Lesbian, WLW & Sapphic Movie Reviews

『Facing the Truth in a Love Born from Lies』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Idle Thoughts (2018) 🌍 Country: 🇨🇦 Canada 🎞️ Genre: Romance / Comedy / Queer 🗓️ Production & Release: Andrew Willig, 2018, Short Film ⏳ Running Time: Approx. 70 minutes 📢 Director: Andrew Willig 🖋️ Screenplay: Andrew Willig 📺 Platform: YouTube 👩‍💼 Cast: Alexandra Voicu – as Poppy Nathalie J. Cerny – as Elaine 🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers) 🎭 The Dangerous Project of a Lazy Writer The film begins with Poppy, a writer who has lost her inspiration and is living an idle life—just as the title “Idle Thoughts” suggests. Pressured by her publisher to produce a new book, she struggles to find any good ideas. The Beginning of a Lie: Poppy meets her new girlfriend, Elaine, and decides to use their relationship as the subject for her next book. The problem is that she plans to pretend the relationship lasts longer than it actually does in order to finish her novel. In other wor...

『What Is Family, and How Far Can Love Go?』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Seeking Dolly Parton (2015) 🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Comedy / Queer 🗓️ Production and Release: Grizzly Peak Films, 2015, Feature Film ⏳ Running Time: 80 minutes 📢 Director: Michael Worth 🖋️ Screenplay: Michael Worth 📺 Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV 👩‍💼 Cast: Kacey Clarke – Charlie Anya Monzikova – Cerina 🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers Included) 🌱 The ‘Dolly Parton’ Rose and a Curious Triangle Seeking Dolly Parton tells the story of a lesbian couple who decide to have a baby by bringing a man into their lives as a “co-parent,” setting off a series of emotional conflicts and evolving relationships. The film goes beyond portraying the pregnancy process of a same-sex couple—it raises profound questions about the meaning of family, personal identity, and the cost of sacrifice. The title comes from Charlie’s desire to find a rose variety called “Dolly ...

『Even When Everything Seems Perfect, the Heart Is Not』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Everything Is Wonderful (2017) 🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Psychological / Female Narrative 🗓️ Production: Buenos Dias Productions ⏳ Running Time: 75 minutes 📢 Director: Pia Mechler, Co-director: Stephanie Angel 🖋️ Screenplay: Pia Mechler 📺 Platform: Vimeo on Demand, Amazon Prime Video 👩‍💼 Cast: Pia Mechler – Lena Tonia Sotiropoulou – Maria 🧩 In-Depth Story Analysis (Spoilers) 🍷 Sharing the ‘Perfect Dissatisfaction’ Lena and Maria come from different backgrounds and circumstances, but they share a fundamental commonality — a deep dissatisfaction with their current lives . Lena: Trapped Perfection — Financially secure and outwardly flawless, Lena’s life is marked by monotony and a loss of meaning. Her existence can best be described as “Everything but Nothing.” Maria: The Conflict Between an Unfulfilled Dream and Reality — Having come to New York...

『A tangled web of mistakes, betrayal, and the true story of forgiveness』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Funny Story (2018) 🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Comedy / Family 🗓️ Production & Release: Cinemand, 2018, Feature Film ⏳ Runtime: 85 min 📢 Director: Michael J. Gallagher 🖋️ Screenplay: Michael J. Gallagher, Steve Greene 📺 Platform: Amazon Prime Video and others 👩‍💼 Cast: Emily Bett Rickards – Kim Jana Winternitz – Nic 🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers) 🚗 The irony of the title: not a “funny” story at all The title Funny Story is, in fact, a deliberate irony. While it outwardly takes on elements of a comedy and road movie, beneath the surface lies a story filled with infidelity, betrayal, and fractured family ties . The film’s humor is therefore a thin layer covering deep emotional wounds. Balancing black comedy: Director Michael J. Gallagher and co-writer Steve Greene manage to handle what could easily become a melodramatic premise (a fat...

