Long leading front in LGBTQ+ narrative, European lesbian movies provide rich stories that examine the complexity of lesbian relationships in several cultural settings. From the sun-drenched settings of Spain to the austere beauty of Eastern Europe, these films offer a window into how many countries interact with female same-sex desire, love, and identity.
This carefully selected guide to European lesbian films features some of the most interesting works from important regions. We have chosen three outstanding films for every nation that highlight both creative quality and meaningful representation, therefore allowing you a taste of how each nation’s own cinematic voice handles lesbian stories. Should the viewpoint of a given nation piques your curiosity, you will find connections to our extensive country-specific guide where we go deeper into their lesbian film history. European lesbian films provide rich and varied points of view whether your search is for passionate relationships, coming-of-age adventures, or strong investigations of social strife.
Table of Contents
French Lesbian Cinema
French directors have perfected the technique of catching desire with slow glances and amazing photography. Discover our favourites from the nation that transforms lesbian stories into an artistic medium; then, review our whole guide to French lesbian film.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Country: France
Release Year: 2019
Where to Watch: MUBI, Hulu
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 8.1/10
An amazing romance set in the eighteenth century whereby a female painter is hired to produce a wedding portrait of a reluctant bride. An intense desire grows between them as they spend time on a far-off island, resulting in a passionate yet impractical love affair that questions the societal mores of their day.
Summertime (La Belle Saison) (2015)
Country: France
Release Year: 2015
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Criterion Channel
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 7.2/10
Filmed in 1971 France, this drama centres Delphine, a daughter of a farmer who travels to Paris and develops feelings for feminist activist Carole. Their romance thrives in the liberal Parisian setting but suffers severe difficulties when they withdraw to Delphine’s family farm, where conventional country beliefs collide with their affection.
Knife+Heart (Un couteau dans le cœur) (2018)
Country: France
Release Year: 2018
Where to Watch: Shudder, MUBI
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Rating: 6.5/10
Following a producer who turns her sadness over a lost romance with her editor into producing ever more ambitious sexual pictures, a stunning thriller set in the late 1970s Parisian gay porn industry pursues her actors one by one.
Discover more: Explore our complete guide to French lesbian cinema: 36 films that defined the genre →
British Lesbian Films
Many dreary days have been captivated by British lesbian flicks that deftly mix appropriate restraint with boiling sensuality. Explore our complete library of British lesbian films for more remarkable suggestions from period plays to modern stories that cause our hearts to race.
Ammonite (2020)
Country: UK
Release Year: 2020
Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Rating: 6.5/10
Celebrated palaeontologist Mary Anning works alone on the craggy Southern coast in 1840s England. When a rich guest leaves Mary in charge of his wife Charlotte, the two ladies grow close and change their lives in this subtly strong study of loneliness and connection.
Disobedience (2017)
Country: UK/Ireland
Release Year: 2017
Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 6.6/10
A woman goes back to the Orthodox Jewish society she spurned for her attraction to a childhood buddy when her father dies. Once back, their emotions flare again as they investigate the limits of faith and sexuality inside a very conventional Catholic society.
The Favourite (2018)
Country: UK/Ireland/USA
Release Year: 2018
Where to Watch: HBO Max, Disney+
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Rating: 7.5/10
Early in the eighteenth century, England is ruled by a weak Queen Anne under the direction of her friend Lady Sarah. When new servant Abigail shows in, her appeal hooks her to Sarah and starts a complicated power struggle performed via darkly humorous manipulation and sexual politics.
Can’t get enough of British lesbian cinema? See our full collection of 20 groundbreaking UK lesbian films you need to watch →
Spanish Lesbian Cinema
Spanish lesbian films enthrals with their vivid vitality and protagonists that really embrace their feelings. Explore more in our enlarged Spanish cinema guide; these films deftly mix very personal love stories with cultural customs.
Carmen & Lola (2018)
Country: Spain
Release Year: 2018
Where to Watch: Netflix International, Filmin
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 6.9/10
In their Madrid traditional village, two young Romani ladies find unanticipated love. As they work on their relationship, Carmen, engaged to be married, and Lola, who dreams of education and freely embraces her sexuality, must negotiate family expectations and community criticism.
