For years, Netflix has become one of the most visible homes for queer storytelling — a streaming space where love between women is not erased or simplified, but explored through diverse cultures, genres, and emotions. From soft, slow-burn romances to fierce sapphic dramas, these films remind us that representation still matters, especially in a time when LGBTQ+ visibility faces both celebration and backlash.
In 2025, the platform continues to rotate its catalog, meaning that not every lesbian movie stays forever. That’s exactly why this list focuses on the best lesbian movies on Netflix (U.S.) that are still available to stream this year — stories that deserve to be seen, shared, and remembered. Whether you’re here for lesbian coming-of-age films, heartfelt dramas, or simply looking to rediscover the tenderness of Netflix sapphic movies, these are the titles that continue to shine in 2025.
Some lesbian movies on Netflix are only available in certain countries due to regional licensing.
If a title mentioned in this list doesn’t appear in your local library, you can check our short guide on how streaming regions work to understand why catalogs differ by country.
Best Lesbian Movie List on Netflix
First Love & Coming-of-Age Stories
The Half of It (2020)
🇺🇸 USA | 🎬 Coming-of-Age Romance | 📅 2020 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inspired by her own college experiences, director Alice Wu crafts a tender, introspective coming-of-age story that extends beyond sexuality. Like Wu’s earlier film Saving Face, The Half of It explores identity and belonging through quiet emotional detail—but with greater maturity and restraint. Ellie Chu, caught between cultures and expectations, forms an unexpected bond with her classmate Paul, mirroring Wu’s real-life friendship that blurred the lines between intimacy and affection. What makes the film special is its honesty: love here isn’t about confession or closure, but about learning to live with ambiguity. A soft-spoken gem among lesbian movies on Netflix, it ends not with triumph, but with truth.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S. with English subtitles.
Anne+: The Film (2021)
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🎭 Romantic Drama | 📅 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Expanding from the beloved Dutch series, Anne+ follows a young lesbian navigating love, work, and independence in Amsterdam. Beneath its bold sensuality lies a subtle portrait of emotional growth—Anne’s power dynamic with her girlfriend Sara mirrors the journey from dependence to self-possession. Sara dominates their relationship, while Anne learns that love without self-respect is not love at all. By the film’s end, she rediscovers her voice, her desires, and her boundaries. Honest, unapologetic, and beautifully ordinary, this Netflix sapphic drama celebrates the freedom to define oneself.Availability: Available on Netflix U.S. and selected regions.
Emotional & Dramatic Romances
A Secret Love (2020)
🇺🇸 USA | 🎥 Documentary, True Story | 📅 2020 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Secret Love gives global visibility to one of queer history’s most moving love stories—Terry and Pat, partners for over 70 years who kept their relationship hidden for most of their lives. Blending archival footage, faded photographs, and family interviews, the documentary reveals how social stigma shaped generations of women forced to love in silence. Yet beyond sorrow, it radiates tenderness and resilience: two women who built a quiet universe of their own, defying time and prejudice. Among Netflix lesbian documentaries, this one feels both intimate and monumental.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S.
Elisa y Marcela (2019)
🇪🇸 Spain | 🎬 Historical Romance | 📅 2019 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Directed by Isabel Coixet, this poetic black-and-white film recounts Spain’s first recorded same-sex marriage in 1901. Elisa and Marcela’s love, defiant and idealistic, challenged religious and legal institutions long before equality was conceivable. Coixet’s visual style turns the Galician coast and its gray skies into metaphors for isolation and courage. Beneath its vintage elegance lies a sharp critique of patriarchal control and moral hypocrisy. For viewers of lesbian period dramas on Netflix, it’s a tragic yet timeless love letter to those who lived—and loved—before the world allowed them to.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S. (Spanish with English subtitles).
Thrillers & Tension-Driven Love Stories
Ride or Die (2021)
🇯🇵 Japan | 🔪 Crime, Psychological Drama | 📅 2021 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Part love story, part moral tragedy, Ride or Die follows Rei, who kills her friend’s abusive husband to free her from violence—only to drag both into chaos. Kiko Mizuhara delivers an unforgettable performance, her calm exterior cracking under layers of guilt and obsession. The film’s controversial intimacy scenes are not for shock value; they reveal how trauma and love intertwine in self-destructive ways. With cinematic tension and feminist rage, this Japanese lesbian thriller on Netflix burns slow and ends in poetic ruin.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S. (Japanese audio, English subtitles).
Do Revenge (2022)
🇺🇸 USA | 🎭 Teen Satire, Dark Comedy | 📅 2022 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bright, twisted, and full of venom, Do Revenge reimagines the teen revenge genre with a feminist edge. When two girls team up to destroy their enemies, the film cleverly exposes how patriarchy punishes women differently—boys are “reckless,” girls are “ruined.” Stylish and self-aware, it uses humor to dismantle shame culture and celebrates female alliance instead of rivalry. Though not a romance, its queer-coded energy and unapologetic tone make it one of the boldest Netflix LGBTQ teen films in recent years.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S.
