These days we can find films with admired lesbian storylines pretty often. Raise your hands if you’d like to see Allie get together with someone other than Noah - just to mention a classic movie amongst Nicholas Sparks adaptations - or if you’d rather watch a movie about how two girls find each other and see the sparks fly in an uplifting comedy or a scary movie?
I’m not saying that the movies that hit the screens these days are top quality, but it’s safe to say that new movies are coming and they are divisive. The filmmakers are doing their jobs, so it’s my turn now to write recommendations.
Alena
This Swedish thriller is definitely not your average sappy story with a happy ending. Although the title doesn’t say much about what to expect, the genre certainly does.
‘People are often different than what they seem to be. But they are rarely better.’ Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s words fit this movie perfectly. Try to understand the reason behind someone being lost, but you might end up getting hurt.
The story takes place in an elite school where Alena drops in in the middle of the year. The situation is given for a cliché, all you need is a cool girl with her admirers and there you have the conflict. Her name is Filippa. Of course you need someone nice, too, so Fabienne arrives, who will soon become our main hero’s very close friend. The story is “haunted” by Josefin, Alana’s old friend. But who commits suicide, who’s a murderer and who terrorizes the students of this elite school? Find out for yourself watching the movie.
Body of Deceit
The movie came out in 2015, but to Hungary it only arrived around the end of 2017: a mystical-romantic thriller straight from Canada. The main character is played by Kristanna Loken - whom you might have seen in The L Word -, her name is Alice and she writes novels. Or she would if she wouldn’t have fallen into a coma after a car crash and to deep depression after waking up. But the deadlines are close, so she returns to the scene of the accident with her husband, in the hopes of recovery. Alice can’t remember anything and can’t find her style - which, let’s face it, is a problem when you’re a writer.
This is where Sara, the housekeeper comes in, unfolding a complicated love triangle in front of our eyes. Alice’s dreams, medicines and the appearance of a mysterious young man make the story complete.
The movie has received a lot of criticism: you can only watch it once, it’s not a permanent experience, etc. On the other hand, it is true that the ending is definitely unexpected.
AWOL
Life as a small town lesbian is not easy. Especially if the only way out is by joining the army. The 20-year-old Joey is stuck in this situation, and to make matters even more complicated, she falls in love with a married woman who’s the mother of two kids. So the tug of war begins… What’s more important: a stable future or the present, which is not that happy under the surface? Joey learns the lesson for a life: that every decision she makes has consequences.
The movie directed by Deb Shoval shows that the only person capable of deciding their own fate is reading these lines right now. Only you can make your decisions, but you also have to accept the consequences.
Allure
The 2018 film Allure turned out to be very divisive. It’s not an exaggeration to say it is a sickly dramatic thriller.
Laura works as a maid at a family home, where she meets the talented 16-year-old pianist, Eva. Eva is living in the web of her mother’s strict expectations and Laura’s life isn’t easy either because of her family. Due to all the family drama, Eva moves in with Laura.
Possession, solitude, manipulation, emotional abuse begins. The questions remain: what does Laura do when the police get involved? Is alcohol the solution? Is it right that all this happens to a 16-year-old girl? Is violence really a solution?
Perdona Nuestros Pecados
Our final piece is a Spanish telenovela spiced up with a lesbian storyline. I have no idea what’s gotten into these Spanish writers, but it looks like a lesbian storyline is becoming a popular cliché in their telenovelas.
Our main focus is on two protagonists of the story: Mercedes, who works as a headmaster of a school, and Bárbara, who is married. Their storyline makes the film even more exciting. The obstacles for them are Bárbara’s marriage, and that being a lesbian was not accepted in this era.
I don’t recommend this to everyone, but if you’re a fan of telenovelas or soap operas, it’s worth a try.
Translated by Éva Csermendy