Elisa & Marcela (2019)
Country: Spain
Release Year: 2019
Where to Watch: Netflix
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Rating: 6.8/10
Inspired by the actual account of Spain’s first same-sex marriage, this black-and- white film centres Elisa and Marcela, who meet in 1885 Galicia as teachers. After years of keeping a secret relationship, they plot for one of them to adopt a male name so she may be legally married in 1901.
Júlia ist (2017)
Country: Spain
Release Year: 2017
Where to Watch: Filmin, Movistar+
Genre: Drama
Rating: 7.1/10
Beginning an Erasmus year in Berlin, a young student studying Spanish architecture finds cultural dislocation, personal development, and sexual awakening. By means of her interactions with women in this new surroundings, Júlia starts to find her own self apart from family expectations.
Want more Spanish passion? Dive into our comprehensive guide to Spanish lesbian films throughout history →
German Lesbian Films
German lesbian films changed our expectations by their psychological depth. Discover our favourites in our extensive German guide; we have become passionate champions for these provocative novels that question accepted narratives.
Two Mothers (Zwei Mütter) (2013)
Country: Germany
Release Year: 2013
Where to Watch: Arte Cinema, German Film Platform
Genre: Drama
Rating: 6.9/10
Desire to conceive a child together drives a lesbian couple across Germany’s legal, medical, and social challenges. Their hunt for a sperm donor gets more difficult, challenging their relationship and will in this close-up view of modern family-making.
Cocoon (Kokon) (2020)
Country: Germany
Release Year: 2020
Where to Watch: MUBI, Arte Cinema
Genre: Drama
Rating: 7.0/10
14-year-old Nora had a transforming coming-of- age experience in Berlin’s Kreuzberg area during an unbearably hot summer. Living under the shadow of her older sister, all changes when Nora meets Romy, whose free-spirited attitude helps her find her own sexuality and identity.
Looking for more German lesbian stories? Explore our curated collection of 25 must-see German lesbian films →
Italian Lesbian Films
Italian directors bring a sensual, sunlit quality to lesbian storytelling that feels like a vacation for the soul. See more in our complete Italian films guide.
La bella estate (2023)
Country: Italy/France
Release Year: 2023
Where to Watch: MUBI, Film Festivals, Prime Video (select regions)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 7.5/10
“La bella estate” melts into something remarkable, much as a great Italian gelato on a hot summer day. We sat riveted, following Ginia’s path between her connection with a male painter and her developing obsession with the sensuous, liberated Amelia—a brilliantly shot narrative of self-discovery that had us texting each other all night about our own first queer impulses. Absolutely worth adding to your viewing list, the movie offers historical drama realness with a particularly queer Italian taste!
Me, Myself and Her (Io e lei) (2015)
Country: Italy
Release Year: 2015
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Dekkoo
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rating: 6.7/10
For five years, a retired actress and an entrepreneur have been blissfully living in Rome. Examining how identity, public opinion, and personal history affect long-term lesbian relationships, one starts to doubt her sexuality after re-connecting with a guy from her past.
Craving more Italian lesbian films? Indulge in our complete guide to Italian lesbian cinema →
Eastern European Lesbian Cinema
Summer of Sangailė (2015)
Country: Lithuania
Release Year: 2015
Where to Watch: MUBI, Amazon Prime (rental)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: 7.0/10
First love portrayed sensitively against the summer lake area of Lithuania. Though too scared to fly, seventeen-year-old Sangailė finds great fascination in stunt planes. Her great attraction to the bold and energetic Auste gives Sangailė the bravery to confront her anxieties—in the air as much as in love.
More Interesting in Other Country Lesbian Movies?
European lesbian films just scratch one aspect of the sapphic storytelling scene worldwide. If these European points of view have intrigued you, you might be interested in how other cultures handle related subjects.
Our introduction to Asian lesbian films provides a striking contrast for individuals who want to explore outside of European boundaries, highlighting how directors from Japan, South Korea, China, and Thailand bring their particular cultural viewpoints to lesbian stories. Fascinating parallels and contrasts between Japanese lesbian films’ delicate aesthetics and powerful social critiques of Korean cinema and the rising voices from Southeast Asia help their European equivalents.
The way each area approaches lesbian narrative reflects its own artistic traditions, social taboos, and cultural ideals. Examining many points of view helps us to better grasp both universal human experiences and the particular cultural settings that mould LGBTQ+ lives all around.
Which next filmmaking legacy will you investigate? You will find the worldwide tapestry of lesbian films waiting here.
