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WORLD PRIDE 2023

CELEBRATING ITS ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY WITH THE BEST OF QUEER CINEMA

FEATURE
LATEST REVIEWS
By Charlie David Page
18th February 2023

World Pride is on Australia's doorstep as it arrives in Sydney! Descending on us for 17 days, it's a celebration of everything inclusive with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience culture, art, music, performances, conferences, community - and of course, the Mardi Gras Parade returning bigger and better to Oxford Street!

SWITCH is waving the pride flag with the best of the best LGBTQIA+ films from the past decade. It's a diverse mix, featuring everything from drama to documentary, comedy to fantasy. There are the shining stars as well as those more inconspicuous tales that nonetheless deserve a mention.

This is our collection of queer films that we would recommend as being the best on offer. What have we missed? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your favourites and let us know!

Weekend - A diamond in the rough
WEEKEND
A diamond in the rough
At its heart, ‘Weekend’ is a magical film about real people. If it has any political or social agenda, it is simply to say that love is a universal emotion, capable of being felt by anyone.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
The level of honesty makes it so glorious, so beautiful, so affecting and so important. 'Wallflower' left me emotional and exhilarated, buzzing with the faith that film can still effect and entertain.
Farewell, My Queen - Lust and war at Versailles
FAREWELL, MY QUEEN
Lust and war at Versailles
'Farewell, My Queen' is one of those daring films that just makes all the right decisions, an intriguing psychological sexual thrill-ride free from the shackles of historical period costume dramas.
Stranger By The Lake - On lust and death
STRANGER BY THE LAKE
On lust and death
'Stranger By The Lake' a fascinating character study that builds to a nail-biting thriller, and a fascinating meditation on sex and intimacy.
Kill Your Darlings - Getting ready to Howl
KILL YOUR DARLINGS
Getting ready to Howl
Bolstered by terrific performances and youthfully energetic direction, it’s a refreshing perspective on a fascinating group of individuals that has never been served very well on film.
52 Tuesdays - A miracle for Australian cinema
52 TUESDAYS
A miracle for Australian cinema
'52 Tuesdays' is that it is the real deal, an actual important film about subjects far more necessary and vital to discuss.
Pride - In the name of love
PRIDE
In the name of love
This isn't a film about same-sex rights, it's about the power of friendship. The truth of 'Pride' sends a vital message, and for that reason alone it deserves to be heard.
Holding the Man - An utterly breathtaking and important love story
HOLDING THE MAN
An utterly breathtaking and important love story
‘Holding the Man’ is a very rare and special film. It transcends ideas of queer cinema to become a film so instantly and easily affecting to anyone, regardless of their sexuality.
Carol - An elegant, passionate and important love story
CAROL
An elegant, passionate and important love story
'Carol' is a beguiling and important film, once that creeps up on you and pulls powerfully at your emotions.
The Handmaiden - A deliciously wicked delight
THE HANDMAIDEN
A deliciously wicked delight
The film asks you to sit back and be caught up in its current, one full of endless twists and turns.
Moonlight - An extraordinary and heartbreaking work of art
MOONLIGHT
An extraordinary and heartbreaking work of art
What Jenkins has crafted with such staggering artistry is one of the most totally human films of this century, writ intricate and delicate across the tortured face of its devastating protagonist.
A Quiet Passion - A gorgeous portrait of a literary great
A QUIET PASSION
A gorgeous portrait of a literary great
Beautifully crafted and with a towering central performance, 'A Quiet Passion' is a gorgeous celebration of a woman whose life, work and legacy are so very much deserving of celebration.
God's Own Country - A miraculous and deeply beautiful film
GOD'S OWN COUNTRY
A miraculous and deeply beautiful film
'God's Own Country' is a miracle of a film, a quiet masterpiece that holds you enraptured from beginning to end by its beauty and its humanity.
Call Me By Your Name - Beautiful beyond description
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Beautiful beyond description
Luca Guadagnino has made a film of enormous humanity, a statement on the nature of love that sends shockwaves through you, especially with the powerhouse performance from Timothée Chalamet.
A Fantastic Woman - An extraordinary landmark in queer cinema
A FANTASTIC WOMAN
An extraordinary landmark in queer cinema
