sue's dvd reviews: 4 Star Lesbian Films

4 P.M.
Rating: 4
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2000
Hilarious short about a politician, Belinda, whose one night stand with Jenna goes bad. Belinda leaves for work, but Jenna can't figure out how to get out of the apartment. When 4pm rolls around, Belinda, and her husband, return from work.
Director: Samantha Backhurst, Lea Morement
Language:
Actresses: Lea Morement, Samantha Bakhurst
Length: 15 min.
Genre: Comedy
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A Certain Grace
Rating: 4
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1992
Zelda, a straight photographer, becomes disentangled from her boyfriend when she befriends a woman who wants to pose for her. She leaves the boyfriend for the woman.
Director: Sandra Nettlebeck
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 40 min.
Genre: Drama
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A Village Affair
Rating: 4
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1994
Produced by Jane Wellesley. A couple move to a small English village, where everyone knows everybody's business. The wife meets, and eventually falls for, the renegade daughter of some very important townsfolk. Great acting, but I didn't like the ending. The wife rejects her female lover and tries to get back together with her husband, who will have nothing to do with her. She leaves town.
Director: Moira Armstrong
Language:
Actresses: Claier Bloom, Sophie Ward, Linda Bassett, Sophie Walker, Kerry Fox
Length: 108 min.
Genre: Drama
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Antonia's Line (Antonia)
Rating: 4
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1995
Written by Marleen Gorris. Antonia returns to her Dutch village to run the family farm, and faces a hostile town, a corrupt church and misogynist men. But she gets help from her Lesbian daughter, Daneille, who falls for a school teacher. Antonia takes in a young woman who is constantly being raped by her brother and beaten by her father. Antonia also befriends an eccentric academic bookworm and a mentally retarded farmhand. Her compassion and acceptance for these “rejects” is paid for with love, loyalty and faith. Great film, with a positive acceptance for Antonia's Lesbian daughter. It won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Produced by Judy Counihan, et al. This film was a joint venture between Belgium, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Director: Marleen Gorris
Language: Dutch with subtitles
Actresses: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans, Dora van der Groen, Veerlevan Overloop
Length: 102 min.
Genre: Drama
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Bad Girls - Season One
Rating: 4
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2000
British TV series about those naughty gals behind bars. Drugs, sex, violence and all that great stuff. A strong serial drama with lesbian content galore, thanks to Nikki, Helen, Shaz and Denny.
Director: Various
Language:
Actresses: Simone Lahbib, Mandana Jones, Debra Stephenson, Alycia Eyo, Helen Fraser, Victoria Alcock, Kika Mirylees
Length: 530 min
Genre: Drama
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Before Stonewall
Rating: 4
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1984
Documentary. Archival footage from the 1920s to the 1969 Greenwich Village riots at the Stonewall Inn. "Before Stonewall examines the background to this sudden burst of political energy, from the social experimentation of the Roaring Twenties, and the discovery of the size of the gay population during WWII, to the scapegoating of homosexuals during the McCarthy era, and the development of the early homophile rights movement, portraying the history of homosexual experience in America." Featuring filmed recollections. Andrea Weiss acted as an archival research director. Schiller did some camera work.
Director: Greta Schiller
Language:
Actresses: Audre Lorde, Barbara Gittings, Ann Bannon. Rita Mae Brown
Length: 87 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Better Than Chocolate
Rating: 4
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1998
Maggie has to deal with skinheads, censorship, a repressed bookstore owner with a love-sick transsexual paramour, her parents, and her lacklustre love life. So she finds a cool apartment, a cool girlfriend, a cool girlfriend for her brother, and some cool toys for her lonely mother. An audience favourite at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival. Written by Peggy Thompson. Produced by Sharon McGowan.

