Over the past three decades, lesbian teen films and high school LGBTQ+ storylines have changed dramatically to provide ever more complex representations of youthful queer experiences. From heartfelt teenage coming-of-age tales to award-winning high school dramas, these films convey the complexities of finding one’s identity during the critical adolescent years. From 1994 to 2024, this carefully chosen collection includes highly regarded pieces that have shaped high school LGBTQ+ films as well as the lesbian teen genre.
In This Article
1. Crush (2022)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.8/10 IMDb, 77% Rotten Tomatoes
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+ (select regions)
Review: The whole movie sparkles with vivid colours that exactly complement the purity of young life and first love. This movie is especially refreshing since it treats lesbian characters as “other,” or distinct from everyone else. Paige lives in a beautifully supportive environment where her being out homosexual does not cause her any negative consequences from either her family or her university. She is just suspected to have been covertly tagging the school walls with graffiti, not because of her sexuality when she is called to the office. For LGBTQ+ teenagers, this normalising of them seems both revolutionary and essential.
Awards & Recognition:
- GLAAD Media Award Nomination for Outstanding Film
- Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival Selection
2. Birds of Paradise (2021)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.3/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Review: Filmed in an exclusive Parisian dance academy, it chronicles two young women vying for a sought-after contract with the Paris Opera dance. The two heroes’ differences produce an interesting dynamic: one comes from a poor American family, attending only because of a scholarship, ready to do whatever it takes to get a spot at the National Ballet; the other is a privileged princess from a diplomatic family, emotionally erratic and used to get her way. Their paths meet thanks to the twin brother of the princess who sadly killed himself; the scholarship the American girl obtained was meant for him first.
We observe as their connection grows how one craves for actual accomplishment while the other searches for spiritual transcendence. They speak for two sides of human nature. The movie reminds us wonderfully to never stop chasing flight; sometimes falling is only the beginning of learning to soar.
Awards & Recognition:
- Venice Film Festival Official Selection
- Young Artist Award Nomination
3. My First Summer (2020)
Country: Australia
Rating: 6.7/10 IMDb, 100% Rotten Tomatoes
Where to Watch: Tubi (free with ads), Peacock, available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Review: Following 16-year-old Claudia, who has lived up in solitude, and her life-changing meeting with local youngster Grace, this delicate and sensitive Australian coming-of-age tale tells With breathtaking photography stressing the dreamlike character of summer romance, the movie masterfully catches the fragile nature of first love and self-discovery. Claudia’s sixteen years of solitude with her mother have left her view of relationships profoundly changed by bad influences; yet, Grace helps her overcome her anxieties and progressively reduces her defences. Their relationship turns into a means of intimacy, love, and support for one another, so forming a potent story of healing and development.
Awards & Recognition:
- Melbourne International Film Festival Selection 2020
- Adelaide Film Festival Official Selection
- Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards Nomination
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4. The Half of It (2020)
Country: USA
Rating: 7.0/10 IMDb, 97% Rotten Tomatoes
Where to Watch: Netflix
Review: Released 15 years apart, “Saving Face” and “The Half Of It” both feature aspects of director Alice Wu’s personal experiences, which lends great authenticity. Carefully created mirrors of the director herself, the characters share many of her qualities. Beyond just same-sex couples, these films examine the path towards self-acceptance via several challenges including emotional hurdles, cultural diversity, and socioeconomic classes.
The narrative threads ideas of identity, belonging, and the bravery to define yourself outside of others’ expectations. Wu’s storytelling is unique in how she strikes a mix of universal emotions and cultural distinctiveness to produce something that seems both personally relevant and generally approachable.
Awards & Recognition:
- Tribeca Film Festival Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature
- GLAAD Media Award Nomination
- Independent Spirit Award Nomination
5. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.7/10 IMDb, 86% Rotten Tomatoes
Where to Watch: Hulu, available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play
Review: A strong take on Emily M. Danforth’s book with Chloë Grace Moretz giving an outstanding performance. While keeping moments of hope and opposition, the movie explores the grave issue of conversion treatment. Cameron’s path helps us to see the strength in real self-expression as well as the suffering of forced conformity. Although the topic is weighty, the movie shows how hardship could result in personal development and more robust self-awareness by balancing its darker themes with scenes of teenage resiliency and new family.
6. First Girl I Loved (2016)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.4/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Tubi (free with ads), available for rent on Amazon Prime, iTunes
Review: A real depiction of modern teen romance, based on an awkward yearbook photographer attracted to a well-known athlete. The movie shines in catching the uncertainty and thrill of first love. Inspired in part on the experiences of the director’s sister, it chronicles the tale of 17-year-old Anne, who finds herself drawn to Sasha, the most well-liked female in the school. Her confiding in her male closest friend Clifton, who harbours his own love for Anne, complicates matters and results in a careful examination of friendship, loyalty, and sexual awakening.
7. Mosquita y Mari (2012)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.8/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Tubi (free with ads), Peacock, available for rent on Amazon Prime
Review: A gentle inquiry of friendship and developing emotions between two Los Angeles Chicana high school students. The complexities of cultural identification and sexual awakening is deftly captured in the movie. Inspired by two teenagers from Mexican immigrant backgrounds, Yolanda and Mari, the narrative gently balances familial expectations with personal discovery. Filmed against the backdrop of their close-knit neighbourhood, it shows how their deep connection progressively changes into something more complex by family responsibilities and academic pressure. Their relationship helps them to negotiate between obligation and desire, custom and inner truth.
