11 incredible LGBT travel movies

Posted: 19/10/17 | October 19th, 2017

Earlier this year, I added an LGBT column for the website to make the site more inclusive as well as talk about problems that impact some members of our community. We hear from LGBT voices about their experiences on the road, security tips, events, as well as general advice for other LGBT travelers! Returning this month is our column leader, Adam from travels of Adam to share a few of his preferred LGBT travel films!

Of the many things that inspire me to travel as well as check out the world, movies are definitely one of the strongest influences. Cinematography assists us experience different worlds, stories take us to new places.

And as the experience of coming out feels like a journey for so many LGBT people, it makes sense that there’d be many LGBT movies that cover the emotional journey of discovery together with the physical experience of travel.

From Oscar-winning classics like Brokeback mountain to cult favorites like To Wong Foo, thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar to arthouse cinema by Almodóvar as well as John Waters, many films influence us to travel.

This is my listing of all-time preferred LGBT-themed movies that include traveling, as well as they are available in all genres, from silly comedies to thoughtful dramas, from Hollywood masterpieces to indie productions.
 

1. Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback mountain is (rightfully) at the top of any type of LGBT movie list. This 2005 film tells the story of two cowboys as well as their annual trip from Wyoming to Texas. The lovely scenery of the mountains as well as the men’s camping trip is the perfect background for this agonizing drama.

The film depicts exactly how many gay relationships, nevertheless they’re defined, often begin as friendships. However, there’s likewise commonly a struggle with society as well as one’s personal boundaries. in spite of the tragic outcome, the story reminds us that like triumphs over dislike — as well as over physical distance.
 

2. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

From the mountains, we travel to the desert. two of my preferred movies are influenced by sand as well as hot winds. The very first one is a traditional as well as has ended up being a gay cult movie. set in Australia’s Simpson Desert, 1994’s Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is really the name of a bus utilized by two drag queens as well as a trans lady to cross Australia on their method to a casino in Alice Springs.

Along the journey, the characters interact with rural populations, aboriginal Australians, as well as homophobic gangs. A young guy Pearce as well as award-winning costume style make the film particularly memorable. The film’s combination of humor as well as drama is necessary to any type of road trip movie since traveling provides you precisely that: laughs as well as tears.
 

3. C.R.A.Z.Y.

The second desert movie on this listing is a more recent (2005) Canadian production, as well as the desert depicted is that of the lovely city of Essaouira, Morocco (though the setting of the movie is really Jerusalem).

C.R.A.Z.Y. is a story about acceptance as well as household life, however it includes an honest portrayal of traveling as a method of silencing the voices in our heads, only to return house totally empowered as well as strong. It complies with Zac during his journey of coming out, which includes an getaway to the middle east before he reunites with his good friends as well as household back home. Moreover, the soundtrack includes many iconic gay anthems, including Patsy Cline (“Crazy”), Giorgio Moroder (“Here to Eternity”), as well as David Bowie (“Space Oddity”).
 

4. To Wong Foo, thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

This 1995 film seems to be influenced by Priscilla, however the producers firmly insist that production started before the Australian film was released. To Wong Foo complies with the lives of three new York drag queens (Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, as well as John Leguizamo) on a road trip from nyc to Los Angeles for a drag competition.

Naturally, their cars and truck breaks down as well as they end up stranded in small-town America, where they have a number of comedic as well as remarkable encounters with the regional authorities as well as other stereotypical southern characters. The movie shows both the welcoming as well as homophobic attitudes of the American South, however for me, the very best part is the combination of black, Latino as well as “white” narratives during the road trip.

By overcoming stereotypes as well as dislike — mainly depicted in the figure of a authorities policeman — the drag queens modification the lives of many people as well as rediscover the value of friendship.
 

5. Transamerica

Another excellent story, Transamerica features an outstanding performance by Felicity Huffman as a trans woman, Bree, on a road trip. Her therapist insists that she must make amends with her estranged son, who doesn’t understand of her transition, before signing off on her final surgery. Bree drives her son from nyc to Los Angeles under the pretense of being a Christian missionary assisting him out of jail as well as breaking his poor habits.

As they travel together as well as discover about one another, the movie explores the meaning of words like “father” as well as “mother,” “boy” as well as “girl,” all the while exposing the characters’ challenging as well as emotional journey. It’s a story about household life, tolerance, as well as self-respect.
 