Dwyer on telling her mom she's playing a lesbian: "We all have something we don't want to tell our parents. In this case it was that I had so many love scenes. My mom saw my naked butt when she was changing my diapers and I don't think she cares to see it again."
Director: Anne Wheeler
Language:
Actresses: Wendy Crewson, Karyn Dwyer, Christina Cox, Anne-Marie MacDonald
Length: 98 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Blow Dry
Rating: 4
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2001
Ignore what you might have heard about the film, here's the real scoop: A woman leaves her hairdresser husband for his female model, but live in the same town. Ten years later, she is terminally ill, and feels the need to reconcile herself and her lover with him, and her son. She finally gets her chance through a national haircutting competition. It's a sad, funny film that is far better than I ever imagined from the marketing. Ignore the photos on the video box. This really is about a lesbian.
Director: Paddy Breathnach
Language:
Actresses: Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Rachael Leigh Cook
Length: 91 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Boys on the Side
Rating: 4
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1995
Jane is a repressed, "anti-Lesbian" Lesbian who falls for a doomed straight woman. This transforms itself from a Thelma-and-Louise type film to something deeper and far more touching. Includes bit parts by Lesbian folk singers Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Melissa Etheridge does one song on the soundtrack. Amy Ray (on the movie): "Yeah, it is. It deals with homosexuality. [in the movie] Whoopi's gay and she's obviously black, and Drew Barrymore is running away from a husband that beat her up. And Mary-Louise Parker is like a very straight, sort of middle-class, very naïve woman who has AIDS. So they deal with racial issues, homophobia, AIDS prejudice, basically a lot of feminist-type issues, and they don't really know each other very well, so you see the growing-up experience and all the dealings that happen between them. It's a very honest movie."
Director: Herbert Ross
Language:
Actresses: Drew Barrymore, Mary-Louise Parker, Whoopie Goldberg, Indigo Girls
Length: 117 min.
Genre: Drama
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete 3rd Season
Rating: 4
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1999
Buffy and the "Scooby Gang" are at it again: saving the world from various apocalypses (or is that apocalypse?). Willow is getting stronger, both as a witch and as a character.

Season three has no discernable lesbian content, but since Willow the Witch does eventually become a big time dyke, consider this to be background research! She's just breaking up with her boyfriend, so the rating is for the show, not for lesbian content.
Director: Joss Whedon
Language:
Actresses: Alyson Hannigan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Eliza Dushku
Length: 950 min.
Genre: Thriller
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete 4th Season
Rating: 4
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2001
Television series . You know about the Buffster by now. Slaying vampires, making out with demons, and the ever-increasing role of Willow. This DVD set has the groundbreaking "silent" episode, Hush. It is in this episode that we are all introduced to Tara, Willow's eventual lover.

Rating is for the show, not for lesbian content.
Director: Joss Whedon
Language:
Actresses: Alyson Hannigan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson
Length: 990 min.
Genre: Thriller
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete 5th Season
Rating: 4
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2001
Television series. Buffy and the gang continue to fight evil in the form of both monster and human. Willow is now a full-fledged lesbian, but it isn't until "The Body" episode that Tara and Willow even kiss. Well, they are in bed together before that, but...

Rating is for the show, not for lesbian content.
Director:
Language:
Actresses: Alyson Hannigan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kristine Sutherland
Length: 990 min.
Genre: Thriller
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete 6th Season
Rating: 4
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2002
Television series. Oh poor Willow! Do lesbians ever get to be happy on television? Well, at least she manages to live through it all. Buffy the vampire slayer, and the gang, have grown up and discovered that life isn't as simple as killing demons. In fact, it's a little hard to even figure out who the demons really are! And there's a really cool musical episode!

Cat Nip
Rating: 4
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1994
A granddaughter deconstructs her grandmother's fear of cats. And discovers granny was a big ol' dyke.
Director: Amanda Taylor
Language:
Actresses: Beatrice Johnson, Maria Asp
Length: 14 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Celluloid Closet
Rating: 4
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1995
This documentary takes a look at gay and Lesbian images on film. Based on the book of the same name by Vito Russo. Produced by Wendy Braitman, Caryn Mendez, et al. Written by Sharon Wood, et al. This film received a 1996 nomination for the President’s Award, and the Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming Award at the Emmys.
Director: Rob Epstein
Language:
Actresses: Susie Bright, Whoopi Goldberg, Shirley MacLaine, Susan Sarandon, Jan Oxenberg
Length: 102 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Change The Frame
Rating: 4
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1994
Great flick about a couple in a long-term relationship who start to re-evaluate their lives. And we know what that means! Rey does a great job looking at relationships with a tenderness and understanding that's missing in most films by male directors. Strong Lesbian content makes this indie film enjoyable and entertaining.
Director: Cristina Rey
Language:
Actresses: Cristina Rey
Length: 93 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Chasing Amy
Rating: 4
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1996
Holden can handle the idea that his new girlfriend, Alyssa, used to be a Lesbian. He can’t handle it when it turns out she really used to be the local slut. The laserdisc release will include such deleted scenes as Holden being confronted by an angry Lesbian, played by Illeana Douglas, and Alyssa talking with her dyke friends.
Director: Kevin Smith
Language:
Actresses: Joey Lauren Adams, Guinevere Turner, Illeana Douglas
Length: 105 min.
Genre: Bisexual
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Chutney Popcorn
Rating: 4
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1999
The funny, tender story of Reena, out lesbian daughter in an India American family. Reena can't ever do anything right - she doesn't even know she's Punjabi! Her older, perfect sister, Sarita, turns out to be less than perfect when she finds she can't have children. And when Reena decides to use her brother-in-law's sperm to get pregnant, almost no one is happy. But what out-and-proud dyke is going to let something like familial disapproval get in the way?
Director: Nisha Ganatra
Language:
Actresses: Jill Hennessy, Nisha Ganatra, Madhur Jaffrey, Sakina Jaffrey
Length: 91 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Cynara, Poetry in Motion
Rating: 4
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1996
A poetical, sensual fantasy of Lesbian love, set in 1883. Mostly a voice-over, with the characters saying little on-screen. It's like watching fantasy role playing. One of the better "lesbian-made" erotica films I've seen.

