The best LGBTQ movies on Amazon Prime Video right now

Colin Firth stars in Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man. Set in 1960s Los Angeles, the film follows George Falconer, a man grieving the death of his partner while contemplating suicide. As he makes peace with his decision, he crosses paths with the people whose lives he has touched. A Single Man is a stunning showcase of Firth’s abilities, earning him his first Oscar nomination. Aided by an equally affecting Julianne Moore, Firth crafts a gentle, nuanced, and poignant depiction of grief, making for a tough, but rewarding watch.

Natasha Lyonne stars in the campy cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader. The film tells the story of Megan, a teenage cheerleader sent to a conversion therapy camp to deal with her lesbianism. Although initially reluctant to admit her sexuality, Megan slowly comes to terms with her identity after forming a connection with another girl at the camp. The film features an impressive supporting cast, including Clea DuVall and Melanie Lynskey. Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, But I’m a Cheerleader has become a beloved cult classic and is now widely recognized as a pivotal entry in the expanding landscape of 1990s LGBTQ+ cinema.

Julie Cohen and Betsy West weren’t looking to find an unsung hero of the civil rights struggle when they first came upon Pauli Murray’s name. Instead, they were delving into the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the 2018 documentary RBG, and the name of this relatively unknown lawyer and activist kept popping up as one of Ginsburg’s biggest influences. As early as the 1940s, Pauli Murray was fighting for women’s rights and ultimately proved instrumental in adding the Equal Protection Clause to the 14th Amendment. Through archival footage and the extensive recordings Murray left behind when she passed away in 1985, My Name Is Pauli Murray paints an intimate portrait not only of an influential activist whose name has gone unspoken on too many tongues for too long but someone with a surprisingly contemporary understanding of gender that many today are still struggling to wrap their heads around.

Jamie Campbell came out as the drag queen Fifi at a high school prom. The BBC reported on his story with the 2011 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, which inspired the stage musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Four years after the premiere of the musical, the story was adapted to film with Max Harwood in the eponymous role. Jamie, a lot of critics will tell you, does not break new ground. The film is a story we’ve heard before and are likely to hear again. Regardless, it proves to be a fun and heartwarming musical, with Harwood’s inherent magnetism making up for any narrative shortcomings.

In Amazon Prime’s original film Uncle Frank, Paul Bettany (WandaVision) plays Frank Bledsoe — a man about to learn that the secrets we keep from our families can be both more and less important than we ever imagined. Set in the early ’70s, Uncle Frank finds its titular lead living with his lover, Walid (Peter Macdissi). Frank’s pretty sure no one in his South Carolinian family knows he’s gay, but that changes when his young niece, Beth (Sophia Lillis), pays him a surprise visit in New York and discovers her uncle’s true life. Matters are further complicated when news of the death of the family patriarch arrives. Frank and Beth set out on their own to South Carolina for the services, leaving Walid behind because Frank doesn’t want the rest of his family to discover his secret. Walid follows anyway, and the trio has a touching, funny journey to the funeral, where some shocking surprises await them.