Lighthearted & Feel-Good Picks
To Each, Her Own (2018)
🇫🇷 France | 🎭 Romantic Comedy | 📅 2018 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Simone’s comfortable life with her girlfriend Claire is thrown off balance when she unexpectedly falls for a man. Instead of treating bisexual confusion as scandal, the film approaches it with warmth and humor. Through Simone’s chaos, To Each, Her Own questions whether identity must fit neat categories—or whether love simply refuses to obey them. Charming, funny, and light on its feet, it’s one of the few French lesbian films on Netflix that truly captures the fluidity of modern attraction.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S. (French with English subtitles).
Timeless Classic
Carol (2015)
🇺🇸 USA | 🎞️ Period Romance | 📅 2015 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, Todd Haynes’ Carol remains the most elegant and emotionally devastating of all lesbian romances on Netflix. Set in 1950s New York, it follows Carol, a wealthy woman trapped in a loveless marriage, and Therese, a young photographer drawn into her orbit. Every glance, silence, and gesture feels charged with desire; every frame glows with longing. Beyond its love story, Carol is a meditation on risk and restraint—what it costs to be seen, and to be loved, as yourself.Availability: Streaming on Netflix U.S.
Availability Notes by Region
Streaming rights on Netflix shift constantly, meaning some lesbian movies and sapphic dramas may rotate in or out of catalogues depending on your country. Here’s a quick snapshot of where you can currently find the titles featured in this list (as of February 2025).
| Region | Available Titles | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States |
| The U.S. catalogue holds the widest variety of lesbian movies on Netflix, including several Netflix Originals. Most titles stream in HD with English subtitles. |
| 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Similar to the U.S. library, though some titles rotate seasonally. Subtitles available in English and French. |
| 🇪🇺 Europe (UK, Spain, France, Germany) |
| European regions retain more local productions. Spanish and French sapphic films are widely available. |
| 🇯🇵 / 🇰🇷 / 🇹🇭 Asia |
| Asian catalogues focus more on regional GL or LGBTQ+ content. Availability of Western titles varies monthly. |
Why These Sapphic Films Stand Out
What makes these sapphic films on Netflix remarkable isn’t just who they love, but how they love — with tenderness, conflict, courage, and a quiet insistence on truth. Across languages and decades, these stories redefine what lesbian cinema can be: not simply tales of desire, but reflections on identity, resilience, and human connection.
Unlike the formulaic romances that often dominate streaming platforms, the lesbian movies on Netflix U.S. selected here highlight a rich emotional spectrum — from the unspoken longing of Carol to the generational devotion in A Secret Love, from the self-discovery of Anne+ to the moral turbulence of Ride or Die. Each title challenges stereotypes while affirming the universality of queer love.
Representation, after all, is not just visibility — it’s about complexity. These women are not symbols; they are artists, dreamers, rebels, mothers, and survivors. Their stories remind us that love between women is not a subgenre but a mirror of life itself: nuanced, flawed, and achingly beautiful.
In an era when content shifts as quickly as culture, these films endure because they do what cinema does best — they make us feel seen.
🎥 Watch Other Platforms for Lesbian Movies
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What lesbian movies are currently on Netflix U.S.?
As of 2025, some of the best lesbian movies on Netflix U.S. include The Half of It, Anne+: The Film, Elisa y Marcela, Ride or Die, and Carol. Netflix updates its LGBTQ+ catalogue frequently, so availability can change every few months — check your region’s “LGBTQ Movies” section or use JustWatch to confirm what’s streaming now.
Does Netflix produce original lesbian or sapphic content?
Yes. Netflix has created several original sapphic films and series, such as The Half of It and Ride or Die. Many others, like A Secret Love and Do Revenge, were distributed globally by Netflix as part of its commitment to inclusive storytelling. The platform continues to expand its library of queer female narratives year by year.
Are there lesbian TV series to watch on Netflix?
Absolutely. If you’re interested in ongoing lesbian or WLW series, try Feel Good, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Orange Is the New Black, or Anne with an E (which includes queer-coded relationships). While not all are centered solely on lesbian romance, they offer strong sapphic representation and emotional depth.
Why do some lesbian movies disappear from Netflix?
Netflix licenses many titles from external studios, which means rights eventually expire. When that happens, movies may be temporarily removed or moved to other streaming platforms. That’s why curated lists like this one focus on 2025’s currently available sapphic films — they’re the ones you can still stream today.
What are the best lesbian movies similar to The Half of It or Carol?
If you loved The Half of It, try Imagine Me & You or Saving Face for more heartfelt, introspective queer romances. For the emotional tension and visual poetry of Carol, you might enjoy Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ammonite, or The World to Come — each a masterpiece of lesbian period drama storytelling.
🌐 Explore More Sapphic Content
Explore more sapphic stories — from live-action dramas to anime and beyond. Find your next favorite now.
💡 Know a lesbian movie to watch on Netflix that we missed? Let us know and we’ll update the list!