'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' & More

September 25, 2024

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Pride Month is here, so you know what that means. That’s right, we’ve been combing through all the classic LGBTQ+ romance films and beloved rom coms to assemble the best recommendations for you and your beloved’s movie night on the most romantic day of the year. Among the romantic movies out there, a number highlight lesbian relationships and love stories that are beautiful, breathtaking, and well worth the watch. We’ve rounded up eight romantic lesbian movies you and your partner should check out immediately.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, (aka PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU), from left: Noemie Merlant, Adele Haenel, 2019.

We can’t start our list without mentioning one of the most stunning films of the last decade. The French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire captures the love story between painter Marianne and the young woman whose portrait she is tasked with painting, named Héloïse. Set in the 18th century, the two women fall for one another in this gorgeously realized picture. They invent their love story, and we’re lucky enough to bear witness to it.

Back in the states, Todd Haynes’ 2015 Oscar-nominated film Carol features Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as two women in the 1950s who must keep their love affair a secret. Carol (Blanchett) is an unhappily married woman, while Therese (Mara) is a young shop clerk coming into her own. The two find solace and adventure with one another. But will their romance last? You’ll have to watch the film just for that final stirring image.

This Pride Month, there are so many films for you and your partner to check out. And these romantic lesbian films represent some of the most moving love stories out there. Read our round-up for more of the most romantic lesbian movies you can watch right now.

A version of this article was originally published on Feb 2023.

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’
Set in the 18th century and taking place on an isolated island in Brittany, two women create a world of their own in Portrait of a Lady on Fire. This stunning film directed by revered filmmaker Céline Sciamma, follows Marianne (Noémie Merlant) and Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) as their budding romance grows. Visually gorgeous and full of deepest depths of yearning and love, this is a romantic classic you won’t soon forget.
Watch on Hulu.
‘Rafiki’
Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva) are the daughters of two rival Nairobi politicians who fall in love in the 2018 movie Rafiki. This film about young love in the face of adversity strikes a chord. But watching these two girls fall in love and fight for their love to the end is poignant and moving.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Disobedience’
2017’s Disobedience starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams is brimming with passion. Ronit (Weisz) returns to her Orthodox Jewish community years after she was shunned for her attraction to her friend, Esti (McAdams). Once reunited, their attraction and affection for one another resurfaces, testing the limits of their bond and their relationship with their religious community.
Watch on Netflix.
‘The World to Come’
The World to Come takes place sometime in the 19th century along the settlements of the American East Coast. Abigail (Katherine Waterston) and her husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) meet Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) and her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott) changing the trajectory of their destinies. Abigail and Tallie form a close bond, which buds into a romance. But are they safe from the conventions of their community? The World to Come is a stunning picture evocative of romance and fear in equal measure.
Watch on Hulu.
‘The Handmaiden’
This pick might be a bit unconventional, but just go with us. The Handmaiden is a riveting mixture of romance and thriller. Sook-Hee (Kim Tae-ri) is hired as the handmaiden of a wealthy heiress, Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), under the pretense that she helps defraud her of her inheritance. Circumstances, however, become complicated when Sook-Hee and Hideko fall in love with each other. It’s up to them to outmaneuver the men who seek to control them.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Carol’
Based on the novel The Price of Salt, Todd Haynes’ 2015 film Carol is a rapturous love story between Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara). During her Christmas shopping, Carol meets Therese and the attraction between the two is apparent. They lose themselves in one another, creating a world of their own, all the while the real world they’re trying to escape begins to close in on them. The film was nominated for 6 Oscars at the 2016 Academy Awards.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video.
‘The Watermelon Woman’
While The Watermelon Woman might not seem romantic at first, this film takes a unique turn on a love story. The film centers on Cheryl, a burgeoning filmmaker trying to identify the identity of a 1930s actress named The Watermelon Woman. Her documentary takes her on a journey of self-discovery, and unraveling the real love story at the heart of the film, that of The Watermelon Woman and her lover. There’s love in this film; you just have to pay attention to the details to find it.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video.
‘The Prom’
Netflix’s The Prom might not be on par with the same kind of romance as the other films in this round-up, but it’s full of the sweetness of young love. Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) just wants to take her girlfriend Alyssa (Ariana DeBose) to prom. But when the conservative PTA decide to cancel the dance all together, a troupe of Broadway stars descends on the town to make the dance happen, and give Emma and Alyssa the chance to let their love shine in front of everyone.
Watch on Netflix.
‘Elisa & Marcela’
Elisa & Marcela follows the true story of Elisa Sanchez Loriga (played by Natalia de Molina), who back in 1901 took on the identity of a man to marry her lover Marcela Gracia Ibeas (played by Greta Fernández.) This intense love story will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat, and show you a glimpse into the first same-sex marriage in Spain.
Watch it on Netflix.
‘Desert Hearts’
The 1985 romance Desert Hearts is beloved for quite a few reasons, but the biggest being that this film shows the more tender, loving parts of an LGBTQ+ romance rather than the struggles surrounding it at the time. The story follows a professor named Vivian Bell (played by Helen Shaver), who is getting a divorce from her husband and falls for a carefree lesbian student named Cay Rivvers (played by Patricia Charbonneau!)
Watch on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Duck Butter’
Indie darling Duck Butter follows two women named Naima (played by Alia Shawkat) and Kate (played by Lindsay Burdge), who make a pact to spend 24 hours together to see if something blooms.
Watch it on Netflix.
‘Crush’
Who doesn’t love a good, topsy-turvy teen romcom?! Paige Evans (played by Rowan Blanchard) is a lovestruck teen who is trying to get into college, but can only think about her crush Gabby Campos (played by Isabella Ferreira.) However, things get complicated when Paige tries to get closer to Gabby, only to connect more with Gabby’s sister AJ (played by Auli’i Cravalho!)
Watch it on Hulu.
‘The Favourite’
The Favourite is a period piece that has it all: and it follows Queen Anne (played by Olivia Colman) and the two women in love with her. One of her lovers is Lady Sarah (played by Rachel Weisz) and the other is a new servant (and Sarah’s cousin) named Abigail (played by Emma Stone), who shakes up the status quo.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video.