While the month of June is synonymous with celebration for LGBTQIA+ people, SVOD platforms are offering special selections to extend the struggle in the cultural field. 4 fabulously queer films are available for streaming: The Prom on Netflix, Avalonia, the strange journey And The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Disney+, as well as Three nights a week on Canal+.
We cannot say it enough: screen representation is essential. If the cinema has not always known how to write LGBTQIA + characters worthy of the name, in recent years, the trend has fortunately reversed. So to celebrate Pride Month as it should be, without forgetting the political dimension of the battles to be waged, here are 4 films to discover on SVOD platforms.
On this Saturday, June 17, 2023, you can organize a prom with The Prom on Netflix, save the planet with Avalonia, the strange journey on Disney+, learn the best choreography in the world with The Rocky Horror Picture Showalso on Disney+, or dive into the world of drag queens with Three nights a week on Canal+.
The Prom on Netflix, the teenage queer celebration
When we think of LGBTQIA+ representation, we often think of ultra-prolific series creator Ryan Murphy (Glee, Pose, American Horror Story). But this American director, screenwriter and producer fortunately did not limit himself to the small screen. In 2020, he thus presented his musical The Promlargely designed for those nostalgic for Glee, with a stunning cast. Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!), James Corden (The Late Late Show), Nicole Kidman (Red Mill!) and Kerry Washington (Scandal) are visibly having a blast in this giant queer celebration.
In The Prom, two Broadway artists, Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman see their careers wither. At their wit’s end, they land in a small town in Indiana, where Emma, a young high school student, simply wants to attend the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa. Problem: the parents’ association strictly prohibits gay couples from attending. Dee Dee and Barry then throw themselves headlong into this fight to give Emma a ball worthy of the name and defend the LGBTQIA+ community.
So obviously it’s Ryan Murphy, so it’s too much, much too colorful, benevolent and strongly gnan-gnan. But The Prom, on Netflix, remains a film of infinite sweetness for all teenagers, present or past, who have experienced discrimination and the fear of being who they really are. A bomb of positivity, ideal for Pride Month.
- Watch if you liked: Glee; Love, Simon; Mamma Mia! ; hairspray; Tick, Tick… Boom!
- Must see if you are looking for: musical comedy ; gold casting; humor ; for teenagers but not only; to see with the family; romance; inspiring; power of culture; celebrating lesbians; LGBTQIA+ struggles; permanent exaggeration; Broadway style; feel good ; no violence ; brushing against the indigestion of good feelings but worshiping all the same; Meryl Streep more awesome than ever
Avalonia, the strange journey on Disney+, the queer environmentalist celebration
In this Pride Month, why not advocate the convergence of struggles and relax in front of a cartoon too queer what environmentalist? Bingo, Avalonia, the strange journey check all these boxes. If the latest animated production from Disney studios was released to general indifference, at Christmas 2022, it nevertheless has many assets to be high quality family and political entertainment. In this colorful adventure tale, the inhabitants of the planet Avalonia lead a prosperous life, since a plant offers them the benefits of electricity. But this balance will soon be upset and the Clade family, accustomed to the daily life of farmers, will have to reconnect with their past as adventurers. They will embark on a dangerous, but incredible, epic in a totally unknown world.
Avalonia, the strange journey thus develops a strong ecological statement, in a cartoon with rather adult issues, but still accessible to the little ones. Icing on the cake: Ethan, the son of the Clade family, is gay. But this characteristic is simply part of its identity, without becoming an eternal problem or subject of awkward discussion. On the contrary, these types of representations do a lot of good, allowing Ethan to be able to just live his teenage life, totally terrified at the idea of talking to Diazo, his crush. An endearing character, in an important film on many themes. What more ?
- Watch if you liked: Ahead ; dragoons; Wall-E; Lilo & Stitch
- Must see if you are looking for: journey ; adventure ; fantastic ; cute animals; humor ; breathtaking landscapes; Disney production; celebrating gays; unexplored world; ecology; LGBTQIA+ representation; animation ; to see with the family; ecological statement; diversity ; crazy father-son relationship
The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Disney+, the musical queer celebration
Pride Month wouldn’t be complete without watching THE musical queer par excellence. Completely extravagant in every detail, The Rocky Horror Picture Show however, was a complete flop when it was released in 1975, before becoming one of the most cult films of the seventh art. Mixing science fiction, horror and assumed kitsch, this unclassifiable musical features Janet and Brad, who have just become engaged. One stormy evening, their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. They then take refuge in a mysterious castle and meet its inhabitants, including the whimsical Dr. Frank-N-Furter…
welcome to Rocky Horror Picture Show, an hour and a half of rock’n’roll musical tableaux and subversive lyrics, advocating sexual and gender freedom. We warn you: it’s an experience halfway between a big embarrassing party and an old-fashioned UFO. Perfect for the Halloween period, this monument of culture queer completely crazy also blends tastefully with the celebration of LGBTQIA+ fights. And if you prefer the atmosphere of a cinema, know that the film has never left the poster since 1978 at the mythical Studio Galande, in Paris, and that it is therefore broadcast every Friday and Saturday, in a absolutely amazing atmosphere.
- To see you liked: Chicago; Cabaret; Phantom of the Paradise; Sweeney Todd
- Must see if you are looking for: musical comedy ; Cult movie ; parody; staggered; dark humor ; fantastic ; horror ; odd ; sexual freedom; celebrate the characters queer ; sing out loud about Sweet Transvestite ; “Let’s do the Time Warp again!” »
Three nights a week on Canal+, the romantic queer celebration
To end this selection, what could be better than a romantic comedy full of love and cuteness? In Three nights a week, Baptiste is a young photographer who has just met Cookie Kunty, an iconic drag queen of the Parisian nightlife. Together, they develop an artistic project and gradually begin to get closer. Baptiste then discovers the man behind the drag queen, Quentin, and will completely question his long-time relationship with Samia.
Large audience and warm, this first film by Florent Gouëlou is a small nugget of sensitivity, whose lighting and photography are sublime. We follow these characters with pleasure, embodied by the remarkable Pablo Pauly (patients) and especially Romain Eck, who also brings Cookie Kunty to life off camera. This romantic immersion in the world of drag queens does not spare us many clichés of the genre, but seduces with its comic and dramatic force, combined with a flamboyant highlighting of these outstanding artists. Three nights a week is an incredibly soft, tender, political film, which happily spills its joyful sequins of sensuality.
- Watch if you liked: Drag Race France ; Priscilla, Mad of the Desert; Heartstopping
- Must see if you are looking for: romantic comedy ; intimate; discover the world of drag queens and the men who bring them to life; love story ; for all ; feel good ; humor ; dreams and hopes; celebrate drag queens; getting ready for season 2 of Drag Race Francewhich arrives on June 30, 2023 on the France TV website
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