5 Great Gay Biopics to Watch Together with Your Beau

Article by Maya Vukovska

When it comes to gay representation in film, biopics have played a very important role over the past 20 years because they affect for good how we see gay celebrities of the present and distant past. What’s more, biopics help us reject the anachronistic view of heteronormative society, while celebrating the life and legacy of these prominent historical figures. The list of essential LGBTQ biopics is quite long, but here is my choice of the best among them.

Wilde (1997)

If anybody was born to play the notorious transgressor of his time, Oscar Wilde, it must have been Stephen Fry - and not only because of the incredible physical resemblance, but also because he himself has been often portrayed as being too clever, too cynical, and too complicated for his own good. The flaw of the genius writer lies not in his homosexuality (something that was considered a crime punishable by the law), but in his infatuation with the narcissistic and bad-tempered Lord Alfred Douglas (played by the young and exquisitely beautiful Jude Law). “Wilde” explores the many conflicts the writer had to face, among which the torturous effect the scandalous trial against him had on his wife and children. And again, Stephen Fry is Oscar Wilde in the flesh: a funny and talented idealist in a society that valued hypocrisy above anything else.

Capote (2005)

After reading about the murder of a Kansas family, the New York City-based novelist Truman Capote (played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to write a book about the horrifying story and travels to the small town accompanied by his close friend, Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). To be honest, if it wasn’t for the extraordinary performance of Seymour Hoffman, this movie wouldn’t have been included in my list. This guy goes beyond mimic and change of voice timber to inhabit the contradictory, tortured soul under the fakey skin of a social snob who’s holding court at cocktail parties. Seymor Hoffman doesn’t just act like Truman Capote. He IS Truman Capote.

Milk (2008)

Sean Penn delivers a chills-giving tribute to the gay pathfinder Harvey Milk. One of the biggest assets of the movie is that it acquaints the general public with an important part of American history that has been hugely under-reported. On the other hand, the director Gus Van Sant places Milk’s unapologetic homosexuality front and center, thus helping the audience see Milk as a human being as opposed to an advocate of a cause he believes in. Because of this attention to the human factor, it’s impossible to watch the biopic without empathizing deep within your heart.

Behind the Candelabra (2013)

This biopic unveils the truth behind the tempestuous six-year relationship between the eccentric and flamboyant pianist Liberace (played by Michael Douglas) and his much younger lover (Matt Damon). Obviously, the primal intention of the director, Steven Soderbergh, is to normalize homosexuality. And to a great extent, he succeeds in doing that by zooming out of the banal stereotype of golden slippers and pretentious toy boys. Spoiler alert: The movie doesn’t hold one’s attention for two hours straight, and it doesn’t have a happy ending. But what makes it worth watching is that it is a captivating reminder of an extraordinary, larger-than-life performer.

Maestro (2023)

This biopic is to be released between 30 August and 9 September, and judging by the rumors and the official preliminary info, it’s going to be one of the award-worthy must-sees of the year. It will tell the story of the legendary conductor, composer, and pianist, Leonard Bernstein. Although he was openly gay, Bernstein got married to a woman, so the movie focuses on his life-long relationship with his wife, the Chilean-American actress Felicia Montealegre. Bradley Cooper is both directing this musical biopic and playing the leading role. Official pictures from the movie set have been recently released showing 48-year-old Cooper all dolled up in prosthetics and makeup which transformed him into Bernstein across various stages of his life - from young to old. We are literally drooling over in anticipation of seeing it.