A lot of the queer movies that exist in the world are absolutely amazing, yet they are also depressing, dark, and terrifying at the same time – we’re looking at you, Moonlight.
This is especially true for lesbian movies, which always seems to have a wistful or sad ending of some kind.
Now, this isn’t to say that they are not good movies, but honestly, sometimes we just want a lovely ending with a queer couple cuddling on the veranda of an Italian beach home watching the sun go down.
Yes, it’s corny, cheesy, but dammit sometimes that’s just what you want in your life.
With that said, we have created a list of the 10 must-watch holiday movies that any lesbian worth her salt will love, especially the endings.
1. Happiest Season
We will start off with one of Kristen Stewart’ newer movies after she kicked the Twilight vehicle, that of ‘Happiest Season’. Rom-coms may not be for everyone, but when they hit the sweet spot, they are good.
This movie is all about trying to balance family life with love life when you are as queer as they come.
Abby (Kristen Stewart) plans to propose to her girlfriend on Christmas that she is spending with her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davies).
The problem is that Harper reveals she never came out to her conservative parents, and now they must walk a tightrope throughout the holidays.
It is silly, heartfelt, and stars bisexual superwoman Kristen Stewart and gay icon Victor Garber, so what isn’t to love?
2. I Can’t Think Straight
Normally, we see queer relationships in media and film as depicted through western cultural eyes, so it is really refreshing to see it from a different perspective.
Tala is a British-Palestinian women whose family is preparing for her wedding, but meets Leyla, a British-Indian women, dating Tala’s best friend.
With one trip to the countryside, the two subsequently fall in love and must deal with the cultural and familial expectations expected of them, while also coming to terms with their sexuality.
It is a fun take on a lesbian rom-com, but also gives insight into the different struggles other queer people face, especially when it comes to cultural norms.
3. Lez Bomb
You can already tell from the title that this film is going to be as cheesy as it can possibly be for a lesbian holiday flick, luckily that’s exactly what we are looking for.
The premise is somewhat opposite to ‘Happiest Season’, as in ‘Lez Bomb’ Lauren is a closeted lesbian who brings her girlfriend Hailey to Thanksgiving with the express purpose of coming out to her conservative parents.
Unfortunately, her male roommate, Austin, shows up, whom the family mistakes for her boyfriend and Lauren spends the rest of the holiday trying her best to get the confidence to correct the mistake, while also not ruining Thanksgiving.
It’s silly in all senses of the word, but it is also a lot of fun to watch.
4. The Christmas Lottery
This next one actually comes from BET and not from Hollywood, but as with ‘I can’t think straight’ it is nice to have diversity in a lesbian movie, especially for black lesbians.
The plot of the movie focuses on three sisters being asked to come home for Christmas by their Dad, as he has won the lottery, but the ticket was lost by their mum, and they spend the movie trying to find it and bringing their estranged family back together.
Although, it isn’t an out-and-out lesbian movie, one of the focuses of the movie is one of the sister’s loving relationship with her wife and how normal it is treated throughout the movie.
No coming out, no big event, just treated as a normal everyday occurrence at Christmas.
5. Carol
Okay, we know it is not a holiday movie, but ‘Carol’ is amazing, and it takes place at Christmas, so we are counting it.
Set in the 1950s, it tells the story of a glamorous woman going through a messy divorce and custody battle and an aspiring photographer who meet and fall in love.
It is sad and bittersweet, while also being beautiful and lovely throughout.
Even if you are looking for something less poignant to watch, Carol should definitely be on the list of movies you plan to watch, especially considering the rave reviews and standing ovation it received at the Cannes Film Festival.
6. Christmas At The Ranch
Who hasn’t fantasized about running away to a countryside hideaway with the love of their life? While this movie isn’t quite that, it’s very close.
Haley must return from her successful job at a tech startup to save her family’s ranch from foreclosure. However, she comes to meet the attractive ranch hand Kate, and romantic conflict and shenanigans ensue.
It follows the usual Christmas rom-com themes that you would expect, including the happy ending, but there is so much pure joy in it being a lesbian couple doing this, not a heteronormative one.
7. Season Of Love
No one asked for it, but we didn’t know we wanted a gay ‘Love, Actually’ until it came along, ‘Season of Love’ is a romantic comedy that follows the lives of three very different gay couples as they deal with their love lives from before Christmas to New Year’s Day.
It is light-hearted, fun, and would warm the soul of even the most scrooge like queer Christmas Grinch. Also, it stars Dominique Provost-Chalkley from Wynonna Earp, which has to count for something.
8. Imagine Me And You
One of the first well done lesbian rom-coms that don’t revert to stereotypes or isn’t just pure trash all the way through, ‘Imagine Me and You’ should be watched by every lesbian at some point, or should just be on their list to be watched.
It is the story of two people coming to terms with their love, while one has to leave her fiancé, whom she loves now in only a Platonic way. With Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) starring, it’s no wonder this film turned out so good.
9. Let It Snow
We already had the queer adult take on love actually, now it is time for the young adult take with ‘Let it Snow’.
The film is full of storylines involving teenagers having fun on Christmas Eve, finding out about their own friendships, and discovering love in a way only a young person can.
While it does feature multiple love stories, that between Kerry and Dorrie is very sweet and a pretty your perfect queer fix for the holiday season, especially if you are a teenager yourself.
10. What’s Cooking?
This film is similar to ‘Lez Bomb in the context of one of the stories in the movie being about a woman bringing home her partner while struggling to come out to her family.
However, unlike ‘Lez Bomb’, it focuses on older women’s relationships and the struggles of those women to come out to family who have not only accepted them for a long time, but who are a bit stuck in their ways with little hope of changing.
Rachel tries to do this all while everyone is cooking for the holiday, but it does have a happy ending, even with the big announcement she makes.
Conclusion
There are not too many films out there that focus on lesbian relationships, and those that do often have a hard time moving away from the stereotypes or from being dark and gritty.
But if you want to see some fun, light-hearted movies, then the ones on this list are for you.
Hello, my name is Gay Worlley - no, really - and I love learning about all things queer. I am also a qualified gardener and enjoy traveling in my spare time.
I love sharing my travel stories with anyone who will listen, and now I want to share them with the world through my new website! Not only that, but I want to inspire others and teach you about LGBTQ+ travel, queer media, pride, and much more.
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