Note: Don't buy the 1932 version, it ain't the same thing.
Director: Nicole Conn
Language:
Actresses: Melissa Hellman, Johanna Nemeth
Length: 34 min.
Genre: Erotica
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Desi's Looking for a New Girl
Rating: 4
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2000
J.T., a young Latina dyke, has three passions: her skateboard, performer Marga Gomez; and her friend Desi. J.T. narrates the story of Desi’s journey through a painful break-up after she is dumped by her girlfriend for a younger woman, her mourning, and her attempts at dating and recovery. Desi’s family, friends, and her subconscious (an animated version of Desi) help and interfere every step of the way. DESI IS LOOKING FOR A NEW GIRL is a touching, realistic comedy infused with the sights and sounds of San Francisco's Latino culture.
Director: Mary Guzman
Language:
Actresses: Yesenia Aguirre, Desi del Valle
Length: 85 min.
Genre: Women of Color
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Devotion
Rating: 4
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1994
Sheila Caston is a stand-up lesbian comic whose life is going just fine. After a tour of the comedy circuits Sheila is enjoying the company of her partner and friends and the familiarity of performing in her home town, Vancouver. Enter a childhood flame, throw in a theme of unrequited love and everything else in Sheila Caston's life begins to take a downward turn.

Sheila gets a career break in the form of an offer of her own television show. Arriving at a preliminary meeting she is thrown off-balance when confronted with Lynn Webster; the object of her love fifteen years ago. Both women are forced to confront the past, and tensions reach boiling point as respective partners realise something is awry. By the end of the film Sheila has had to evaluate her relationship with her lover Julie, her passion for Lynn, and her career as a comedian..

