Before It Was Legal: Gay Movies Set Before Decriminalisation

SHORT FILM

The Place Between Our Bodies

1975 Drama, Romance

This pre-AIDS film offers an explicit exploration of gay male sexuality. Dealing with sexual love and sexual hunger this film shows how tenderness can enter into the male sexual act.

Benediction

2021 Drama

The life of war poet Siegfried Sassoon unfolds through a quest for personal salvation amid family, war, writing, and destructive relationships, revealing the complexities of finding inner peace amidst external turmoil.

Great Freedom

2021 Drama

Hans faces imprisonment under Paragraph 175 in post-war Germany, forging an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor over decades.

Cherry Grove Stories

2018 Documentary

A look at the unique character of Cherry Grove, a community on Fire Island, NY. A safe haven for gays during a time when two men holding hands in public was illegal. Fisher exposes hidden stories and unknown facts that need to be told.

#LookAtMe

2022 Drama

A Youtuber posts an irreverent video trolling a megachurch pastor, in defence of his gay twin brother. He is vilified by society, tried in court, and pitted against a culture that threatens to destroy his family.

Saturday Night at the Baths

1975 Comedy, Drama

A musician from Montana finds work and other things at The Continental Baths in New York City, 1974.

Swoon

1992 Drama

The true story of gay lovers Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr., who kidnapped and murdered a child in the early 1920s. The plot covers the crime, investigation, trial, and their final fate.

The Set

1970 Drama

Paul Lawrence is a working class man who dates Cara, sells shirts at a Sydney department store, and dreams of attending art school.

SHORT FILM

Falling Into Fuchsia

2010 Drama

Struggling actor Gary plays Hamlet in a homoerotic film adaptation of Shakespeare's play. As he works hard on the role, his girlfriend complains that he is not giving their relationship enough attention. But when his co-actor Aidan provokes him with suggestive invitations, Gary's real life and reel life begin to intertwine.

Lonesome Cowboys

1968 Comedy, Drama

Five cowboys find themselves entangled in heated passions and conflicts on the range after a confrontation with Ramona Alvarez and her nurse.

Pink Narcissus

1971 Drama, Fantasy

An intimate poem unfolding within the desires of a young man.

SHORT FILM

The Apple Tree

2012 Drama, Romance

Gabe and Jonathan navigate a forbidden love in the 1940s, hiding their relationship until Jonathan's death forces Gabe to confront prejudice in a poignant exploration of LGBTQ+ elders' struggles.

The Einstein of Sex

1999 Drama

The life story of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a German Jew and pioneer in sexology, focuses on his fight against anti-sodomy laws and establishment of the First Institute of Sexual Sciences in 1920s Berlin, amid rising Nazi threats.

50 Ways of Saying Fabulous

2005 Drama

Billy navigates the complexities of growing up, discovering that being true to himself is the key to understanding life's mysteries.

Passing Strangers

1974 Drama, Romance

A closeted gay teenager finds love, community, and a political awakening when he decides to answer an older, jaded man’s personal ad.

SHORT FILM

The Colour of His Hair

2017 Documentary

An examination of the Lesbian and Gay News Media Archive in London interspersed with recollections of the Homosexual Law Reform Society and a meditation on life under discriminatory law.

SHORT FILM

The Letter Men

2021 Drama

The untold true story of two gay men desperately in love but torn apart by war.

Cut Snake

2014 Thriller

An ex-convict striving for a fresh start in a new city faces a challenge when his enigmatic former cell mate arrives, stirring up his settled life with ominous charisma.

The Prince

2019 Drama

Set in the 1970s,it traces the tumultuous and perilous journey of Jaime, a self-absorbed young man, through a landscape of encounters, violence, and eventual murder.

SHORT FILM

The Fish Curry

2017 Animation, Drama

At 28, Lalit chooses to come out to his parents. To share his truth and seek their acceptance, he prepares his father's favorite fish curry.

Solos

2007 Drama, Romance

Explores relationships among three individuals who are struggling to open up their feelings towards each other.

Cobalt Blue

2022 Drama, Romance

When a brother and sister fall in love with the same man, their traditional Marathi family is torn apart.

Rustin

2023 Drama

Activist Bayard Rustin faces racism and homophobia as he helps change the course of Civil Rights history by orchestrating the 1963 March on Washington.

Maestro

2023 Drama, Musical, Romance

Chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day

2024 Drama

Four close friends are renowned filmmakers in Yugoslavia in the 1950s, but their sexuality raises suspicion. A communist party loyalist is sent to sabotage their lives, turning their pursuit of freedom into a battle for survival.

Drifting

1982 Drama

Dreaming of becoming a filmmaker, a young gay Israeli man works in his grandmother's store while exploring his artistic ambitions.

Portrait of Jason

1967 Documentary

Black gay prostitute Jason Holliday is rigorously interviewed on his story and character, revealing nuanced truths about life and art.