18 Sapphic Movies That Are Perfect To Watch This Pride Month And All Year Long

*Insert intense sapphic eye contact.*

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Neon / Courtesy Everett Collection

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is your quintessential sapphic period piece. Set in the 18th century, it follows a painter (Noémie Merlant) who is hired to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) for her future husband.

Where you can watch: Hulu

2. But I'm a Cheerleader

Lions Gate / Â © Lions Gate / Courtesy Everett Collection

But I'm a Cheerleader is a cult classic. It has a little bit of everything: a bright, campy aesthetic, satire; a good romance; and, of course, young Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall. Despite its conversion-camp setting, the movie is full of hope and humor.

Where to watch: YouTube (with ads)

3. Princess Cyd

Wolfe Releasing / Courtesy Everett Collection

This slice-of-life coming-of-age movie follows the extroverted, adventurous 16-year-old Cyd (Jessie Pinnick), who spends the summer in Chicago with her novelist aunt. It's a light watch, but it's got a lot of heart.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

4. Ammonite

Neon / Courtesy Everett Collection

Ammonite is the latest sapphic period drama, set in 1840s England. In it, a previously acclaimed "fossil hunter" (Kate Winslet) is hired to care for the young wife of a visitor (Saoirse Ronan) while she recovers by the sea.

Where to watch: Hulu

5. The Half of It

KC Bailey / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

The Half of It is the latest release from queer director and screenwriter Alice Wu. In it, the smart, introverted Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) secretly helps the school jock win over his crush Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire), whom she also begins to fall for.

Where to watch: Netflix

6. Disobedience

Bleecker Street Media / Courtesy Everett Collection

Disobedience follows Ronit (Rachel Weisz) as she reunites with her childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams), and returns to the Orthodox Jewish community that shunned her, on the occasion of her father's death.

Where to watch: Philo, Amazon Prime Video (with Starz subscription), Hulu (with Starz subscription)

7. I Care a Lot

Seacia Pavao / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

If you're a fan of statement pantsuits, sharp bobs, and morally gray decision-making, this is the movie for you. I Care a Lot follows legal guardian Marla (Rosamund Pike) and her partner — both in crime and in ~being gay~ — Fran (Eiza González) as they attempt to defraud a wealthy woman.

Where to watch: Netflix

8. Carol

Courtesy Everett Collection / Â © Weinstein Co. / Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

In this 1950s period drama, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) meets the wealthy, exhilarating Carol (Cate Blanchett) at the department store she works at, and they quickly develop a deep bond. Oh, and Sarah Paulson is in it too.

Where to watch: Netflix, Tubi

9. Happiest Season

Lacey Terrell / © Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection

While the romance in Happiest Season is a liiiiittle controversial, it's a holiday rom-com starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis that has a little bit of everything. And by "everything," I mean it was directed and cowritten by Clea DuVall, includes a new Tegan and Sara song, AND has Aubrey Plaza in it.

Where to watch: Hulu

10. Booksmart

Francois Duhamel / Everett Collection / Everett Collection

This coming-of-age comedy follows two nerdy high school best friends (Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein) who try to make up for lost time before graduation day. It's full of awkward (queer and otherwise) firsts, well-written friendships, and lots of humor.

Where to watch: Hulu

11. Pariah

Focus Features / Â © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection

Pariah is a coming-of-age drama about 17-year-old Alike (Adepero Oduye), who struggles to find a balance between embracing being a lesbian and hiding it from her religious parents. The characters are well written, the acting is great, and writer-director Dee Rees has earned quite a bit of praise for this debut film.

Where to watch: Netflix

12. The Handmaiden

Magnolia Pictures / Â © Magnolia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

If you're looking for a movie with lots of twists and turns, this is the one for you. The Handmaiden is set in 1930s Korea, where Sookee (Kim Tae-ri) is hired as the handmaiden of a wealthy, isolated heiress (Kim Min-hee) with a plan to con her out of her money.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

13. The Prom

Melinda Sue Gordon / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

The Prom is a star-studded, big-screen adaptation of the Tony-nominated musical of the same name. In a small Indiana town, prom gets canceled to keep Alyssa and her girlfriend Emma from attending together, until four Broadway stars arrive to ~shake things up~. The cast boasts Hollywood stars like Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman as well as big Broadway names like Andrew Rannells and Ariana DeBose.

Where to watch: Netflix

14. Saving Face

Sony Pictures / Â © Sony Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Saving Face is a classic, and Alice Wu's first film. It's a rom-com that follows Chinese American lesbian Wil (Michelle Krusiec), whose mother shows up at her door with a big secret after being kicked out of her own parents' house. The film is witty and fun but also touches on important topics like family, tradition, and the workplace.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi

15. Rafiki

Film Movement / Courtesy Everett Collection

Rafiki is, at its heart, a story of hope. Set in Nairobi — where homosexuality is illegal — it tells the tale of Kena and Ziki, two girls who, despite their conservative homes and the fact that their fathers are running against each other in the County Assembly, find comfort in each other.

Where to watch: Hulu

16. The Feels

The Film Collaborative / Courtesy Everett Collection.

Filmed in a mockumentary style, The Feels is a rom-com set during wives-to-be Andi (Constance Wu) and Lu's (Angela Trimbur) joint bachelorette weekend, which rapidly goes awry when one bride admits she's never had an orgasm.

Where to watch: Netflix

17. Appropriate Behavior

Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection / Everett Collection

This movie, starring, written, and directed by Desiree Akhavan, follows a twentysomething bisexual in Brooklyn named Shirin, who struggles to balance the aforementioned identities with her traditional Persian roots.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi

18. Desert Hearts

Samuel Goldwyn Films / Â © Samuel Goldwyn Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

Based on Jane Rule's book Desert of the Heart, a literature professor, Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver), goes to Nevada to file for divorce from her husband and finds herself falling for the ranch hand's daughter, Cay (Patricia Charbonneau). Set in 1959, the movie has a stunning background, a beloved soundtrack, and a whole lot of chemistry.

Where to watch: HBO Max

Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2021.

Kevin Valente / BuzzFeed