Asian Lesbian Movies: The Ultimate Guide (2025)

Discover the rich diversity of Asian lesbian movies through this comprehensive guide to the most influential lesbian films from across the continent. From thoughtful Japanese dramas to groundbreaking Korean features, each region brings its unique perspective to queer storytelling.

Japanese Lesbian Cinema

Japanese cinema continues to push boundaries with its nuanced approach to LGBTQ+ storytelling, blending artistic expression with profound emotional depth. Explore our complete Guide to Japanese Lesbian Movies for more hidden gems.

When the Rain Falls (2022)

Release Year: 2022

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rating: 7.8/10

Where to Watch: Netflix Japan, AsianCrush, MUBI (select regions)

A delicate exploration of love and identity following two women who meet during Tokyo’s rainy season. Their chance encounter at a small coffee shop blooms into a profound connection that challenges their established lives and forces them to confront societal expectations.

Japanese films have always been infused with a distinctive sense of loneliness, which defines their quiet, sometimes oppressive, occasionally passionate, or even eccentric nature. At their core, these films seek to address this fundamental isolation—and “When the Rain Falls” is no exception. The protagonist reminisces, yearns, falls in love, and ultimately sacrifices herself against a backdrop of soothing music, creating an atmosphere that perfectly captures the fear of loneliness and desire for connection. The passionate scenes between the lead and supporting actress are portrayed with romantic elegance. The film’s ending is particularly powerful, with a sense of coming full circle and fateful repetition that elevates the entire narrative.

One Day, You Will Reach the Sea (2022)

Release Year: 2022

Genre: Drama

Rating: 7.5/10

Where to Watch: Asian Film Festival platforms, Viki, Amazon Prime Japan

The most perplexing aspect of this film is the nature of Mana’s feelings for Sumire—whether her love is romantic, the deep attachment of a best friend, or perhaps both simultaneously. Perhaps what ultimately returned to the sea were unspoken confessions and the secret about their first meeting and the coin purse.

The animation sequence near the film’s conclusion, where seawater transforms into droplets that fall to the ground and grow into flowers, recalls a line from Yumi Sudo’s short manga: “At least let these tears merge with the sea, become clouds, and return as rain to tap against your back.”

Kalanchoe (2018)

Release Year: 2018

Genre: Romance, Coming-of-age

Rating: 7.3/10

Where to Watch: Japanese Film Festival circuits, GagaOOLala, Tubi

The film exposes a fragment of student life through an LGBTQ+ lens, reflecting Japanese society’s attitudes toward sexual minorities. The final tearful scene creates a stark contrast with Sakura’s joyful expressions when in love. This restrained approach to storytelling reveals profound sadness beneath the surface.

Korean Lesbian Films

Korean cinema brings its signature high production values and compelling narratives to lesbian storytelling, creating powerful stories that resonate globally. Discover more groundbreaking works in our Korean Lesbian Movies Guide.

Concerning My Daughter (2023)

Release Year: 2023

Genre: Drama

Rating: 8.1/10

Where to Watch: MUBI, Asian Film Festivals, KBS VOD (Korea)

A powerful mother-daughter narrative that examines familial acceptance and generational divides. When a conservative mother’s lesbian daughter moves back home with her girlfriend, both women must navigate their changing relationship and understanding of love.

This is one of the most nuanced recent films addressing East Asian mother-daughter dynamics and elderly care issues. Indeed, the mother-daughter relationship in East Asian contexts often presents insurmountable challenges. Due to fathers’ structural absence from family life and the invisible pressures of neoliberalism, East Asian daughters frequently bear dual roles as both husband and daughter while simultaneously needing to succeed as “survivors” within society’s meritocratic evaluation systems.

Havana (2023)

Release Year: 2023

Genre: Romance, Drama

Rating: 7.7/10

Where to Watch: Jeonju International Film Festival, KBS World, Rakuten Viki

Set between Korea and Cuba, this atmospheric romance follows a Korean photographer who falls for a local musician during her assignment in Havana. Their passionate connection transcends cultural and language barriers, creating a universal story of love.

The film’s creative background likely relates to South Korea’s 2023 court decision that first legally recognized same-sex partnerships. This context explains the deliberate choice to make one of the same-sex partners a judge—a thoughtful narrative decision that reflects evolving societal attitudes.

The Dream Songs (2022)

Release Year: 2022

Genre: Musical Drama

Rating: 7.9/10

Where to Watch: Korean indie film platforms, Watcha, GagaOOLala

Before watching this film, the most important thing to understand is that a “Jeju Island graduation trip” symbolizes death. With this knowledge, you can better appreciate the dreamlike soft focus, the neurotic behavior on confession day, countless subtle hints throughout the film, and the despair hidden behind sweet teenage love. Because I watched with this understanding, the countless “I love yous” and dreamscape sequences brought me to tears. I wasn’t crying for the beginning of a pure love story, but for something beautiful ending at its most hopeful and imaginative beginning.

Thai Lesbian Cinema

Thailand’s approach to LGBTQ+ cinema stands out for its blend of commercial appeal and authentic representation. Find more compelling stories in our Thai Lesbian Movies Guide.

Uranus 2324 (2024)

Release Year: 2024

Genre: Sci-fi, Romance

Rating: 7.4/10

Where to Watch: Netflix (select regions), WeTV, iQIYI

Uranus 2324 is a sci-fi drama that creates a remarkably romantic and magical experience. The storyline might feel heavy for Thai audiences, especially with its division into four timeline narratives. However, the chemistry between the main actresses is truly captivating and heartwarming—it’s as if the story was crafted specifically for them, allowing them to blend together harmoniously in ways that are both surprising and delightful.

