Queer coming of age films

[Cyd_StVincent]

What are peoples favorites and why? It's clearly become the genre of now with the back to back Oscar successes of Moonlight and Call me By Your Name, sometimes it feels like there is a new one every month, but I feel like most of them are too on the nose. Yesterday I finally got my moviepass to work and watched We The Animals. I had been a fan of Justin Torres' writing for a long time but wasn't sure how it was going to translate into a film. It was a totally unique style so intense but also subtle, so visually engaging but also emotionally grounding. Its the story of a puerto rican/white family in upstate New York, about family violence and messiness, about being part of a group and then drifting away. I definitely recommend it, especially for a depiction of what are very intensely challenging subjects in our society presented just as they are without hitting you over the head with a lesson.

[+ FrankR]

What are peoples favorites and why? It's clearly become the genre of now with the back to back Oscar successes of Moonlight and Call me By Your Name, sometimes it feels like there is a new one every month, but I feel like most of them are too on the nose. Yesterday I finally got my moviepass to work and watched We The Animals. I had been a fan of Justin Torres' writing for a long time but wasn't sure how it was going to translate into a film. It was a totally unique style so intense but also subtle, so visually engaging but also emotionally grounding. Its the story of a puerto rican/white family in upstate New York, about family violence and messiness, about being part of a group and then drifting away. I definitely recommend it, especially for a depiction of what are very intensely challenging subjects in our society presented just as they are without hitting you over the head with a lesson.

You are not wrong! Watched Love, Simon this weekend. Coming of age as GLBTQ is still hard in this day and age, so I feel like I should support these films. My favorites are Beautiful Thing (90s) and Latter Days (2000s). Both have a real emotional connection that I can relate to. Touch on family, friends, religion, denial, fear, courage and acceptance. Shelter and Get Real are also worthy mentions.

Edited August 20, 2018 by FrankR

[+ ProGay]

Beautiful Thing (1996)

"Shy Jamie (Glen Berry) and athletic Ste (Scott Neal) are teen boys who live near each other in the London projects. Both boys think they could be gay, and finally explore their feelings when Ste is allowed to stay over at Jamie's place after an incident with his abusive father. There, the boys grow close and open themselves up to the idea of homosexuality, while Jamie's caring mother, Sandra (Linda Henry), and quirky teen neighbor, Leah (Tameka Empson), offer much needed emotional support."

 

Edge of Seventeen (1998)

"Set in 1984 in Sandusky, Ohio, it follows the coming-out of a naive 17-year-old at exactly the moment when gender-bending pop stars like Boy George and the Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics were flaunting androgynous images. As the youth, played with a heartbreaking sweetness by Chris Stafford, goes through his first rites of gay passage he emerges as a poignant gay everyman."

[+ Avalon]

Beautiful Thing (1996)

"Shy Jamie (Glen Berry) and athletic Ste (Scott Neal) are teen boys who live near each other in the London projects. Both boys think they could be gay, and finally explore their feelings when Ste is allowed to stay over at Jamie's place after an incident with his abusive father. There, the boys grow close and open themselves up to the idea of homosexuality, while Jamie's caring mother, Sandra (Linda Henry), and quirky teen neighbor, Leah (Tameka Empson), offer much needed emotional support."

 

"

 

[Racketjock]

For me, it was Top Gun, in particular the beach volleyball scene. It cemented my 'coming of age" as a gay man and to what I was attracted!!

[+ oldNbusted]

For me, it was Top Gun, in particular the beach volleyball scene. It cemented my 'coming of age" as a gay man and to what I was attracted!!

 

The scene where Tom flexes when he checks his watch?

 

Although I was already gay gay gay, I do remember the audition scene from Fame made an impression...

 

 

 

 

I don't think is what the OP was asking about, though...

[bloop]

I love God’s Own Country so much despite its similarities to Brokeback Mountain, a movie of which I’m not at all a fan.

 

Unrelatedly, I love your work @Cyd_StVincent

[+ Seaninsf]

Another Country!

 

Rupert Everett and Cary Elwes - dreamy

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Seaninsf

[+ E.T.Bass]

What are peoples favorites and why? It's clearly become the genre of now with the back to back Oscar successes of Moonlight and Call me By Your Name, sometimes it feels like there is a new one every month, but I feel like most of them are too on the nose. Yesterday I finally got my moviepass to work and watched We The Animals. I had been a fan of Justin Torres' writing for a long time but wasn't sure how it was going to translate into a film. It was a totally unique style so intense but also subtle, so visually engaging but also emotionally grounding. Its the story of a puerto rican/white family in upstate New York, about family violence and messiness, about being part of a group and then drifting away. I definitely recommend it, especially for a depiction of what are very intensely challenging subjects in our society presented just as they are without hitting you over the head with a lesson.

 

I'm glad you mentioned We the Animals and Moonlight.

How those gay kids were played really stuck with me, how worthy of love they are.

 

Chiron's face really stayed with me. Looking forward to more from Ashton Sanders.

Even though Ashton Sanders was 20 years old when filmed, I'm editing his picture out to avoid concerns about the no minor pictures rule. Also same for the father / son picture from We the Animals. That one is under the age limit even though it's an innocent pic of a haircut.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

Loved how Paps looked at his little Jonah when giving him the haircut. Despite his faults, the loud, macho dad loved his sweet little kid

Edited August 24, 2018 by E.T.Bass

[Cyd_StVincent]

I love God’s Own Country so much despite its similarities to Brokeback Mountain, a movie of which I’m not at all a fan.