『A Story of True Love and Self-Acceptance Blooming Amid Conservative Politics and Oppression』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Liberty's Secret (2016) 🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA 🎞️ Genre: Musical / Comedy / Romance / Political Satire 🗓️ Production & Release: Andy Kirshner, Debbie Williams, 2016, Feature Film ⏳ Runtime: Approx. 90 minutes 📢 Directors: Andy Kirshner, Debbie Williams 🖋️ Screenplay & Music: Andy Kirshner 📺 Platform: DVD and select online streaming services 👩‍💼 Cast: Jaclene Wilk – Liberty Smith Cara AnnMarie – Nikki Levin 🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers) 🎤 The Fusion of Political Satire and Queer Musical Liberty’s Secret occupies a unique place as both a political satire set during a conservative presidential campaign and a queer musical comedy centered on a romance between two women. The literal “song and dance of politics”: Director Andy Kirshner turns the “song and dance of politics” into an actual musical number , parodying the...

『A 90s Lesbian Romance Radiating Sincerity and Simplicity』 🎥 Movie Overview 🎬 Title: Go Fish (1994) 🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 United States 🎞️ Genre: Romance / Drama / Independent Film 🗓️ Production and Release: Rose Troche Films, 1994, Feature Film ⏳ Runtime: 83 minutes 📢 Director: Rose Troche 🖋️ Screenplay: Rose Troche, Guinevere Turner 📺 Platform: DVD, Select Online Streaming Services 👩‍💼 Cast: Guinevere Turner – Max V.S. Brodie – Ely 🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers) 👩‍❤️‍👩 The Playful Rebel of ‘New Queer Cinema’ Go Fish is recognized as one of the key works of the early 1990s “New Queer Cinema” movement. The film rejects the tropes of tragedy, AIDS narratives, and martyrdom that dominated queer cinema at the time, instead focusing on the humor, love, and everyday life of the lesbian community. It serves as an “antidote to despair” within queer film history. DIY Aesthetics and Black-and-White Visuals: Made on an ultra-low budget of just $15,000, ...

『A Warm Romantic Comedy Connecting Food, Love, and Identity』 🎥 Movie Overview 🎬 Title: Nina's Heavenly Delights (2006) 🌍 Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (Set in Scotland) 🎞️ Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama / Family 🗓️ Production and Release: BBC Films, 2006, Feature Film ⏳ Runtime: 96 minutes 📢 Director: Pratibha Parmar 🖋️ Screenplay: Andrea Gibb 📺 Platform: DVD, Amazon Prime Video, Other VOD Services 👩‍💼 Cast: Shelley Conn – Nina Shah Laura Fraser – Lisa 🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers) 🍛 A Queer Rom-Com in the Style of a 'Masala Movie' Nina's Heavenly Delights is set within the Indian immigrant (diaspora) community and adopts the “masala movie” style of Bollywood , delivering a bright and buoyant take on queer romance. Rather than dwelling on heavy social critique, the film emphasizes its feel-good tone and emotional warmth. 🍲 The Catalyst of Connection: 'Cooking' as Sensual and Emotional Bond The romance ...

『Quiet Yet Profound Resonance — A Healing Journey Connecting Past and Present』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Be With You (윤희에게, 2019) 🌍 Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Coming-of-Age / Romance 🗓️ Production & Release: Lotte Entertainment, 2019, Feature Film ⏳ Running Time: 99 min 📢 Director: Lim Dae-hyung (임대형) 🖋️ Screenplay: Lim Dae-hyung (임대형) 📺 Platform: Watcha, Naver Series On, and other VOD services 👩‍💼 Cast: Kim Hee-ae (김희애) – Yoon-hee (윤희) Nakamura Yuko (나카무라 유코) – Jun (쥰) 🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers) 📩 The Narrative of the “Letter”: Breaking the Boundaries of Time and Emotion The film Be With You begins and unfolds through the analog medium of a letter , exploring the depth of emotion that transcends time and social context. Unsent Emotions: The letter Jun wrote to Yoon-hee sits unmailed on her desk for years until Jun’s aunt, Masako, quietly drops it into a mailbox. This letter is not a mere friendly greeting—...

『Two Women Who Were Each Other’s Burden and Salvation: Silence and Solidarity Amid Violence』 🎥 Movie Overview 🎬 Title: A Girl at My Door (도희야, 2014) 🌍 Country: 🇰🇷 South Korea 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Social Commentary / Psychological Drama 🗓️ Production & Release: Film Company Noon / CJ Entertainment, 2014, Feature Film ⏳ Runtime: 119 minutes 📢 Director: Jung July 🖋️ Screenplay: Jung July 📺 Platforms: Wavve, Watcha, TVING 👩‍💼 Cast: Bae Doona as Lee Young-nam Kim Sae-ron as Sun Do-hee 🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers) 🐚 The Mechanism of Violence: A Gloomy Portrait of a Closed Community A Girl at My Door meticulously dissects the dark social structure that condones violence through its setting in an isolated seaside village in South Korea. Yong-ha’s Power: The only young man in the village, Yong-ha (played by Song Sae-byeok), maintains control by exploiting illegal migrant workers , effectively positioning himself as the village’s hi...