Note: There is another film by the same name.
Director: Mindy Kaplan
Language:
Actresses: Jan Derbyshire, Kate Twa, Cindy Girling, Eileen Barrett
Length: 123 min.
Genre: Drama
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Dos Fallopia: Pretty Girls, Not Too Bright
Rating: 4
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1996
The comedy duo is shown live, and in set-up interviews.
Director:
Language:
Actresses: Lisa Koch, Peggy Platt
Length: 60 min.
Genre: Stand Up Comedy
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Dyke Drama
Rating: 4
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1993
A series of 4 short films reviewed individually. Includes Ife, Maya, A Certain Grace and Things We Said Today (which is a great short film)
Director: Various
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 89 min.
Genre: Compilation
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Everything Relative
Rating: 4
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1995
The one-line descriptions of this film, comparing it with "The Big Chill", don't do justice to this film. It treads that delicate balance between being a weighty what-the-hell-ever-happened-to-us soul searching film with a lighter this-is-who-we-are-now comedy. Very well done, and recommended.
Director: Sharon Pollack
Language:
Actresses: Ellen McLaughlin, Olivia Megron, Stacy Nelkin
Length: 110 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Fiction and Other Truths
Rating: 4
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1995
Documentary on remarkable Lesbian writer Jane Rule. Rule discusses her struggles through the McCarthy-era US, and her ongoing battles against censorship. A wonderful and compelling piece of history, whether you like Rule or not. Rule wrote the novel Desert of the Heart, which became Desert Hearts.
Director: Aerlyn Weissman, Lynne Fernie
Language:
Actresses: Jane Rule
Length: 60 min.
Genre: Documentary
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First Wives Club
Rating: 4
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1996
Former college roommates are reunited after 25 years when a friend commits suicide. Sharing in common insensitive, philandering ex-husbands, they form a bond (and later a company) to get even with their not-so-better halves. This comedy includes a Lesbian daughter ("Dad, I'm a Lesbian. A big one.") and a particularly funny trip to a Lesbian bar.
Director: Hugh Wilson
Language:
Actresses: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton
Length: 102 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Framing Lesbian Fashion
Rating: 4
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1992
Documentary on Lesbian fashion. Well-produced, funny, entertaining, even poignant. Includes some interesting insights into Lesbian identity and sense of community.
Director: Karen Everett
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 58 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Georgia Ragsdale - Honey Pass That Around
Rating: 4
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1997
Video of a stand-up routine by out and proud Lesbian Georgia Ragsdale. One of the funnier comedians around, and one of the very few who can actually an entire filmed routine.
Director:
Language:
Actresses: Georgia Ragsdale
Length: 40 min.
Genre: Stand Up Comedy
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Gia
Rating: 4
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1997
The life story of Gia, who became the first supermodel and supermodel tragedy. Well done bio pic, and it keeps Gia's real-life Lesbianism intact.
Director: Michael Cristofer
Language:
Actresses: Angelina Jolie
Length: 126 min.
Genre: Bisexual
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Ife
Rating: 4
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1993
A day in the life of a Black French Lesbian cruising around San Francisco.
Director: H Len Keller
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 5 min.
Genre: Women of Color
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Jumping the Gun
Rating: 4
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One woman dreams of the rest of her life with a one-night stand.
Director: Jane Schneider
Language:
Actresses:
Length:
Genre: Drama
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Jupon Rouge, Le (Manuela's Loves)
Rating: 4
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1987
A complex film, open to some very personal interpretations. An elderly writer and activist, Bacha, has spent 20 years cultivating a co-dependent relationship with Manuela, her assistant. Problems arise when Manuela falls in love with a woman, Claude. It's up to the viewer to decide where the problem really comes from, who is being taken advantage of, and who is the loser in all of this.
Director: Geneviève Lefèbvre
Language: French with English subtitles
Actresses: Alida Valli, Marie Christine Barrault, Guillermette Groban
Length: 90 min.
Genre: International
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Last Call at Maud's
Rating: 4
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1993
A look at the world's longest running lesbian bar, Maud's in San Francisco, running from 1966 to 1989. Interviews provide an interesting take on lesbian lifestyles in the different eras: just listen to the butch bar dykes of the early sixties talk about the gorgeous young blonde women who started hanging out in the seventies.
Director: Paris Poirier
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 77 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Lost and Delirious
Rating: 4
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2001
A guaranteed tearjerker for all but the most heartless. A quiet girl (Mouse) is sent to boarding school where she rooms with two young women who love each other. While Mouse gets used to their whispers and movements in the night, one's younger sister discovers them in bed together. Unable to cope, Tory renounces her love for Paulie and starts dating a guy. Paulie's life comes undone. The film has an intense focus on love, the lack of love, betrayal and abandonment and covers a lot of ground. Great film but don't believe the other reviews about "hot and heavy sex" or "eye candy for girls". Yep there is sex, but it's tasteful and relaxed, fitting the story of the film with the women having been lovers for a while, and therefore comfortable with each other.
Director: Léa Pool
Language:
Actresses: Piper Perabo, Jessica Pare, Mischa Barton
Length: 100 min.
Genre: Coming of Age
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Love And Human Remains
Rating: 4
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1993
A straight woman loves the gay man she shares an apartment with. He's a "professional fag" and couldn't care less about her. She turns, briefly, to a Lesbian, before deciding she prefers his unrequited love. All this, and murder too.
Director: Denys Arcand
Language:
Actresses: Ruth Marshall, Mia Kirshner, Joanne Vannicola
Length: 100 min.
Genre: Thriller
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Love and Other Catastrophes
Rating: 4
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1997
Take a wild and wacky romp through the land of romance with five friends whose lives intersect and collide in unexpected and comical ways. Critics cheered this wildly refreshing film about the often hilarious catastrophes of love and dating in the 90s. Includes an out Lesbian and her girlfriend.
Director: Emma-Kate Croghan
Language:
Actresses: Alice Garner, Frances O'Connor
Length:
Genre: Comedy
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Maggie and Annie
Rating: 4
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2002
Annie has it all in life. A wonderful husband and a darling little girl. All is going well until she goes to a softball practice and meets Maggie. Maggie -- cute, athletic, and openly gay -- touches feeling deep down inside Annie that she has no idea existed. A night of dancing and drinking puts Annie in the arms of Maggie. The love affair begins and reaches a point where there may be no way back.
Director: Kimberly K. Wilson
Language:
Actresses: Amy Thiel, Joy Yandell, Lizzie Peet, Shannon Rossiter
Length: 85 min.
Genre: Romance
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Maid of Honor
Rating: 4
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1999
Serena, the maid of honour at her ex-lover's wedding (to a guy), has been involved in a non-monogamous relationship with Donielle for 5 years. Donielle wants to keep things the way they are, but Serena's looking for something a little more traditional. It's tough being the only person around with any sense of honour.
Director: Jennifer Arnold
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 23 min.
Genre: Drama
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Monster
Rating: 4
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2003
The life of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos is once again the topic of a film. Abused as a child, and hooking as a teenager, Aileen becomes caught in the deadly trap of self-hate and hatred of the way men treat her. Nearing suicidal despair, Wuornos wanders into a Florida bar, where she meets Selby Wall (a fictionalized name), a young woman sent by her parents to live with an aunt in order to “cure her homosexuality.” Wuornos—victim of a tragic, abusive upbringing—quickly falls in love, and clings to Selby like a life preserver.

Unable to find a legitimate job but desperate to sustain her relationship with Selby, Wuornos continues working as a prostitute. When one of her johns turns violent, Wuornos shoots the man in self-defense; the first in her tragic string of killings.

From first-time writer-director Patty Jenkins, but don't expect it to follow Aileen's life story too closely. Tyria (her real lover) and her adopted mother are both in the running as the true monster, if you watch the documentary "Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer". Monster is in theatres now. Charlize Theron, by the way, plays a remarkable Lee.
Director: Patty Jenkins
Language:
Actresses: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Annie Corley
Length: 109 min.
Genre: Drama
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Only The Brave
Rating: 4
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1994
Australian film. A nihilistic, dark and foreboding coming-of-age story, with Alex and Vicki being forced to deal with their difficult lives. But there's a strong subplot of female abandonment. Alex is abandoned by her alcoholic mother, her close friends, and the teacher she has a crush on. Vicki too is abandoned by her mother, but in a very different way. Her mother is still in the home; she's simply incapable of protecting her daughter from her monstrous husband. The tension between Alex and Vicki rises as Alex begins to become aware of her sexuality, and as she becomes aware of Vicki's sexual abuse. Despite all of the absent females, or women who can't live up to whatever their duties areas mothers and guardians, Alex seems to be a survivor. It's a dark and moody film. It is compelling, even haunting. Great film, but the Lesbian content is minimal.
Director: Ana Kokkinos
Language:
Actresses: Ellen Mandalis, Dora Kaskanis, Maude Davey
Length: 59 min.
Genre: Drama
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Out Of Season
Rating: 4
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1997
Micki travels to a small coastal town to care for her ailing Uncle Charlie. She'd rather not be there, and it shows. She has a run-in of sorts with her uncle's friend, Roberta, and they really can't stand each other. Great characters are developed bit by bit as the story unfolds: Micki wants to seduce Roberta, Roberta will have nothing of the sort, Micki tries and tries again. And finally succeeds. And everything goes great. Until Uncle Charlie dies. Micki wants to leave, Roberta gets really pissed off, but they finally work things out. Even the secondary characters are engaging (love the straight woman in the bar… just like someone I once knew!)

Note: There is another film by the same name.
Director: Jeanette L Buck
Language:
Actresses: Carol Monda, Joy Kelly
Length: 98 min.
Genre: Drama
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Out: Stories Of Lesbian And Gay Youth
Rating: 4
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1993
Documentary on the issues of sexuality, sexual orientation, racism, and sexism for gay and Lesbian youth.
Director: David Adkin
Language:
Actresses:
Length:
Genre: Documentary
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Paris Was a Woman
Rating: 4
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1996
UK film portrait of a community of creative women writers, artists, photographers and editors who flocked to the left bank of Paris in the early decades of this century, when Paris was the undisputed cultural capital of the world. Rich with newly discovered home movie footage, intimate story telling intertwining interview with anecdote and research, the film lyrically and entertainingly recreates the mood and flavour of this female artistic community during its most magical era. Legendary names such as Colette, Djuna Barnes, Gertrude Stein, Berenice Abbott and Sylvia Beach are amongst those who are discussed in the film. Some of the wonderful stories told are not totally devoid of a little gossip.
Director: Greta Schiller
Language:
Actresses: Sharl Benstock, Berthe, Giselle Freund, Dr. Catherine Stimpson
Length: 75 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Personal Best
Rating: 4
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1982
Two women prepare for the 1980 Olympics. They are team-mates, rivals and even lovers (for three years!). But the relationship ends easily for one ("We're just friends") and not so easily for the other ("Yeah, friends who just happen to fuck each other once in awhile") thanks to the meddling of the male coach. This film rises only slightly above its counterparts, because neither of them dies and (gasp!) they even kind of sort of patch their friendship back together.
Director: Robert Towne
Language:
Actresses: Mariel Hemingway, Patrice Donnelly
Length: 128 min.
Genre: Romance
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Poisson D'Amour, Le
Rating: 4
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1994
Experimental film about finding a new lover, dealing with friends and family, and dealing with yourself.
Director: Paula Gauthier
Language:
Actresses: Rebecca West, Laura Nix
Length:
Genre: Experimental
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Set It Off
Rating: 4
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1996
With Queen Latifah as a Lesbian who, with 3 life-long friends, decide to start robbing banks. Great action flick that addresses social issues like poverty, racism, police brutality and sexism.
Director: F Gary Gray
Language:
Actresses: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise
Length: 123 min.
Genre: Women of Color
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Shopping for Fangs
Rating: 4
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1996
The unusual cast in this strange but enjoyable little film includes Trinh, a sunglasses and platinum blonde-wigged lesbian waitress; Katharine, a confused married gal who is lost and confused and becomes Trinh's obsessive love interest (they've never met!) ; Phil, a dorky office worker who seems to be turning into a seriously hairy werewolf; and Lawrence, a gay man quietly pinning for love. The stories are imaginatively interwoven, the characters are quirky and quite likeable.
Director: Quentin Lee, Justin Lin
Language:
Actresses: Jeanne Chin, Peggy Ahn
Length:
Genre: Thriller
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Show Me Love (Fucking Amal)
Rating: 4
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1999
Elin is frustrated by the boring small town of Amal, so she drinks, smokes, and threatens to fall in love. She's also only a young teenager. Nothing ever happens until Elin makes an unexpected move -- she goes to the birthday party of a nothing girl, Agnes. Agnes is in love with Elin, although Elin has no idea at the beginning. Throw in some small town homophobia and attitude, and you've got trouble. Excellent film, with a cool ending.
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Language: Swedish with subtitles
Actresses: Alexandra Dahlstrom, Rebecca Liljeberg
Length: 89 min.
Genre: Coming of Age
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Stolen Moments
Rating: 4
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1997
Documentary on Lesbians around the world. Includes a look at Dykes on Bikes, Amsterdam's liberal attitudes and the Holocaust. Extremely well received at film festivals, and well reviewed. However, while I think it was a good film, it didn't meet my expectations. This film is not about our history, but about some Lesbians' lives. Women are interviewed about their first sexual experiences, coming out and what they think is sexy.
Director: Margaret Wescott
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 91 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Stranger Inside
Rating: 4
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2001
Treasure has learned that Margaret "Brownie" Lee, the mother she has never known is serving a life sentence in the maximum security State Facility for Women. She stabs a girl to get transferred there from juvie. Her first glimpse of Brownie is her bullying her way through a rough game of prison-yard basketball. But Brownie already has a pretend family inside, so Treasure must fight her way back into mom's heart. The few moments of release: hot cup-o-soup, sex in the church pews, singing, all mean nothing when mom snaps her fingers. But Brownie isn't peaches and cream: she's a vicious, self-centred woman with a heart of stone. When Kit, her prison "daughter", loses a stash of contraband, she's told to find it or else. We find out what that "or else" is.

Dunye has outdone herself, surely in part thanks to writing partner Catherine Crouch and financial backing from HBO. It's a gritty film that pulls no punches.
Director: Cheryl Dunye
Language:
Actresses: Yolanda Ross, Davenia McFadden
Length: 97 min.
Genre: Women of Color
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Switch (1991)
Rating: 4
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1991
Comedy about a murdered man who's sent back to earth as a woman. The man was so homophobic in his lifetime that he can't even bring himself to kiss a woman while he is using a woman's body. Includes a very funny trip to a Lesbian bar, and an attempt to seduce a lesbian fashion designer.

