A list of 11 films piled on Letterboxd, cludg Brokeback Mounta (2005), Dead Poets Society (1989), Rent (2005), It Chapter Two (2019) and The Hobb: The Battle of the Five Armi (2014). About this list: A llectn of movi wh sad endgs for their gay (or spected gay/gay-d) characters.
Contents:
THE BT QUEER COMEDI A WORLD OF SAD, GAY FILMS
Stori filled wh ath, dyg, tragedy, and the harsh reali of a patriarchal, homophobic world pullg two people that love each other apart. So, if you’re feelg as trated as I am and you’re lookg for some gay love and lghs, here are my top picks for the bt queer edi a world of sad, gay films:.
For those not the know, visg Fire Island New York State is basilly a gay re of passage and so, the film follows a group of gay iends as they embark on their annual week of mischief and mayhem on the island.
This 1996 film, starrg Rob Williams and Nathan Lane, is lser known but an absolute mt-watch gay movie, pecially for lovers of drag culture.
SAD ENDGS FOR GAY CHARACTERS
This is unsurprisg, nsirg how homosexualy and/or same-sex marriage are still crimalised most Asian untri.
Indulge happy endgs, and we might start ignorg that the world is rife wh homophobic people and laws. Image a story where a gay character is stgglg to accept his sexualy. Its lead character L Chien-yi never fac stutnalised homophobia per se – he’s charged on acunts of dg age and murr – but he do face prejudiced attacks om people around him.
The Legacy of ‘Bury Your Gays’ Trope. However, a way, he has also unwtgly panred to a trope historilly associated wh LGBTQ films – the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope.
BL/GAY TRAGIC STORI
It first began the 19th century, when any reprentatn of gay characters lerature had to be portrayed negatively orr for the book to be published England.
Addnally, to signal to the rears that homosexualy was unsirable, gay characters were killed off, or at least, punished severely. This was the only form of visibily that gay people uld afford durg an era when homosexualy was still crimalised. This trope rried over to 20th century films and lerature, and even 21st century televisn dramas, even though homosexualy wasn’t crimalised anymore certa untri.
Queer characters were still expendable, killed ahead the story whereas the straight characters survived; the AIDS/HIV crisis ntributed to a new era of stori where gay characters ntracted AIDS and were doomed to die; lbian characters also died rather easily televisn dramas, as though they functned merely to propel the plot forward. Lexa om “The 100”, whose on-screen ath triggered backlash agast the ‘Bury Your Gay’ trope / Image cred: The 100 Fandom. Where do we see the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope Dear Tenant?