Pride Month: Gay Coming of Age Films

In honour of Pride Month, I'll be posting lists of films I would recommend if you are looking for good LGBTQ films with great narratives and interesting characters. This list will be looking at the Coming of Age arcs for these complex and flawed characters.

Moonlight (2016)

The tender, heart-breaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Director: Barry Jenkins

Writers: Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney

Starring: Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, Naomie Harris, André Holland, Mahershala Ali, and Janelle Monáe.

My Thoughts: Visually, this film is just beautiful. The cinematography captures the beauty of the urban environment that some filmmakers would have chosen to look more unappealing or "gritty" - Barry Jenkins mainly creates working-class dramas and will always find intimacy in the characters and location.

A raw and emotional story, the three act structure captures three crucial stages in the main character's life as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality. All three actors capture the emotional depth of this character, making him recognisable in each act with the outstanding Naomie Harris as the complex and flawed mother.

Boy Erased (2018)

Jared, the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, is outed to his parents at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith

Director & Writer: Joel Edgerton

Starring: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Joel Edgerton, Joe Alwyn, Xavier Dolan, Troye Sivan and Cherry Jones

My Thoughts: Lucas Hedges gives another stellar performance in this true story about the son of a Baptist preacher who is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program after being forcibly outed to his parents. While being quite similar to The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018) with the subject matter of conversion therapy and coming to terms with one’s sexuality in a homophobic era/community, Boy Erased goes that one step further with how dark it gets.

Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe are brilliant as Hedges’ religious parents who struggle and clash over how to help their son and Joel Edgerton’s portrayal of the emotionally manipulative conversion therapist was excellent alongside such a strong cast.

As well as acting, Joel Edgerton also penned the screenplay adaptation of Gerrard Conley’s memoir and Took on the role of directing – all of which was handled with great care and sensitivity, making this a compelling and raw drama.

The Pass (2016)

An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

Director: Ben A. Williams

Writers: John Donnelly

Starring: Russell Tovey, Arinzé Kene, Lisa McGrillis, Nico Mirallegro and Rory J. Saper

My Thoughts: Similar to Moonlight (2016), this film follows a three act structure which chronicles the lives of the main characters at various different stages at life. The theatrical style of the narrative gives strong performances with believable.

This story is more tragic, as it emphasises on the idea of choosing a career over love. Russell Trovey's character's descends into a dark spiral in attempts to protect his false image and celebrity status, he loses the chance at genuine happiness and love.

My Brother the Devil (2012)

Fourteen-year-old Mo is a lonely, sensitive boy whose hunger for the rant and banter of buddies makes him prone to tread dangerous territories. He idolizes his handsome older brother, Rashid, a charismatic, well-respected member of a local gang, whose drug dealing enables “Rash” to provide for his family. Aching to be seen as a tough guy himself, Mo takes a job that unlocks a fateful turn of events and forces the brothers to confront their inner demons. It turns out that hate is easy. It is love and understanding that take real courage.

Director & Writer: Sally El Hosaini

Starring: James Floyd, Fady Elsayed, Saïd Taghmaoui, Aymen Hamdouchi, Ashley Thomas, Anthony Welsh, Arnold Oceng and Letitia Wright

My Thoughts: This is definitely one of my favourite films. This is British cinema at its best, portraying a realistic and poignant coming of age story. The core theme of this film is family and it is felt between the two male leads who played brothers drawn into the gang lifestyle. The LGBT themes come in the form of a sexual awaking for the older brother, but it also represents a fairly pure love story and an opportunity for a life away from crime.

Vocal is having a limited time $1/71p deal for the first month for new signups to Vocal Plus.

This site has really kept me motivated in writing outside script work and analysing screenwriting and storytelling from multiple angles. There are many different communities and themes, so there's plenty of reading material if you have writers block. Follow this link and get writing!