LGBTQA in Films

List Hai Toh Hit Hai

Welcome to List hai toh hit hai, a theme-based podcast special on OTTplay, I'm your host Nikhil with you.

More often than not, films do a poor job of depicting marginalised sections of society. The LGBTQA community has unfortunately been subject to such poor filmmaking tactics as well. From lewd humour to stereotypical depictions, films have seldom been able to do justice to the already marginalised. However, some movies have gone the extra mile to ensure their characters honestly depict the struggles and trauma of the ostracised, steering clear of any one-note depictions and opting for poignant storytelling instead. Here’s a list of films that truly tug at the heartstrings.

Boys Don't Cry

Boys Don’t Cry is a 1999 American biopic of Brandon Teena, played by Hilary Swank. The movie revolves around the life of Brandon, an American trans man who relocates to Nebraska and falls in love with an aspiring singer Lana Tinsdel, (played by Chloë Sevigny). But things take an unexpected turn when Lana gets to know about his identity as a trans man.

OTTplay Rating - 7.7

Available - Disney + Hotstar

Call Me By Your Name

This film is a 2017 romantic drama starring Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, and Michael Stuhlbarg in the leads. The story is set in Italy and follows a teenager Elio, who develops feelings for an older Oliver, an assistant to his father. Through his growing affections towards Oliver, Elio discovers his sexual orientation.

OTTplay Rating - 8.0

Available - Disney + Hotstar, Netflix

Schitt’s Creek

Schitt’s Creek is a Canadian television sitcom aired on CBC Television between 2015 and 2020. The 80-episode show has an ensemble cast consisting of Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. The series received three nominations for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, for their portrayal of the LGBTQA community. The story depicts a former well-to-do Rose family who go bankrupt and are forced to move into a run-down motel in a small town called Schitt’s Creek.

OTTplay Rating - 8.7

Available - Exclusively on Netflix
Killing Eve

This is a 2018 British spy television series starring Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri and Jodie Comer as Villanelle in the lead. Eve, a British intelligence officer is assigned a task to capture assassin Villanelle. After a trail of chases, they develop mutual feelings for each other.

OTTplay Rating - 7.9

Available - Amazon Prime Video, Disney + Hotstar

The Imitation game

This British historical drama was released in 2014 and is based on the 1983 biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. The plot is based on the life of Turing, a British mathematician who joined a cryptography team to decode the German messages during World War II. He successfully builds a machine that decodes the same but is disgraced after British authorities reveal he is gay.

OTTplay Rating - 8.4

Available - Netflix, Zee5, Amazon Prime Video, Jio, YouTube, Hungama, Google Play

Duck Butter

This is an American experimental comedy released in 2018, starring Alia Shawkat, Laia Costa, Mae Whitman, Hong Chau and Kate Berlant. The story follows two women overwhelmed by dishonest and broken relationships. They decide to spend 24 hours being intimate with each other to find a whole new level of ecstasy, but it doesn't go as planned.

OTTplay Rating - 5.6

Available - Exclusively on Netflix

Alright, that's the List hai toh hit hai for today, I shall be back again tomorrow with a brand new episode, until then it's your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho!