i-D's 50 Queer Films That Defined the 2010s

Created by Fergenaprido.

Favorited 2 times, disliked 0 times, added to 3 watchlists.

From 20th century-set lesbian love stories to transgender sex workers seeking revenge in modern day Hollywood, these are the 50 LGBTQ+ movies that shaped a decade of cinema.

Ten years feels like a long time, doesn't it? Presidencies have changed hands, whole industries have adapted to new methods of consumption, and the news that the planet is dying has gone from being a political footnote to galvanising the most vital, pressing movement of our times. Some communities, however, have barely changed at all. Instead, they've continued the fights they've been fighting for decades, awaiting their honest moment in the cultural spotlight.

For queer representation in cinema, the 2010s felt like a benchmark moment. What had existed before -- scatterings of queer love stories with heteronormative leads; inaccurate portrayals of trans bodies; queer characters fetishised or used for cheap laughs -- was finally starting to come undone. The tapestry of characters that graced our screens finally became representative of what life was like in the real world. Queer filmmakers got their time in the spotlight. Queer actors, finally, got the roles that had been stolen from them for decades.

To celebrate that, we've compiled a list of 50 queer films that defined the decade. While the top 10 is a standard countdown of what we consider to be the finest queer films to have hit cinema screens this decade, the remaining 40 are presented in random order: excellent films that deserve your recognition regardless of their position.