From tender first loves to revolutionary romances, sapphic cinema has given us some of the most powerful, funny, and heartbreaking stories on screen. These films show queer women living, loving, surviving, and finding joy in a world that hasn’t always made space for them.
Whether you’re looking for a romantic comedy, a queer period drama, or a blood-soaked horror, here are 30 of the best lesbian and sapphic films to add to your watchlist.
ROMANCE AND COMEDY
Bottoms (2023)
A chaotic, raunchy comedy about two queer high school girls who start a fight club just to meet other girls. It’s ridiculous, clever, and full of unapologetic queer energy. With its sharp humour and feminist punchlines, Bottoms is Gen Z’s answer to Mean Girls, but gayer (aka better).
The Watermelon Woman (1996)
Cheryl Dunye’s groundbreaking indie film is part mockumentary, part romantic comedy, and entirely revolutionary. Following a young Black lesbian filmmaker researching forgotten queer women of colour, it’s a witty and vital exploration of identity, history, and self-definition. The Watermelon Woman remains essential queer cinema.
But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
This pastel-toned classic satire follows Megan, a cheerleader sent to conversion therapy who ends up falling for another girl there. It’s camp, hilarious, and surprisingly tender beneath the satire. Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall give it heart, turning a parody into a queer classic about love and self-acceptance.
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
A charming, scrappy love story about two teenage girls from different social backgrounds discovering first love. With its raw emotion and authenticity, it captures the awkwardness and excitement of coming of age. It’s one of those 90s lesbian films that still feels refreshingly honest today.
Saving Face (2004)
A queer romantic comedy that also explores cultural identity, Saving Face follows a Chinese-American surgeon balancing family pressure and her secret romance with a dancer. It’s funny, heartfelt, and warm, showing how love can challenge (and sometimes heal) generational divides.
Drive-Away Dolls (2024)
From Ethan Coen comes this queer road trip movie about two women running from heartbreak and trouble. It’s wild, messy, and unapologetically camp, filled with sapphic subtext, eccentric characters, and absurd adventure. Think Thelma & Louise meets Broad City, but much queerer.
DRAMA
Pariah (2011)
Dee Rees’ Pariah is a tender and beautifully acted story about Alike, a young Black lesbian navigating her identity in Brooklyn. It’s intimate and poetic, portraying queerness as both painful and freeing. This is one of those rare films that lingers long after it ends.
Desert Hearts (1985)
One of the first mainstream films to depict lesbian love positively, Desert Hearts is a quiet yet passionate story set in 1950s Nevada. A college professor falls for a free-spirited artist, and together they defy societal expectations. It’s a foundational film in sapphic cinema, timeless and moving.
Disobedience (2017)
Set in a conservative Jewish community, Disobedience follows two women rekindling a forbidden romance. Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams bring raw emotion and restraint to a story about faith, freedom, and longing. It’s slow, sensual, and beautifully devastating.
Mosquita y Mari (2012)
This understated indie gem captures the emotional tension between two Latina teenagers whose friendship blurs into something more. With delicate direction and quiet moments, it feels real and lived-in. Mosquita y Mari is less about labels and more about connection, and that’s what makes it so powerful.
Princess Cyd (2017)
A sunlit story about a teenage girl who spends a summer with her aunt and begins to discover her sexuality. The film’s calm pace and gentle conversations make it deeply human. Princess Cyd celebrates curiosity, love, and the freedom to define yourself on your own terms.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Chloë Grace Moretz shines as a teen sent to conversion therapy, where she discovers solidarity and resistance with other queer kids. It’s sharp, empathetic, and grounded in truth. This film is both an indictment of conversion therapy and a celebration of queer resilience.
THRILLER AND CRIME
Bound (1996)
Before The Matrix, the Wachowskis made this bold, erotic noir about two women scheming to steal mob money. It’s stylish, suspenseful, and full of sexual tension. Bound flipped the male gaze on its head and remains one of the most empowering thrillers of its era.