This is a thrilling, strangely magical and deeply moving portrait of a trans woman defining herself within a tragedy, a family and a society that does not accomodate for her.
BPM - Queer history, honoured and invigorated
BPM
Queer history, honoured and invigorated
This is a new queer classic which offers a hard-won opportunity to honour those who fought for change before us, and celebrate their humanity, their temerity, and their victories.
Love, Simon - A joyous and important milestone in mainstream cinema
LOVE, SIMON
A joyous and important milestone in mainstream cinema
This is a celebration of the beauty of being young and queer and in love for the first time, a film that is wholly good and made for no other reason than to make the world that little bit better.
Blockers - Prom night disaster
BLOCKERS
Prom night disaster
This movie will leave you exceptionally well-entertained. It captures both the teenage and adult experience so successfully, and has a heart as big as John Cena’s hands.
Ideal Home - Sweetness and spice in a crowd-pleasing combination
IDEAL HOME
Sweetness and spice in a crowd-pleasing combination
This is a huge amount of fun, with some dark, real moments peppered throughout for a real kick. With just enough sweetness to balance the mixture out, this is a surprisingly endearing film.
My Big Gay Italian Wedding - A ridiculously fun love story
MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING
A ridiculously fun love story
It's ridiculously fun, guaranteed to make you smile. Showing a truly positive side to same-sex marriage between two people who wholly adore each other, what more could you want to make your heart soar?
Can You Ever Forgive Me? - Melissa McCarthy's finest performance to date
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Melissa McCarthy's finest performance to date
It's the perfect kind of biographical film - wholly entertaining, truly enlightening, and entirely fascinating. It’s a glimpse of the life of an unconventional woman, wonderfully told and portrayed.
Rafiki - A future LGBT classic
RAFIKI
A future LGBT classic
The film was banned in its home country of Kenya, where homosexuality is a criminal offence that can result in a lengthy prison sentence. It just makes 'Rafiki' feel like even more of a triumph.
Angelfish - A slight but sweet romance
ANGELFISH
A slight but sweet romance
A thoughtful look at an urban interracial romance. As Peter Lee's first film, 'Angelfish' is quite remarkable, and he and his impressive young cast are people to watch for in the future.
The Croods: A New Age - A fun family prehistoric escape
THE CROODS: A NEW AGE
A fun family prehistoric escape
With cinemas starving for content, this is your best bet. It's the perfect holiday escape for the whole family, with big laugh-out-loud moments and epic fight sequences.
The Favourite - A delicious work of magnificent insanity
THE FAVOURITE
A delicious work of magnificent insanity
There really is no way to prepare yourself for this film. It’s insane and sincere, vicious and heartfelt, thunderous and mournful. No one, including the audience, comes out of this without bruises.
Gloria Bell - A dazzling remake and a glorious performance
GLORIA BELL
A dazzling remake and a glorious performance
This is Sebastián Lelio at his best and Julianne Moore at her absolute best, delivering one of the finest performances of her career and one of the best performances of the year.
Booksmart - Say hello to the next great voice in female filmmaking
BOOKSMART
Say hello to the next great voice in female filmmaking
A fun, hilarious, and instantly and infinitely quotable film, making it a must-see for all ages and sexes. Debut director Olivia Wilde has proven herself to be a fantastic new voice in filmmaking.
Matthias and Maxime - A magical film on the complexity of friendship and love
MATTHIAS AND MAXIME
A magical film on the complexity of friendship and love
This is a tender love story beautifully told, made with such love and care, sincerity and grace, showcasing everything that makes Xavier Dolan such an arresting filmmaker.
Pain and Glory - Pedro Almodóvar delivers a rhapsodic masterwork
PAIN AND GLORY
Pedro Almodóvar delivers a rhapsodic masterwork
A portrait of an artist entering the last act of their lives, looking back at what they have created and the battlefield left in their wake, and facing the fear of never creating again.
And Then We Danced - A passionate and remarkable classic in the making
AND THEN WE DANCED
A passionate and remarkable classic in the making
Levan Akin has made a remarkable film, a passionate dance for love, for country, for tradition, for art and for survival. This will easily go down as an LBGTIQ+ classic.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - A perfect film on the language of desire
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
