Paste Magazine contributor Turner proves himself an affable, knowledgeable, and succinct tour guide, offering a broad overview of 100 recommended queer-themed films. Arranged in chronological order, from the 1919 German-language
Different from the Others to 2022’s Jane Austen–inspired comedy
Fire Island, each film is celebrated over a two-page spread containing Warren’s vibrantly colored illustrations and Turner’s sharp, critical assessments, plot summaries, the background on the making of the film, fascinating tidbits, and an additional film it could be paired with. The wide-ranging list of films is impressive and often surprising; it contains classics (
Victim,
The Children’s Hour,
Tea and Sympathy), underground films (
Pink Flamingos,
The Raspberry Reich,
Scorpio Rising), documentaries (
The Queen,
The Times of Harvey Milk,
Southern Comfort), and foreign movies (Knife + Heart,
Stranger by the Lake,
Happy Together). There are also surprises, such as
Bringing Up Baby,
Seed of Chucky, and
The Fly, whose inclusions are persuasively argued. Represented directors include Alfred Hitchcock, Pedro Almodóvar, David Lynch, Barbra Streisand, Bob Fosse, George Cukor, Angela Robinson, Ed Wood, Lizzie Borden, Ang Lee, and Lana and Lily Wachowski.
VERDICT An enjoyable, concise, and well-written international guide to a century of queer-themed films.
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