, a highly engaging story and a lot of social commentary. Accompanying all that is a soundtrack mix of bluesy Japanese funk, Beethoven and church choirs.
For anyone looking to expand their watchlist- whether for pride or not- these are essential titles. Keep these on your radar- and maybe recommend them to someone ready to watch something a little bit deeper.
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