It’s been suggested to me that I need to do more listicles on WLW film reviews. It’s 2021. Nobody’s reading long form reviews, it’s all about lists baby! So, with that in mind, here’s a lesbian movie list that’s one WLW film for each month of the year because why not?
January
Moonlit Winter dir. Dae Hyung Lim
To me, January always seems the coldest, darkest and bleakest month. It’s right in the middle of winter with spring not yet in sight. That’s why the specifically winter-set Moonlit Winter is the film for this month. This slow and deliberate Korean movie deals with the yearning, regret and what could have beens that a first love sometimes inspire and a letter that brings these decade-old feelings to the surface.
Start of your year of WLW movies by renting Moonlit Winter from Amazon.
February
Murderous Maids dir. Jean-Pierre Denis
On February 2, 1933, Christine and Léa Papin murdered their employer. So dramatic was the case that there’s been at least two movie adaptions, both of which play up the suggestion of an incestuous relationship between the girls. Honestly, I was just trying to be unpredictable and choose a February movie that wasn’t some sort of Valentine’s romance. So instead, here’s Murderous Maids, a story about incest, murder and mental instability. Happy Valentine’s Day, I guess.
Celebrate an uncomfortable and bleak Valentine’s Day by purchasing Murderous Maids through Amazon.
March
In Hiding dir. Jan Kidawa-Blonski
March is the one month where I couldn’t find any movies that specifically fit for it. The best I could do was an ambiguously spring-set movie. The only one that really fit that bill was In Hiding, which is a Holocaust film. It’s basically Single White Female set during the Holocaust and slightly gayer. I promise, the next entries on this list won’t be about depressing historical events.
If you live in a region that uses PAL DVD formatting or have a region 2 DVD player, you can purchase In Hiding from Amazon. If anyone has any leads as to how this film can be viewed in region 1 countries, please comment below.
April
April’s Shower dir. Trish Doolan
Nothing depressing or historical here. April’s Shower is just a bad ensemble comedy! I’ve no idea what time of year April’s Shower takes place in. It’s set in California so it always looks sunny and warm. But shit, the lead character is named April and that’s just like the month! Even though it absolutely fits for the purpose of this list, I still can’t reccomend this as a movie. Read my full review here
Shower this blog with love by purchasing April’s Shower through this Amazon Affiliate link.
May
Anita’s Last Cha-Cha dir. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo
Most places in the world celebrate The Feast of Saint Clara in August. However, in Obando, the event is held on May 18. Anita’s Last Cha-Cha takes place during this festival in Obando. The film focuses on a childhood crush that blooms during the festival between Anita and an adult woman. Anita’s Last Cha-Cha has a large cast of secondary characters all with their own minor story line that occurs during the festival.
Anita’s Last Cha-Cha is current available on YouTube with English subtitles.
June
Booksmart dir. Olivia Wilde
June is graduation month. Not for everyone and not officially but when I think of June I think of the end of a school year. And what better WLW movie is there about graduation than Booksmart? This hip comedy stars Kaitlin Dever and Beanie Feldstein as two intelligent girls who realize how much fun they’ve missed out on due to their focus on school. In an attempt to make up with that, they embark on a crazy night of partying featuring hilarious fellow classmates and a lesbian subplot for Dever’s character, Amy. Read my full Booksmart review here.
Kick off summer vacation by buying or renting Booksmart through Amazon.
July
Family Pack dir. Chris Vander Stappen
I love it when the first line of a film’s summary tells me when it happened. Makes this list way easier. Family Pack takes place in July, 1969. As man prepares to walk on the moon for the first time, Sachas prepares to tell the truth to her family. She is going to come clean to her family about both her financial troubles and her Canadian girlfriend.
Family Pack can be purchased on DVD through Amazon.
August
Lesbian August dir. Erricos Andreou
Lesbian August is the entire reason for this list. What a title. Simple and direct. Lesbian August. Honestly, the title’s the best thing here. Lesbian August is a piece of cheap Greek exploitation that doesn’t think much of women. In compensation, I demand another 11 films be made that are just the word lesbian in front of the months of the year. I call dibs on writing Lesbian November. Read my full Lesbian August review here.
I cannot find any legal ways to view Lesbian August. There are full versions of the film floating around, particularly on porn sites but I’m gonna leave it to the reader to put in the work if they really wanna view this film.
September
Liz in September dir. Fina Torres
Another one that made this list really easy to do. Liz in September takes place in September and has the month in its name. The unquestionable queen of lesbian movies for the September month. The film itself is the story of an unhappy woman who ends up at a hotel occupied by a bunch of lesbians. She falls for one of them but uh-oh! Someone’s got a terminal illness! Cue my tears. Read my full review here.
Start your September with a good cry by purchasing Liz in September on Amazon.
October
May dir. Lucky Mckee
Yeah, I pulled a fast one on you. The obviously place for a movie called May to go is the month of May. But May is a horror movie and horror movies are for October. May also has a scene take place at a Halloween party which further cements my decision to have it represent October. The film has great energy, comedic moments and queer sensibilities. Angela Bettis’ lead character May is a definite awkward outsider who engages in bisexual relationships and maybe does some bad things to people’s eyes and hands.
May is available for digital rental or purchase through Amazon.
November
Lez Bomb dir. Jenna Laurenzo
American Thanksgiving is a cultural juggernaut I don’t understand. We have thanksgiving in Canada too but it’s a very half-assed version. Less the biggest travel holiday of the year complete with its own mythological original story and more we just saw the Americans eating turkey and wanted an excuse to do that too. Also, Canadian thanksgiving happens a month earlier because it’s colder up here or something. Anyway, Lez Bomb is a film that takes place during Thanksgiving. Like April’s Shower, it’s a wacky ensemble comedy about a woman trying to come out in the face of a series of zany family members and friends. Read my full review here.
Lez Bomb is available for purchase on Amazon. It also makes the rounds of various free streaming services including the Roku channel and Gravitas Films.
December
Season of Love dir. Christin Baker
There’s several lesbian Christmas movies. I made a list about lesbian holiday movies a while back and most of them were Christmas movies. Regardless of sexuality, everyone likes a Christmas movie, I guess. Especially a light-hearted romance. Season of Love does you one better than this. It’s not just one Christmas-set queer romance, it’s three. Sure, Carol got numerous Oscar nominations and Happiest Season is the same movie as Lez Bomb but better. But did either of those have three whole seasonal lesbian couples (that’s six whole queer women!)? I don’t think so.
Season of Love is exclusively available for rental or purchase at Tello Films.
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