A perfect film on the language of desire
This is a rare and precious film, breathtaking in its craft and intensely honest in its passions, and one of the best films of this or any year. This is great, great cinema.
Shirley - A hypnotic dreamscape of one of the greatest writers of all time
SHIRLEY
A hypnotic dreamscape of one of the greatest writers of all time
It is pure Shirley Jackson and yet entirely a work of its own, and one of the best films of the year so far - one that you'll feel watching you just beyond your periphery long after it is over.
Shiva Baby - A comedy of discomfort
SHIVA BABY
A comedy of discomfort
While it may play out like a psychological thriller at times, it's a witty and fun film that may lack originality, but has plenty of energy and memorable moments that make for a confident debut.
Ammonite - Francis Lee delivers another beautiful portrait of love and longing
AMMONITE
Francis Lee delivers another beautiful portrait of love and longing
A beautiful, soulful and intelligent film, made with honesty, integrity and an unexpected sense of humour that breaks through the rock encasing it.
Wolfwalkers - A gorgeously animated Irish fable
WOLFWALKERS
A gorgeously animated Irish fable
With its multi-layered metaphysical storytelling and rich animation, this is the kind of animated film that culturally literate adults can watch without needing a pint-sized companion as pretext.
End of the Century - The exquisite beauty of love that could have been
END OF THE CENTURY
The exquisite beauty of love that could have been
Though barely an hour and a half long, it somehow dares to ask enormous questions about love and longing and desire that very few queer films on the relationships of gay men have asked before.
Luca - Pixar's gorgeous ode to the art of acceptance
LUCA
Pixar's gorgeous ode to the art of acceptance
It isn't only a story on the art of being accepted, but also the art of allowing yourself to be accepted, to be vulnerable enough to allow yourself to be seen by others as who you are.
The Power of the Dog - Jane Campion returns with a magnificent epic on the human heart
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jane Campion returns with a magnificent epic on the human heart
An animalistic passion runs through every fibre of this remarkable film, with its desperate longing and its unexpected eroticism. Jane Campion has delivered one of the finest films of the year.
tick, tick...BOOM! - Bringing Jonathan Larson’s Bohemia to life
TICK, TICK...BOOM!
Bringing Jonathan Larson’s Bohemia to life
A roaring success that marks another win for cinematic musicals. It's a beautiful celebration of theatre and the story and magic it holds, not only honouring Larson's legacy, but the stage as a whole.
Flee - A must-see animated refugee tale
FLEE
A must-see animated refugee tale
We get to know Amin and, despite the heartbreaking details of his life, his confessional is ultimately as uplifting as it is impossible to turn away from.
No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics - The ultimate queer comic annual
NO STRAIGHT LINES: THE RISE OF QUEER COMICS
The ultimate queer comic annual
If you grew up with queer comics, this is the perfect issue of nostalgia with stories from your favourite artists. For those less familiar, it's the ultimate history lesson in these LGBTQIA+ pioneers.
Fire Island - Pride, Prejudice and the homosexuals
FIRE ISLAND
Pride, Prejudice and the homosexuals
An instant comedy classic that doesn’t skip a beat. The jokes never miss, the cast is electric, and it's gay as hell; there's nothing to not love. This will be your new favourite comfort film, so run out and watch it over and over.
Tár - An infernal, magnificent marvel on the corrupting power of genius
TÁR
An infernal, magnificent marvel on the corrupting power of genius
Todd Field has finally returned to us with a startlingly immediate, wickedly funny, deeply unsettling and ultimately awe-inspiring primal roar, with a performance from Cate Blanchett that feels pulled from the depths of the earth itself, bloody and spitting and monumental.
Strange World - A giddy & gorgeous sci-fi delight from Walt Disney Feature Animation
STRANGE WORLD
A giddy & gorgeous sci-fi delight from Walt Disney Feature Animation
Watching 'Strange World' brings back the joy you had as a kid watching films that took you to new and exciting realms. It's a giddying delight that will keep you enthralled from the moment it begins.
Spoiler Alert - Gay biopic pulls all the heartstrings
SPOILER ALERT
Gay biopic pulls all the heartstrings
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fall in love, all aided by brilliant performances, a fantastic script and a touching story. Run out and fall in love with 'Spoiler Alert'.
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