June may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean we can't keep supporting LGBTQ communities even after Pride month.
While the fight for equality continues, we shouldn't forget to also take a break every now and then to regain the strength and energy needed to resume battling for LGBTQ rights.
So while you're taking a break, why not binge-watch some LGBTQ films?
Here are eight LGBTQ films from Asia to watch this Pride month.
A warning in advance that many of these films may be sexual in nature and are not recommended for young children.
1. The Handmaiden / 아가씨 (Lady) (2016)
Director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) returns to produce an erotic psychological thriller film inspired by a 2002 novel titled Fingersmith.
Set in Korea during the 1930s, a young Korean woman named Sook-Hee begins work as a handmaiden for Lady Hideko, a young Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life with her domineering uncle. Sook-Hee is in leagues with a swindler operating under the alias Count Fujiwara who plans to seduce Lady Hideko, marry her to obtain her inheritance, before abandoning her at an asylum. But Sook-Hee unexpectedly develops feelings toward Lady Hideko, which leads to long-buried secrets being revealed.
Cast: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri (debut film), Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong
Watch this if you like:
- Psychological thrillers
- Crime
- Drama
Content Warning:
- Depictions of abuse
- Depictions of drug use
- Death
2. Bangkok Love Story / เพื่อน...กูรักมึงว่ะ (Friend... I love you) (2007)
Cast: Rattanaballang Tohssawat, Chaiwat Thongsaeng, Weeradit Srimalai
Watch this if you like:
- Drama
- Action
- Crime
- Tragedy
Content Warning:
- Violence
- Death
3. Two Weddings and a Funeral / 두 번의 결혼식과 한 번의 장례식 (2012)
Hospital doctors Min-soo and Hyo-jin are both in same-sex relationships. Min-soo is dating his partner Suk, while Hyo-jin and her partner of 10 years Seo-yeong dream of adopting a child together. Their solution? Help each other through a fake marriage by pretending to be a heterosexual couple to enjoy the benefits "normal" couples do and ward off public scrutiny. Everything goes well at first, until Min-soo's parents begin to get suspicious of the four of them.
Cast: Kim Dong-yoon, Ryu Hyun-kyung, Song Yong-jin, Jung Ae-yeon
Watch this if you like:
- Romance
- Comedy
4. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros / Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (2005)
The Filipino film has made rounds in various international film festivals including the Netherlands' International Film Festival Rotterdam and Canada's Montreal World Film Festival.
Maxi, a feminine 12-year-old boy living in the slums takes on the role as the mother of his family spending his days cooking and doing household chores. When Maxi is attacked by local thugs one late night, he's fortunately saved by rookie police officer Victor. Maxi's family's illegal livelihood is soon in contention with his crush on Victor and Maxi finds himself torn between family and love.
Cast: Nathan Lopez, JR Valentin, Ping Medina
Watch this if you like:
- Coming-of-age stories
- Drama
Content Warning:
- Hints of an underage relationships
- Death
5. Seven Days / セブンデイズ (2015)
Based on a manga series of the same name, high schooler Yuzuru Shino hears a rumor about the most popular student at school Touji Seryou. Touji will accept anyone who asks him out at the beginning of the week and end their relationship after a week of dating. Yuzuru asks Touji out as a half-hearted joke, but surprisingly Touji accepts! Over the course of the next seven days, Yuzuru's feelings for Touji grows and he begins to dread the day they have to inevitably end their relationship.
Cast: Hirose Tomoki, Yamada Takeshi James
Watch this if you like:
- Romance
- Comedy
6. Fathers / ฟาเธอร์ส (2016)
In a thorough analysis of Thailand's concept of gay marriage and the legalities of raising a child as an LGBTQ couple, director Palatpol Mingpornpichit examines what it actually means to be gay in the Land of Smiles.
Phoon and Yuke, a same-sex couple, have been together for 13 years, raising their adoptive child Butr, who was abandoned at birth. When Butr begins to attend school, he's made fun of by other children for not having a mother and this leads him to question his fathers. Butr begins acting out at school, only for the Children's Right Protection Organization to become involved with the family, leading to tensions rising in the small family to do what's best for their son even if it costs them their happiness.
Cast: Asda Panichkul, Nat Sakdatorn, Aritach Pipattangkul, Sinjai Plengpanich
Watch this if you like:
- Family themes
- LGBTQ parenting
- Drama
7. The Iron Ladies / สตรีเหล็ก (2001)
Following the true events of Thailand's first-ever LGBTQ volleyball team to win the Thai national championship in 1996, two films have been made to honor their legacy.
The story begins with two gay men Mon and Jung who try out for spots on a local volleyball team after a change in coaches. When Mon and Jung are selected, the former players all resign in protest of their new teammates. Along with their new coach, Coach Bee, Mon and Jung are left to enlist the help of their friends in order to revive the team.
Cast: Jesdaporn Pholdee, Sahaphap Tor, Ekachai Buranapanit
Watch this if you like:
- Sports
- Comedy
Content Warning:
- Outdated language/terms toward the LGBTQ community
8. Tropical Malady / สัตว์ประหลาด (Monster) (2005)
Despite its bifurcated structure, meaning two segments in one, the artistic film/narrative was the first Thai film to be featured, and to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
The first part of the film features a burgeoning romance between a soldier named Keng who meets country boy Tong. The film's narrative switches in the second half featuring a familiar soldier sent alone into the woods to find a lost villager. Only to encounter the spirit of a tiger shaman.
Cast: Banlop Lmnoi, Sakda Kaewbuadee
Watch this if you like:
- Romance
- Psychological fiction
- Drama
- Artistic interpretations
Content Warning:
- Depictions of drug use
If you enjoyed this list, check out this one on 5 LGBTQ musicians from Southeast Asia that you should definitely try listening to! We promise you won't regret it.
Will you be watching any of these films?
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Cover image sourced from YouTube, Amazon, and HKR books.