8. Pariah (2011)
Country: USA
Rating: 7.2/10 IMDb, 95% Rotten Tomatoes
Where to Watch: HBO Max, Criterion Channel, available for rent on Amazon Prime
Review: Following Alike, a 17-year-old African-American adolescent discovering her lesbian identity, is a potent debut movie. Anchored on Adepero Oduye’s outstanding performance, the Brooklyn-based film deftly captures the junction of sexuality, family, and cultural identity. Alike starts to more freely explore her individuality under the encouraging direction of her friend Laura, but she must carefully negotiate her strict familial setting. The film beautifully captures the complexity of being young, black, and lesbian in contemporary America, showing both the challenges and the moments of joy in Alike’s journey of self-discovery.
Awards & Recognition:
- Sundance Film Festival Excellence in Cinematography Award
- NAACP Image Award Nomination
- Independent Spirit Award – John Cassavetes Award
- GLAAD Media Award Nomination
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9. Water Lilies (2007)
Country: France
Rating: 6.9/10 IMDb, 86% Rotten Tomatoes
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel, MUBI, available for rent on Amazon Prime
Review: With synchronised swimming, Céline Sciamma’s first movie is a hypnotic investigation of teenage desire and sexuality. With amazing sensitivity and visual poetry, the movie catches the intensity of adolescent attraction. The narrative centres Marie’s unplanned meeting with the captivating swim team leader Floriane, which results in a complicated relationship that questions both girls’ self-awareness.
Awards & Recognition:
- Cannes Film Festival – Un Certain Regard Selection
- César Awards – Nomination for Best First Feature Film
- Louis Delluc Prize Nomination
- Prix Jean Vigo Nomination
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8. Loving Annabelle (2006)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.7/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Tubi (free with ads), Peacock, available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Review: A sensitively handled yet divisive narrative on a student-teacher relationship in a Catholic boarding school. Following her expulsion from two other colleges, Senator’s daughter Annabelle shows up at a Catholic boarding school where she develops affections for Simone, her poetry teacher.
10. Blue Gate Crossing (2002)
Country: Taiwan
Rating: 7.3/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel, available for rent on Amazon Prime, iTunes
Review: This is a delicate Taiwanese teen story about friendship, love that isn’t returned, and sexual awakening. The movie centres Meng Kerou and her best friend Lin Yuezhen, whose life is convoluted when Zhang Shihao shows around. The film examines the difficult dynamics of teenage relationships by means of a sequence of misunderstandings including love letters and conflicting signals. The narrative veers unexpectedly as Kerou discovers her actual sentiments might not be for Zhang Shihao at all but rather for someone much closer to her, therefore offering a moving examination of friendship, love, and self-discovery.
Awards & Recognition:
- Golden Horse Film Festival Nominations
- Berlin International Film Festival – Generation 14plus Selection
- Asia Pacific Film Festival Special Mention
Related:
12. Lost and Delirious (2001)
Country: Canada
Rating: 6.8/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Tubi (free with ads), available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Review: Set in a boarding school, this powerful drama depicts the emotional love between two pupils. After her mother’s death, Mary arrives at boarding school where she becomes roommates with Paulie and Tory, uncovering their secret affair. The film conveys the passion of first love and the anguish of its loss, particularly in Paulie’s emotional response to Tory’s eventual rejection.
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13. Show Me Love (1998)
Country: Sweden
Rating: 7.6/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel, available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV
Review: Also known as “Fucking Åmål,” this Swedish coming-of-age film revolutionized LGBTQ+ cinema with its honest portrayal of teenage lesbian romance in a small town. Through Agnes’s secret crush on the popular Elin, the film explores themes of isolation, social pressure, and the courage needed to be true to oneself.
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14. All Over Me (1997)
Country: USA
Rating: 6.9/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Criterion Channel, Tubi (free with ads), available for rent on Amazon Prime
Review: Set in Hell’s Kitchen, a gritty coming-of-age narrative follows a teenage musician learning she is gay The movie distinguishes itself for its real depiction of urban young culture and developing identity. Against the backdrop of the music culture of 90s New York, the narrative investigates the complicated friendship between Claude and Ellen, whose life is altered by a sad incident.
15. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Country: New Zealand
Rating: 7.3/10 IMDb
Where to Watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play
Review: Peter Jackson’s dramatic recounting of a real incident about two teenage girls whose close bond results in catastrophe. The movie centres on Juliet and Pauline, who meet at an all-girls institution and grow close because of their common imagination and inventiveness. We observe the intensity of their relationship and the slow detachment from reality that results in terrible repercussions through their thorough fantasy world of Borovnia, complete with clay figures and intricate stories.
Awards & Recognition:
- Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Screenplay
- Venice Film Festival Silver Lion
- New Zealand Film and TV Awards – Best Film
- Writers Guild of America Award Nomination
The Evolution of Lesbian Teen & High School LGBTQ+ Cinema
From 1994’s ‘Heavenly Creatures’ to 2022’s ‘Crush’, the path demonstrates how portrayal has changed in movies. While modern works increasingly incorporate comedy, variety, and good outcomes, early films often concentrated on the emotional and occasionally tragic elements of adolescent lesbian relationships. This development reflects society’s rising acceptance of LGBTQ+ young experiences as well as knowledge of them.
