From Titane to Aligarh: Best queer films to watch on OTT this Pride Month

New Delhi: Every year the month of June is celebrated as Pride Month and cinema has been a medium to celebrate queerness. In between the many films which have portrayed stereotypical or inappropriate queer characters, there have been films that stood out.

Here is a list of 7 films on OTT platforms based on queer stories:

1. Call Me by Your Name

Call Me by Your Name, directed by Luca Guadagnino and based on a novel by Andre Aciman, is a love story set in 1980s Italy. The film revolves around a 17-year old boy having a romantic relationship with a man his father hired as his assistant. It explores the complexity of being in a same-sex relationship with some eye-catching visuals. The film has really well-written and thought-provoking dialogues.

The movie also won the Oscars for the Best Adapted Screenplay.

2. The Power of the Dog

The film revolves around Phil Burbank, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is a tough cowboy. But there is something he hides from everyone, a side which he shows only with someone special. Jane Campion’s directorial ventur, adapted from a novel by Thomas Savage, won the Oscars for Best Achievement in Directing.

The film is available on Netflix and is one of the best films made in 2021.

3. Blue is the Warmest Color

In the film, Adele meets Emma, a woman with blue coloured hair, and together they explore their sexuality and emotional spectrum. This film undoubtedly is one of the finest love stories ever written. The film is directed by Abdellatif Hachiche and is adapted from a comic book “Le Bleu est une couleur chaude”.

The film is available for rent on Amazon Prime Video.

4. Margarita with a Straw

The film revolves around Laila (Kalki Koechlin), a teenager with cerebral palsy, who meets Khanum (Sayani Gupta) and falls for her. This is a story of self-discovery and confession, beautifully crafted by the directors Shonali Bhosle, Ajeet Ghorpade and Nilesh Maniyar.

The film is streaming on Netflix.

5. Titane

The plot revolves around Alexia who suffers a terrible skull injury and has a titanium plate fitted into her head. As she grows, she leaves her parents and embarks on a journey to explore her sexuality and know her identity. The film also has a theme of the parent-children relationship. Directed by Julia Ducournau, the film uses body horror and gore to convey the story.

The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival and is available on Amazon.com for rent.

6. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Written and directed by Celine Sciamma, the film is set in the 18th century on an isolated French island. The story features the life of a female painter who is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman and also features the relationship they develop. The film, interestingly, does not have any background score, rather it is the silences and the diegetic sounds that create the music.

The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

7. Aligarh

Based on true events, Aligarh revolves around a professor in Aligarh Muslim Univerity whose sexuality is revealed to everyone in a sting operation. The film features one of the finest performances by Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao. This Hansal Mehta film is one of the best-crafted films about the themes of LGBTQ+.

The film is available on erosnow.com.