Note: There is another film with lesbian content of the same name.
Director: Blake Edwards
Language:
Actresses: Ellen Barkin, Jo Beth Williams
Length: 103 min.
Genre: Comedy
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The Brandon Teena Story
Rating: 4
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1998
The story of a woman, Teena Brandon, who tried passing as a man, Brandon Teena. Eventually, she was discovered, raped and murdered. This particular film won the Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Like other documentaries on murdered lesbians, it's hard to watch. The people interviewed often show their small, wizened souls -- they probably really do believe that she deserved it, just for passing. The ex-girlfriends' accolades of Brandon's kindness and consideration only make it harder to hear that Brandon and her friends deserved to be murdered. Her life story was the basis for Boys Don't Cry.
Director: Susan Muska, Greta Olafdottir
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 89 min.
Genre: Documentary
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The Children's Hour
Rating: 4
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1962
Wyler also directed the original version of this film in 1937 called "These Three". A nasty little girl tells a lie about two teachers with an unnatural relationship. Martha can't stand the "ounce of truth" in the lie, and ends her life.
Director: William Wyler
Language:
Actresses: Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn
Length: 107 min.
Genre: Drama
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The Handmaid's Tale
Rating: 4
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1990
Remarkable feminist "horror" story based on the novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Frightening story of an ultra conservative USA where the few remaining fertile women serve as handmaids to the rich. The horror truly comes from its plausibility. Remarkable acting and strong dialogue keep the viewer entranced. Includes a Lesbian who is punished for "gender treachery".
Director: Volker Schlondorff
Language:
Actresses: Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth McGovern, Victoria Tennan
Length: 109 min.
Genre: Period Film
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The Monkey's Mask
Rating: 4
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2001
Based on the internationally acclaimed novel in verse by Dorothy Parker, The Monkey’s Mask is an erotically charged murder mystery. Private investigator Jill Fitzpatrick accepts a job investigating the disappearance of Mickey, a young female student and aspiring poet. Soon Jill meets the alluring Diana, Mickey’s sexually aggressive poetry teacher. Together they embark on a search for clues in the surprisingly seedy underworld of poetry. Distracted by her own attraction to Diana, Jill’s investigation is compromised, perhaps putting her own life in peril... The Monkey’s Mask is a stylish and sexy lesbian film noir about the power and danger of infatuation.
Director: Samantha Lang
Language:
Actresses: Susie Porter, Kelly McGillis
Length: 91 min.
Genre: Thriller
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The Real Ellen Story
Rating: 4
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1998
Beginning with the original conception of the so-called "Puppy Episode" (an executive suggested that Ellen needed a love interest, and a puppy was deemed much less threatening than a lesbian), The Real Ellen Story presents a suspenseful, funny and touching look at a media feeding frenzy.
Director: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Language:
Actresses: Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Heche, Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Manchester, Laura Dern, Diane Sawyer
Length: 52 min.
Genre: Documentary
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The Truth About Jane
Rating: 4
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2000
Out lesbian director Lee Rose directed this wish-it-were-autobiographical movie. Jane is the apple of her parents' eye. Despite the enormous pressure, her popularity and attractiveness to boys, she turns out to be a lesbian. She falls for Taylor, a misfit who breaks her heart. But thanks to the encouraging words of a lesbian teacher, Jane sees her way through, her parents come around and she stays a confident and strong young woman. A bit of a tearjerker, but then again, it ought to be.

