It wasn’t that long ago that digging up a solid list of the year’s standout queer films would have taken some reaching. But in 2024, choosing among the abundance of options is the challenge. From ambitious, genre-bending titles like “Emilia Pérez” and “I Saw the TV Glow” to more quietly confident films like “Crossing” and “Sing Sing,” this year produced a sweeping range of titles that fall under the umbrella of queer-inclusive works.
Rather than doing a ranked list of the year’s “best,” here’s a selection of buzzy and critically acclaimed films (in alphabetical order) that have kept viewers talking this year.
‘Challengers’
Since its spring release, Luca Guadagnino’s sweaty, offbeat comedy starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor as tennis champions locked in a yearslong love triangle has proved nearly impossible to forget. Re-emerging as a topic of conversation during tennis tournaments, Halloween and now award season, the decidedly unserious film — which features a now-iconic churro scene and an abundance of ogling — has proved that, sometimes, all audiences want is a good romp.
“Challengers” is available on Prime Video and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Crossing’
Sometimes, movies make an impression because of how expertly understated they are, as with “And Then We Danced” director Levan Akin’s “Crossing.” The Teddy Award-winning film centers on a retired Georgian teacher who goes to Istanbul to look for her estranged, transgender niece with the help of a young neighbor. As their search grows increasingly frustrating, the two outsiders forge an unexpected bond in this affecting and thought-provoking film about people’s need to connect.
“Crossing” is available on Mubi and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Emilia Pérez’
Though it’s been divisive among viewers, Jacques Audiard’s musical about a cartel lord who undergoes a dramatic gender-affirming transformation may just be critics’ favorite film of the year. In addition to receiving the most Golden Globes nominations for a film, the singing and dancing showcase has quickly become an Oscars front-runner, thanks in large part to the honors being piled on leading lady Karla Sofía Gascón. But even more than its successful awards bid, the film stands out for reimagining what a transgender story — and musical — can and should be.
“Emilia Pérez” is available on Netflix.
‘Femme’
This year was a big one for cinematic sadomasochistic relations, with films like “Babygirl,” “Love Lies Bleeding,” “Solo” and many more exploring pain-inducing amour. But no film was more torturous and disturbingly erotic than “Femme,” which stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as a London drag queen who, after being brutally beaten one night, stumbles upon a chance to get revenge on his attacker. A twisted romance then develops between the traumatized performer and the deeply closeted man, expertly played by George MacKay, who fails to recognize his victim out of drag.
“Femme” is available on Hulu and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Housekeeping for Beginners’
Much like his previous films, Goran Stolevski’s third feature about a found family that suffers a massive blow in the loss of its matriarch largely flew under the radar after its release. But those who saw the heartbreaking yet hopeful “Housekeeping for Beginners” will remember it as another feather in the cap of the Macedonian director who’s spent his career shining a light on his home country and other locales that remain largely hidden from filmgoers.
“Housekeeping for Beginners” is available on Prime Video and video-on-demand platforms.
‘I Saw the TV Glow’
No one captures the horror of growing up in the ‘90s like Jane Schoenbrun. Following up on their haunting debut feature, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Schoenbrun turns from the computer to the TV set as a vehicle for exploring how suburban malaise can morph into terror for teenagers who feel trapped in “I Saw the TV Glow.” Led by a youthful cast and chock full of nostalgia, the sci-fi film delivers the year’s most terrifying coming-of-age story and a truly original transgender allegory.
“I Saw the TV Glow” is available on Max and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Love Lies Bleeding’
In addition to some very hot sapphic sex, Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding” gifted the world Katy O’Brian when it released early this year. Making her film debut, the bodybuilder-turned-actor holds her own opposite Kristen Stewart in the dusty crime thriller about two women whose whirlwind romance turns homicidal. Verging on body horror, brimming with 1980s aesthetics and unfurling in a small Southwestern town — like a “Desert Hearts” on steroids — the film offers the type of wild, gritty romance rarely seen in films about lesbians.
“Love Lies Bleeding” is available on Max and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Problemista’
Former “Saturday Night Live” writer Julio Torres achieved another career milestone this year with his feature directorial debut, “Problemista.” The surrealist, comedic drama stars Torres and Tilda Swinton as an aspiring toymaker and an eccentric art critic who find problematic soulmates in each other. Despite its biting humor, the hopeful film shows off a softer side to Torres, making it one of the year’s most unexpected and endearing love stories.
“Problemista” is available on Max and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Queer’
Largely based on William S. Burroughs’ unfinished novel of the same name, Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” stars Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey as star-crossed lovers who carry out a toxic, substance-fueled affair in 1950s Mexico City. The cerebral film, which is earning Craig a slew of best actor nominations, initially gained attention for its full-frontal-heavy sex scenes. But its climax — a balletic sequence in which the men are intertwined in desire while tripping on ayahuasca — is what makes it one of the year’s steamiest titles.
“Queer” is playing in U.S. theaters nationwide.
‘Sing Sing’
Although he’s played a variety of onscreen roles, Colman Domingo seems to be especially suited to leading films based on inspiring true stories. In Greg Kwedar’s second feature, Domingo plays a wrongfully imprisoned writer who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a fellow member of Sing Sing’s theater program. Boasting a cast of formerly incarcerated actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves, “Sing Sing,” which could earn Domingo his first Oscar, is a superbly acted tribute to the human spirit that won’t soon be forgotten.
“Sing Sing” is available on video-on-demand platforms.
‘The People’s Joker’
Vera Drew’s semi-autobiographical superhero parody, “The People’s Joker,” isn’t for everyone, but, then again, it’s not trying to be. The Batman pastiche — which was pulled from the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival over alleged copyright issues — tells the origin story of supervillain Joker the Harlequin (Drew), an aspiring comedian whose outlook sours upon arriving in Gotham. After winning a die-hard fan base over a year of secret screenings, the dizzying piece of modern trans cinema has become one of the rare underground films to attract mainstream critical acclaim.
“The People’s Joker” is available on Mubi and video-on-demand platforms.
‘Will & Harper’
“Will & Harper,” which follows “SNL” alums Will Ferrell and Harper Steele on a two-week road trip to get reacquainted after the latter’s transition, was one of the year’s biggest cinematic surprises. What initially sounded like a PR stunt turned out to be a bighearted, stripped-down documentary about friendship and self-acceptance that earned Ferrell a new fan base and showed that two middle-age friends sitting around and talking about transgender issues makes for compelling storytelling.
“Will & Harper” is available on Netflix.