Set It Off (1996)
An unforgettable heist drama about four women who take on the system. One of them, played by Queen Latifah, is openly queer, a rarity for 90s cinema. The film mixes action with social commentary and emotional depth, making it both thrilling and politically charged.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Kristen Stewart leads this gritty, neon-lit crime romance about obsession, muscles, and murder. It’s violent and sensual, pushing queer desire into bold new territory. Love Lies Bleeding proves that sapphic stories don’t have to be soft to be powerful.
D.E.B.S. (2018)
This cult favourite is a campy spy comedy where secret agents battle crime and fall for their enemies. It’s fun, flirtatious, and full of queer joy. D.E.B.S. is the kind of unapologetic lesbian escapism we didn’t know we needed.
Monster (2003)
Charlize Theron’s Oscar-winning performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos is raw, disturbing, and deeply human. At its core, Monster is a tragic love story between two women failed by society. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s unforgettable.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
David Lynch’s surreal masterpiece is drenched in queer longing and psychological mystery. Naomi Watts delivers a haunting performance in a story that blurs fantasy and reality. It’s both a love story and a nightmare, and one of the most analysed lesbian films of all time.
HORROR
Blue My Mind (2018)
This coming-of-age body horror uses transformation as a metaphor for queer awakening. As a teenage girl’s body begins to change in impossible ways, she’s forced to confront who she really is. It’s eerie, emotional, and beautifully shot.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Once dismissed, now reclaimed as a feminist cult classic. Megan Fox plays a cheerleader turned succubus, feeding on men while maintaining an intense bond with her best friend. Jennifer’s Body is sharp, camp, and full of queer tension, a perfect example of female rage and desire intertwined.
Bit (2019)
A punk, vampire-infused film starring a trans lesbian lead. Bit takes aim at patriarchal power and replaces it with queer rebellion and found family. It’s bloody, bright, and unashamedly queer.
Attachment (2022)
Part love story, part folk horror, Attachment follows two women whose relationship takes a terrifying turn involving Jewish mysticism and possession. It’s chilling and fresh, proving queer horror can be both romantic and terrifying.
Thelma (2017)
This Norwegian supernatural thriller explores a young woman discovering dangerous powers and forbidden desire. Thelma blends faith, repression, and awakening into something hauntingly intimate. It’s slow, stylish, and unforgettable.
What Keeps You Alive (2018)
A psychological horror where a woman realises her wife isn’t who she seems. Equal parts love story and nightmare, it’s tense, bloody, and full of twists. A gripping take on what happens when intimacy turns deadly.
PERIOD
The Handmaiden (2016)
Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece is a lavish tale of deceit, passion, and female agency. Inspired by Fingersmith, it reimagines the story in colonial Korea with erotic brilliance and clever reversals of power. It’s one of the most visually stunning sapphic films ever made.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
A painter and her subject fall in love on a remote island in 18th-century France. Every frame is filled with longing, silence, and restraint. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is pure art, a story about love, gaze, and memory that redefines romantic cinema.
Carol (2015)
Set in 1950s New York, this quiet and elegant love story stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as women whose connection defies social norms. It’s a film about desire in a world that punishes it, told with devastating beauty.
The Favourite (2018)
A darkly comic period drama where power, politics, and passion collide in Queen Anne’s court. Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz deliver masterful performances. It’s witty, absurd, and gloriously queer.
Bessie (2015)
Queen Latifah shines as blues icon Bessie Smith, exploring her music, relationships, and unapologetic queerness. It’s a rich, soulful film about creativity and self-possession in a world that tried to control her.
Lizzie (2018)
A chilling retelling of the Lizzie Borden murders, reimagined through her forbidden love affair with the family maid. It’s violent, atmospheric, and deeply feminist, a story about oppression, rage, and liberation.
Why sapphic cinema matters
Sapphic cinema is a vital part of storytelling. These films give queer women visibility, complexity, and joy. They challenge the idea that queer love is tragic or solely hypersexual and instead show it as something defiant, transformative, and worth celebrating.
Whether you’re discovering your first queer classic or revisiting an old favourite, I hope you’ll find something on this list that you love!