6. Weekend

This 2011 British drama was director Andrew Haigh’s breakout film (before he went on to direct Looking as well as 45 Years). two guy who satisfy in a gay club looking for a laid-back hookup before one of them is to move away. They have a passionate weekend together, sharing intimate details as well as experiences: their coming out, past relationships, as well as thoughts on sexuality. It’s the story of that emotional, in-between moment before leaving something behind as well as starting anew: passionate, intense, as well as fleeting however unforgettable.
 

7. Y Tu Mamá También

While some people are hesitant to think about it an LGBT movie, I believe Y Tu Mamá También is clearly about the stigma against bisexuality (or about the flexibility to overcome any type of labels). While on a road trip around Mexico, two teen boys as well as an appealing older lady head to the beach, only to find the tricks of their own enthusiasms against the backdrop of Mexico’s political as well as social realities. The movie deftly combines comedy as well as drama, as well as it shows exactly how traveling opens us as much as new experiences by fighting societal as well as interior concerns or doubts.
 

8. Seashore (Beira-Mar)

This lovely film from Brazil tells the story of two young guy on a road trip trying to recuperate legal documents from relatives, with a detour to the beach. The journey provides them the chance to reconnect while solving their own interior struggles. one of the boys is gay, as well as the story complies with his interior dilemma of sharing that truth with his friend.

Part of the magic of this movie is that it’s a wonderful as well as positive depiction of gay youth. The pain of coming out is mainly absent, as well as the whole experience is provided as natural as well as easy, with extremely bit tension. There’s a sweetness to the story, a youthfulness—and, importantly, likewise a realness. Not everybody has a poor experience coming out. as well as those stories are just as worth sharing as the others.
 

9. Todo Sobre Mi Madre

It’s impossible to talk about LGBT movies as well as travel without making a recommendation to the work of Pedro Almodóvar. many of his movies show gender, politics, as well as pain. Todo Sobre Mi Madre tells the story of a tragicomic drag queen as well as prostitute, Amparo, surrounded by a couple of lesbian movie theater actresses, a expecting nun, as well as a mom (portrayed by Argentinian actress Cecilia Roth), all while searching for a trans lady who is the biological father of her son.

The tragic story is set in two lovely Spanish cities, Madrid as well as Barcelona, as well as with the protagonist, we discover that every trip has a different meaning at different points in our lives.
 

10. happy Together

As for Oriental cinema, the must-see film is this 1997 traditional by Wong Kar-Wai. A gay couple from Hong Kong travel to Argentina, with the objective of visiting the Iguazú waterfalls as well as resetting their relationship.

Their physical trip abroad is a metaphor for their spiritual trip as well as includes episodes of depression, emotional pain, as well as abuse. The story is tumultuous however exposes the power of durability as well as shows us exactly how traveling can impact both past as well as present relationships.
 

11. August

August is one more gay-themed movie about separation as well as reunification. After living for many years in Spain, Troy travels back to Los Angeles as well as begins a journey that explores the limits of connections as well as the ugly difference between truth as well as expectations.

For me, travel right here is a symbolic method to break old habits as well as discover more about ourselves as well as others. Returning from a long trip always has its complications, particularly when old connections show up again. however it’s our journeys abroad that add to our own personal stories, as well as things always modification before, during, as well as after a huge trip.

***
We commonly travel to different locations in other to envision exactly how life would be for us there, to find new cultures as well as social contexts as well as to check out unknown parts of our own being. many LGBT-inspired films do precisely the same. Today, it’s simple to check out both the genuine or fictional worlds of gay lives in many films from different cultures, cities, as well as social contexts as more as well as more LGBT films make it to mainstream screens.

But even if you don’t determine as LGBT, I motivate you to seek out these films that comply with unique as well as personal stories, themes we can all associate to no matter our sexuality or gender.

Maybe the more LGBT movies you watch, the easier it is to interact with others who are different or have a background that’s difficult to assess.

The exact same goes for travel.

The more worldwide good friends as well as acquaintances you have as well as the more diversity in your life, the easier to comprehend as well as empathize with other cultures.

Note: a few of these films aren’t 100% precise in their depictions of LGBT people as well as may seem dated, however many of them have had a positive effect on LGBT culture as well as continue to be important.

Adam Groffman is a former graphic designer who left a publishing task travel the world. He’s a gay travel expert, writer, as well as blog writer as well as publishes a series of LGBT-friendly Hipster City Guides from around the world on his gay travel blog, Travels of Adam. When he’s not out checking out the coolest bars as well as clubs, he’s usually enjoying the regional arts as well as culture scene. discover more of his travel tips (and embarrassing stories) on Twitter.
 

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