The film stands apart from typical Thai lesbian movies by ambitiously exploring philosophical questions about fate, time, and connection. With its striking cinematography and compelling performances, Uranus 2324 signals an exciting new direction for Thai queer cinema, expanding beyond conventional romance into thought-provoking science fiction.

The Maid (2020)

Release Year: 2020

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rating: 6.8/10

Where to Watch: Shudder, Amazon Prime (rental), Netflix (select regions)

This psychological horror thriller reveals dark secrets beneath the veneer of a luxurious mansion where a maid serves a wealthy couple, triggering jealousy and hatred that ultimately leads to tragedy. The film masterfully blends horror elements with psychological suspense, featuring a protagonist who seems to possess dual personalities—angelic to loved ones, demonic to those who cross her. When the truth behind her sister’s death is revealed, her darker nature emerges with terrifying consequences.

What makes The Maid particularly fascinating is its shifting genre approach across three distinct acts—beginning as pure horror with effectively crafted atmosphere (despite occasionally overused sound effects), transitioning to suspenseful drama exploring the complex relationships between the maid and her employers, and concluding with brutally violent revenge sequences.

The film is elevated by its captivating performances, particularly by the actress portraying the seductive, enigmatic mistress of the house—perfectly complemented by her charismatic on-screen husband. Their relationship, while lacking genuine affection, creates a compelling dynamic that draws viewers in. Meanwhile, the contrasting personalities of the maid sisters—one seemingly innocent and sympathetic, the other initially sweet but harboring frightening depths—add further psychological complexity to this multi-layered thriller.

Chinese Lesbian Films

Chinese cinema offers thought-provoking explorations of lesbian relationships within unique cultural contexts. Explore more powerful narratives in our Chinese Lesbian Movies Guide.

Release Year: 2025

Genre: Romance, Drama

Rating: 8.0/10

Where to Watch: International Film Festival Rotterdam, future release on iQIYI, Youku

I love this story for its realistic portrayal of marriage pressures, LGBTQ+ issues, and family conflicts in Taiwan—though these themes are also characteristic of mainland Chinese society. The characters’ expressions of anger—throwing clothes, forcing someone out of a car, honking horns, pushing each other—feel authentic and familiar. Despite these tensions, the film builds impressively rich and complex relationships between its characters.

All Shall Be Well (2024)

Release Year: 2024

Genre: Drama

Rating: 7.8/10

Where to Watch: Berlin Film Festival, HK Now TV, future release on international streaming platforms

This film should be included in both “Essential Viewing for LGBTQIA+ in Regions Without Same-Sex Marriage Rights” and “Legal Education Films All Sexual Minorities Over 50 Must Watch.” Fighting this world requires not only love but also the weapons to protect oneself.

This powerful drama addresses elderly lesbian rights with a deliberately slow pace that gradually reveals its inherent cruelty. Aunt Angie’s progressive concessions are portrayed with devastating precision, and throughout this process, she is essentially voiceless. From the initial silent scenes of shoulder-to-shoulder tenderness to her faint protests in the middle section, the film thoughtfully examines lesbian rights issues. The opposing family, tortured by their own life struggles, transfers their suffering onto others. Yet Angie’s pain remains invisible to everyone but herself—this is the most heartbreaking aspect of the entire film.

Who’ll Stop the Rain (2023)

Release Year: 2023

Genre: Drama

Rating: 7.6/10

Where to Watch: Taiwanese art house theaters, GagaOOLala, future release on Netflix Taiwan

Set against the backdrop of Taiwanese student strikes, this film explores a triangle/lesbian relationship with a fascinating perspective on student movements. The director portrays neither clear support nor opposition, showing how each person involved has their own demands and calculations while publicly claiming to fight for “creative freedom.” During a post-screening discussion, the director explained that Taiwan’s 2014 Sunflower Movement prompted her to consider what real impact such movements had on participants’ lives.

Indian Lesbian Films

Indian cinema brings its unique storytelling traditions to lesbian narratives, creating powerful stories that challenge societal norms. Discover more compelling works in our Indian Lesbian Movies Guide.

Maja Ma (2022)

Release Year: 2022

Genre: Drama, Family

Rating: 7.2/10

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5

Most traditional LGBTQ+ films focus on same-sex couples—like “Carol,” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” and “Lan Yu”—primarily portraying romantic relationships as beautiful love stories. What sets this film apart is its focus on a middle-aged woman—a mother—who has lived as a closeted lesbian for years. This adds significantly more exploratory dimensions as she confronts family pressures, her children’s reactions, social perceptions, and the constraints of conservative society and culture, creating much greater dramatic tension.

When I Saw a Girl (2019)

Release Year: 2019

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rating: 7.5/10

Where to Watch: Netflix India, Eros Now, JioCinema

Bollywood, India’s Hindi-language film industry, is one of the world’s largest film production centers. Most high-quality Indian films familiar to Chinese audiences come from Bollywood. To a significant extent, Bollywood films represent Indians’ greatest entertainment and pastime, while simultaneously serving as vehicles for mainstream Indian cultural export.

Isn’t it surprising that a niche and somewhat controversial topic like homosexuality—especially lesbian relationships—would be featured in a mainstream film from Bollywood, particularly in a country where women’s status remains challenging? That surprise alone makes this film worth watching.

Looking Forward

Asian lesbian cinema continues to evolve with each region’s unique perspective. Japanese films offer artistic depth, Korean cinema excels in production quality, Thai movies bring mainstream appeal, while Chinese and Indian films explore complex cultural narratives.

For broader perspectives, explore our guides to Australian, European, and Canadian lesbian cinema. As global streaming increases accessibility, these diverse stories continue to find appreciative audiences worldwide.