 

Unrelatedly, I love your work @Cyd_StVincent

Thank you!!! I'll have to check out God's Own Country. I thought Brokeback Mountain was cinematically beautiful but plot wise kind of a snore - even though I like both of the actors enough to want to believe gay sex between them it just didn't seem real.

[Cyd_StVincent]

I'm glad you mentioned We the Animals and Moonlight.

How those gay kids were played really stuck with me, how worthy of love they are.

 

Chiron's face really stayed with me. Looking forward to more from Ashton Sanders.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

Loved how Paps looked at his little Jonah when giving him the haircut. Despite his faults, the loud, macho dad loved his sweet little kid.

 

I really appreciated how the parents were played in the movie, I think they are some of the most emotionally complex supporting characters I've seen.

[KeepItReal]

I am quite fond of "Doing Time on Maple Drive". Not very well known, but there is a raw honesty to it that appealed to me when I came across it the first time.

[Wolfer]

I prefer upbeat movies. "Love, Simon" just warms my heart. Sure, it may be a bit of fantasy given that almost every single person in that movie (re)acts maturely and emotionally appropriate and supportive. But to me it was a much needed breath of fresh air amongst all the usual drama that is the queer coming of age films. What is really important for me about the movie, though, is that it gives people a template on how you can respond in a situation like that that is supportive and positive.

 

If you like comedies, I highly, HIGHLY recommend "4th Man Out" (available on Netflix). It's about a gay guy coming out to his lifelong best friends. The movie focuses on the friendship and the clumsy fumbling (but funny and endearing) actions his straight friends go through in order to try and be a good friend to the gay guy.

 

"GBF" is nice, but not as memorable for me as "4th Man Out". It lacked strong comedic elements.

 

And these aren't strictly coming-of-age movies but I really like them:

"First Period", it's a parody on the '80's teen coming of age movies (think "sixteen candles") and the two leads are men in drag (Lance Bass's hunky boyfriend is also in it). The script is so chock full of jokes you hardly catch them all on the first viewing.

 

"Were the World Mine". A beautiful musical movie about a high school kid that DOESN'T allow himself to be bullied. One who fights back and has a backbone. The songs are ethereal and the story is magical. I've seen it many times.

 

I have to be honest, I hated "Call Me By Your Name". That relationship to me was bordering on emotional abuse (from the older guy to the younger one). And just felt like gay clickbait. I don't even remember seeing any gay sex in there yet we see tits and vagina and straight sex?

Not that there has to be gay sex in a movie but it was odd that they didn't show anything gay as explicitly as they did like the straight sex scene in the movie.

The older guy to me came across as an absolute asshole and manipulative. Not a single endearing moment in that movie for me.

Edited August 22, 2018 by Wolfer

[Becket]

Latter Days. I still listen to the music from that film, and have seen the film many times. All time favorite.

[Gadfly22]

Surprised "Get Real" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Real_(film) only mentioned once in this thread. Made around the same time as "Beautiful Thing" and also set in England but a bit more upper class. I thought it was nearly as good as BT, with only a weak, corny ending preventing me from calling it great, but still well worth watching. Come to think of it BT had kind of a corny ending too but it was still one of my fave 90's films.

 

Two others that are kinda sorta. Not exactly coming of age but more coming out as the characters in question are in their mid 20's. Liked both very much though.

 

"East Side Story" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Side_Story_(2006_film)

"The Day Laborers" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378139/

 

The Day Laborers contains 3 sub-plots only one of which involves the gay character but its still good.

Both films used to air regularly on LOGO when it was still a gay channel.

[+ Cash4Trash]

I really enjoyed We The Animals as well. Raul Castillo as the father - it's a remarkable performance.

[+ E.T.Bass]

I prefer upbeat movies. "Love, Simon" just warms my heart. Sure, it may be a bit of fantasy given that almost every single person in that movie (re)acts maturely and emotionally appropriate and supportive. But to me it was a much needed breath of fresh air amongst all the usual drama that is the queer coming of age films. What is really important for me about the movie, though, is that it gives people a template on how you can respond in a situation like that that is supportive and positive.

 

If you like comedies, I highly, HIGHLY recommend "4th Man Out" (available on Netflix). It's about a gay guy coming out to his lifelong best friends. The movie focuses on the friendship and the clumsy fumbling (but funny and endearing) actions his straight friends go through in order to try and be a good friend to the gay guy.

 

"GBF" is nice, but not as memorable for me as "4th Man Out". It lacked strong comedic elements.

 

And these aren't strictly coming-of-age movies but I really like them:

"First Period", it's a parody on the '80's teen coming of age movies (think "sixteen candles") and the two leads are men in drag (Lance Bass's hunky boyfriend is also in it). The script is so chock full of jokes you hardly catch them all on the first viewing.

 

"Were the World Mine". A beautiful musical movie about a high school kid that DOESN'T allow himself to be bullied. One who fights back and has a backbone. The songs are ethereal and the story is magical. I've seen it many times.

 

I have to be honest, I hated "Call Me By Your Name". That relationship to me was bordering on emotional abuse (from the older guy to the younger one). And just felt like gay clickbait. I don't even remember seeing any gay sex in there yet we see tits and vagina and straight sex?

Not that there has to be gay sex in a movie but it was odd that they didn't show anything gay as explicitly as they did like the straight sex scene in the movie.

The older guy to me came across as an absolute asshole and manipulative. Not a single endearing moment in that movie for me.

 

Sony Classics wouldn't have picked it up if CMBYN was just gay clickbait. Seemed to appeal to women. The guys were pretty much bisexual characters.

 

I saw a German movie called Harvest that was good and from Netherlands I like North Sea Texas.