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posted by zavi
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Tipping the Velvet: This three part series follows the life of a young lesbian in 19th century England as she struggles to find a relationship and career. Based on the novel by Sarah Waters.
Country: UK, 2002
Original Language: English
Rating: 4/5
Zavi thinks: ‘Made for television’ movies are a totally different thing when done by the BBC rather than Hallmark or Lifetime. This film is a fascinating fantasy trip and is very well made. The first time I watched it was quite late at night, and I had decided I would just watch one segment – yeah right. Even though each part is an hour long, I just couldn’t stop watching. Each of the three sections have a totally different feel to them, ranging from light to dark to surreal, yet they fit together quite well.
Panda thinks: Weird at times and somewhat dark, this film contained a lot of elements that I wasn’t expecting, such as BDSM. I was very satisfied with the way the film was resolved in the …
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posted by zavi
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If These Walls Could Talk 2: This film explores different cultural and political eras of lesbian history by following the storylines of lesbian couples in three different decades.
Country: USA, 2000
Original Language: English
Rating: 4/5
Zavi thinks: This movie is neat for several reasons. One, it makes the challenges that queer women have faced over the decades personal to the modern-day viewer. Two, the fact that all three of the stories (from the ’60s, 70′s and ’00s) are set in the same house provides a neat central link. Three, none of the stories are cliches, which is quite refreshing. My favorite story is the first one, of the elderly couple in the ’60s (warning: is very sad though :P).
Panda thinks: It was weird to see Ellen in this movie, playing a real lesbian ha. I thought the storyline about the struggle between ‘liberated’ lesbians and butch/masculine/genderqueer lesbians was a good example of conflicts that arose during second wave feminism (and that some of these divides still exist today unfortunately, albeit …
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posted by zavi
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Fried Green Tomatoes: Through visiting an elderly lady at a nursing home and listening to her stories, a middle-aged Southern women learns to take pride in her femininity and take control of her own life.
Country: USA, 1991
Original Language: English
Rating: 4.5/5
Zavi thinks: So, the one-line description of this movie makes it sound like it was meant to be a Lifetime movie for middle-aged married women. It’s not – this movie is simply very hard to summarize (though its seemingly innocent appeal made it the first queer movie I ever watched – and with my conservative parents at that). The one-line description, though technically the plot of this movie, is not the reason to watch “Fried Green Tomatoes.” This film makes the top ten list because of the queer love story that is framed within it – a tale of powerful love that overcomes all cultural and social obstacles. Mary Louise Parker is super hot in this film. So is her love interest. You have to watch it.
Panda thinks: I …
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posted by zavi
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Saving Face: In this romantic comedy, a young Chinese-American lesbian struggles between following her heart and fulfilling the expectations of her very traditional Chinese family.
Country: USA, 2004
Original Language: English and Mandarin Chinese
Rating: 5/5
Zavi thinks: This is possibly my favorite lesbian movie ever. A lot of queer romantic films fall flat in exploring the motives and desires behind the lead character’s love, but in “Saving Face,” the clashes between both generations and different cultures are explored in considerable depth. The “squee factor” for me is quite high in this movie. From the perspective of a student, I love that the characters speak clear, understandable Mandarin (meaning I can claim that watching this movie is “language practice”). Also, from the perspective of a person from a very “traditional” family, I really enjoy that this film explores the tension between parents truly wanting the best for their children and children truly not wanting the same thing as the parents’ expectation. This movie would be great for either a group …
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posted by zavi
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Brokeback Mountain: Beautiful and tragic tale of two ranch hands who meet and fall in love as young men, but are forced by society to live out their days as heterosexual males, hiding their relationship from everyone around them.
Country: USA/Canada, 2005
Original Language: English
Rating: 5/5
Zavi thinks: For those who think that homosexuality can be “cured” or “suppressed,” this is a cautionary tale. For these two men, the suppression of their love for one another only leads to hardship for themselves and all of their loved ones. This story is only one of the many untold queer tales about the heartache that can result from suppressing one’s true desires.
Panda thinks: This movie means a lot to me on a variety of different levels. When I was younger, living in a small town, this film was the first openly queer movie ever made available to me on a mainstream level. I remember watching the trailer over and …
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