50 Favorite Gay Movies of All Time [Hitlist]

What we present here are 2 South Korean films, 3 Thai flicks (all perennial favorites), a Spanish masterpiece from Almodovar, a German thriller, a Vietnamese family drama, and a romantic French musical from Christophe Honoré. These are movies I have watched many times over!

White Night (2012) – South Korea

Won-Gyu (Won Tae-Hee) is a flight attendant and is constantly in transit. Anonymous hotel rooms are all the home he knows. Tae-jun (Lee Yi-Kyung) is a motorbike courier who spends almost all his time on the streets. Two men with two jobs that keep them on the move. Two lives are just a series of fleeting moments. Having clicked on the internet they arrange to meet in Seoul. But they only have a few hours. Won-Gyu never wanted to return to the city because Seoul reminds him of an event that has left him sad and angry. His past casts a long shadow over their date, and their night together is pitch-black in spite of the big city lights. Since they must soon part again, both are afraid to get too close and a strange power game begins.

Not everyone is happy with this film, yet I was patient watching both actors, particularly Lee Yi-Kyung who has this arresting sex appeal. This film is also one of two from Korean auteur Lee-Song Hee-il.

Night Flight (2014) – South Korea

Three teenage boys, Shin Yong-Joo (Kwak Si-yang), Han Ki-Woong (Lee Jae-Joon), and Ko Ki-taek (Choi Joon-ha) were best friends in middle school. While Yong-Joo and Ki-taek still remain close, Ki-woong becomes a jjang (Korean slang term meaning “best”), one of the strongest fighters in the school, and begins to hang out with Sung-jin’s gang (Sung-jin’s parents are powerful figures, making him a bigwig among his schoolmates), meaning he draws away from the other two, particularly when Yong-Joo becomes concerned when he finds out that Sung-jin’s gang is mercilessly bullying Ki-taek, an eccentric manhwa fan. Under intense pressure to get into a prestigious university because his mother is single and financially struggling, Yong-Joo develops an unlikely relationship with Ki-Woong, who tries to break away from Sung-jin. But when Ki-taek learns that Yong-Joo is gay, he retaliates for a past slight and betrays his friend and joins Sung-jin’s gang in ostracizing him, telling them that Yong-Joo has loved Ki-woong for years.

Leesong Hee-il said he found the motif of the film from a CCTV video clip, which showed a high school student crying in an elevator just before he killed himself. After seeing that, Leesong decided to make a film exploring teenage sexual minorities and the dehumanization they face in order to survive the bullying and violence they experience at school.

How to Win At Checkers (Every time) (2016) – Thailand

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Based on two short stories from Rattawut Lapcharoensap, one of the most promising young novelists of his generation, Korean-American filmmaker Josh Kim’s feature-length dramatic debut flows with ample warmth, contemplation, and social criticism. Revolving around an 11-year-old boy’s introduction to harsh realities of poverty and patriotism, How To Win At Checkers (Every Time) signals the arrival of a talented and observant artist making killer moves in coaxing the best out of his material and his actors. |source|

You can also read our interview with the movie director, Josh Kim!

Goodbye Mother (2019) – Vietnam

Van, the heir of a Vietnamese clan, returns home from the US the first time in 9 years for the move of his father’s tomb. The whole family is surprised upon finding him going with a young Vietnamese American named Ian. No one knows Ian is Van’s boyfriend and they plan to come out to Van’s widowed mother Mrs. Hanh, who expects him to get married and have kids to fulfill the heir’s duties. To top it all, his grandmother, who has senile dementia, mistakes Ian for her grandson. While struggling to find the perfect occasion to come out, Van finds out instead that Mrs. Hanh is seriously ill.

Present Perfect (2017) and its sequel Present Still Perfect (2020) – Thailand

Following a painful breakup, Toey (Tonawanik ‘Ice’ Adisorn) decides to heal his broken heart in Higashikawa town where he meets Oat (Maroukasonti ‘Joke’ Kritsana), a man who travels to Japan to experience freedom for the last time in his life. From strangers to friends, romance sparks between the two. Before returning to the “real” world, the two men have to pick up the broken pieces and rebuild. It is a heartwarming journey as we follow the simple pursuit of love. This encounter forms a beautiful relationship between two men because each has his own trauma. The sequel pretty much intensified the interaction between the two main characters resulting in life-changing decisions.

You can also read our 2-part interview with dir. Aam Anusorn. We also did an interview with the movies’ lead actor, Ice Adisorn!

All About My Mother (1999) – Spain

A Greek saying states that only women who have washed their eyes with tears can see clearly. This saying does not hold true for Manuela. The night a car ran over her son Esteban, Manuela cried until her eyes ran completely dry. Far from seeing clearly, the present and the future become mixed up in darkness. She begins looking for his father who has become a transvestite.

Freefall (2013) – Germany

A drama film directed by Stephan Lacant who also wrote the script with Karsten Dahlem, and starring Hanno Koffler, Max Riemelt, and Katharina Schüttler. The film tells the story of a police officer, Marc Borgmann (Koffler), who lives with his pregnant girlfriend, Bettina Bischoff (Schüttler). Whilst on a training course, Borgmann meets fellow police officer, Kay Engel (Riemelt), and a romance develops between the two men. Borgmann is torn between his love for Bettina and his newfound feelings for another man. When Engel disappears for a while, Borgmann realizes his life is rapidly going into “free fall,” as he cannot meet the high expectations of the people he knows.

Love of Siam (2007) – Thailand

Also known as Rak Haeng Sayam, is a 2007 Thai multi-layered romantic-drama film written and directed by Chookiat Sakveerakul. The film tells a story of love, friendship, and family. The film was released in Thailand on November 22, 2007. The fact that the gay romance storyline was not apparent from the film’s promotional material initially caused controversy, but the film was received with critical acclaim and proved financially successful. It dominated Thailand’s 2007 film awards season, winning the Best Picture category in all major events.

Love Songs (Les Chansons d’amour) (2007) – France

Ismael (Louis Garrel) and Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) lead a blissfully romantic existence in Paris and are as likely to sing their thoughts as speak them. They meet a variety of equally passionate young people as they wander through the dream-like city, and they invite Alice (Clotilde Hesme) into their lives and into their bed. The delicate balance of their idyllic world is threatened when death intrudes unexpectedly, challenging them to keep love alive through loss and mourning.

Ausente (2011) – Argentina

Also known as “Absent’, is a drama film directed by Argentine director Marco Berger. The film tackles the notion of sexual abuse of students, but director Marco Berger flips the dynamic. In this film, a young man wants to lure his teacher into a sexual relationship, rather than the other way round (i.e. where an older individual in a position of authority or trust becomes infatuated with a minor and lures the minor into a sexual relationship).

When the film won the “Teddy Award for Best Feature” by the Teddy Award Independent Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), the judging committee praised it as a film with “an original screenplay, an innovative aesthetic and a sophisticated approach, which creates dynamism. A unique combination of homoerotic desire, suspense, and dramatic tension.”

Note that this is a 5-page article. Please see below for the link to the rest of the pages.