『Depicting the Flutter of First Love, Growth, and the Courage to Love』 🎥 Movie Overview 🎬 Title: LoverGirl 🗓️ Production & Release: 2021 ⏳ Runtime: 16 minutes 🎥 Director/Writer: Shawna Khorasani 🎭 Main Cast: Shawna T. Hunt (as Dakota), Erica Smith (as Danny) 📽️ Genre: Short Romantic Comedy / LGBTQ+ Teen Coming-of-Age 🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers) 💌 Dakota's Awkward Courtship and Charm Dakota has long harbored a crush on her friend Danny . Initially, Dakota assumes Danny is heterosexual and hides her feelings, but everything changes when Danny comes out as bisexual. Romantic Desire and Awkward Execution: Dakota plans and executes grand romantic gestures worthy of a movie scene to confess her feelings. While these follow typical romantic comedy clichés, humor arises from repeated misfires and outcomes not going as intended. The Struggle of 'LoverGirl': As the title 'LoverGirl' suggests, Dakota embodies every...

『Reconciliation of Family and Love Blossoming Between Tradition and Modernity』 🎥 Movie Overview 🎬 Title: Chutney Popcorn 1999 🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Family / LGBTQ+ 🗓️ Production & Release: 1999 📢 Director/Writer/Lead: Nisha Ganatra 👩‍💼 Cast: Reena as Nisha Ganatra , Lisa as Jill Hennessy 🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers) 👩‍👧‍👧 'Chutney Popcorn': Reena's Complex Identity as a Liminal Figure The film's title, 'Chutney Popcorn,' metaphorically represents the hybrid identity of the protagonist Reena . Caught between the intensity of Indian culture (Chutney) and the mainstream of American culture (Popcorn), Reena lives in New York as an Indian-American lesbian artist , never fully belonging to either world as a true liminal figure. Reena's identity struggles unfold around three major points of conflict. Cultural Conflict: The expectations of a traditional Indian family vs. the freedom ...

『Powerless Love Before the Law: A Stark Reflection on the Reality of Thai Same-Sex Couples』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: 1448 Love Among Us 🌍 Country: 🇹🇭 Thailand 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Social Critique 🗓️ Production and Release: 2014 📢 Director: Arunsak Ongla-or 👩‍💼 Cast: Apinya Sakuljaroensuk as Pim, Isabella Lete as Pat 🧩 Deep Story Exploration (Spoilers) ❤️‍🔥 The Symbolism of “1448” and the Legal Barrier The number 1448 in the film’s title symbolically represents its central theme. It refers to the Thai Civil and Commercial Code’s clause concerning marriage , or can be interpreted as a provocative question: “Is love between same-sex individuals legitimate in the eyes of the law?” The film highlights the painful divide between the reality of love and the absence of legal recognition faced by same-sex couples in Thailand. It serves as a crucial cultural text voicing a call for the legalization of same-sex marriage within Thai society. 👭 The Pa...

『Crossroads of Friendship and Growth on Diverging Paths』 🎥 Film Overview 🎬 Title: Where We Belong (Original title: ที่ตรงนั้นมีฉันหรือเปล่า) 🌍 Country: 🇹🇭 Thailand 🎞️ Genre: Drama / Coming-of-Age / Friendship 🗓️ Production and Release: 2019 📢 Director: Kongdej Jaturanrasmee (คงเดช จาตุรันต์รัศมี) 👩‍🎤 Cast: Jennis Oprasert (as Sue), Praewa Suthamphong (as Belle) 🧩 Story Deep Dive (Contains Spoilers) 🌱 The Metaphor of the Island and the Sea: Between Identity and Possibility “Where We Belong” takes place primarily in the small island town of Chanthaburi in southern Thailand. This island carries dual meanings for the protagonists — it is both a stagnant present and a hometown to escape from . The Island: Symbolizes stability but also stagnation — the weight of family, the past, and traditional values. The Sea / The Outside World: Represents the only passage out of the island — a realm of new opportunities, dreams, and the potential fo...