The director said: " I think a lot of people were very concerned about adolescent expressing any kind of sexual feeling. But I think that 16-year-olds are not babies and there's an awkwardness and naiveté that makes it somehow at the end of the day easier for people to see adolescents with a first crush or a first kiss than it is to see adult lesbians having sex. I just think there's something innocent and pure that just makes it more palatable for America. That's my belief."
Director: Lee Rose
Language:
Actresses: Ellen Muth, Stockard Channing
Length: 91 min.
Genre: Coming of Age
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The Watermelon Woman
Rating: 4
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1996
A film about a filmmaker trying to make a film, this is the story of Cheryl, a twenty something Black Lesbian played by the director struggling to make a documentary about a beautiful and elusive 1930's film actress, popularly known as The Watermelon Woman. Cheryl has been temporarily working (two years) as a video store employee. Her best friend and co-worker, the sharp tongued Tamara come to blows over life, love and interracial relationships when Cheryl begins an affair with a white customer, Diana and Cheryl's obsession with Fae Richards, The Watermelon Woman, who played the mammy characters in the films of one of early Hollywood's only women directors, Martha Page takes over her life.
Director: Cheryl Dunye
Language:
Actresses: Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valerie Walker, Camille Paglia, Lisa Marie Bronson
Length: 85 min.
Genre: Women of Color
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Tiny & Ruby -- Hell Divin' Women
Rating: 4
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1988
Documentary on the remarkable Lesbian jazz musicians Tiny Davis and Ruby Lucas. The film includes colorful interviews with Tiny and Ruby, archival material, musical performances, computer animation, and narration by poet Cheryl Clarke.
Director: Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss
Language:
Actresses: Tiny Davis, Ruby Lucas, Cheryl Clarke
Length: 30 min.
Genre: Music
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Two Girls and a Baby
Rating: 4
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1999
An Australian lesbian couple want to have a baby. The fact that the sperm must be shipped from the US is only the beginnings of their comedic troubles. Their families react differently, and they are faced with some difficult decisions (like, who is going to get pregnant, and what do I do now that I actually have a job?)
Director: Kelli Simpson
Language:
Actresses: Claudia Karvan, Niky Wendt, Pippa Grandison
Length: 24 min.
Genre: Comedy
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Under the Tuscan Sun
Rating: 4
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2003
Frances, a writer, is devastated to discover her husband is cheating on her, so she takes the advice of her close lesbian friend, Patti, and moves to Tuscany. There she strives to find marriage and family. When Patti arrives on her doorstep, pregnant and alone, Frances takes her in, saying "You are my love life." The non-sexual partnership is touching.

We placed this film in the Coming of Age genre because it's an excellent reminder to all of us that we need never stop learning, loving and living.
Director: Audrey Wells
Language:
Actresses: Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Anita Zagaria, Evelina Gori, Giulia Steigerwalt
Length: 113 min.
Genre: Coming of Age
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Vampyres
Rating: 4
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1974
To those who don't like lesbian vampire films, this is just a 1970s softcore flick. To those who are aficionados of the genre, it's an interesting film. Not because it has artistic merit, but for its treatment of the vampire legend:

2 lesbians become vampires after being murdered while having sex
the honeymoon couple aren't the main focus of the attacks
the "marked" woman is attacked anyway
the victims are stabbed as much as bitten
the vampires get away

Director: Joseph Larraz
Language:
Actresses: Anulka, Marianne Morris
Length: 86 min.
Genre: Lesbian Vampire
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When Shirley Met Florence
Rating: 4
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1994
Documentary about the lifelong relationship between a 60-something Lesbian and her straight friend. As the straight Shirley says, "I have a sister, and I have a brother, but Florence...she is my soul mate."
Director: Ronit Bezelel
Language:
Actresses:
Length: 27 min.
Genre: Documentary
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Women from Down Under
Rating: 4
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This compilation of four sexy shorts (2 are lesbian-themed) from women from Australia. Includes Peach, Just Desserts, Excursion to the Bridge and Jumping the Gun. Peach and Jumping the Gun videos are reviewed separately.
Director: Various
Language:
Actresses: Lucy Lawless
Length: 52 min.
Genre: Compilation
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Xena: Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Rating: 4
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2000
Ah, Xena, Warrior Princess. This is a single episode from the six-season TV series. Girls Just Want to Have Fun features the sexy Bacchae, who recruit young village girls and kill everybody else. Watch them seduce the young Gabrielle, and then watch Gabrielle perform one of the most seductive vampire attacks on Xena! If you love leather, fun and cheesy costumes, you'll love Girls Just Want to Have Fun.
Director:
Language:
Actresses: Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor
Length: 50 min.
Genre: Lesbian Vampire
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Xena: Warrior Princess Series Finale
Rating: 4
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2001
Xena is summoned to Japan by a long-lost spiritual soul mate (her first lesbian lover, we suppose). Xena and Gabrielle face their biggest threat ever when they confront the Yodoshi and an army of 20,000 elite Samurai soldiers. Gabby gets an amazingly cool dragon tattoo on her back. They share a passionate kiss. Xena ends up with her first (female) soul mate, and… okay, subtext, subtext, subtext.
Director:
Language:
Actresses: Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor
Length: 100 min.
Genre: Action
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