Valentine’s Day can feel like a minefield for some LGBTQIA+ couples. Between the heart-shaped heteronormativity splattered across every storefront and the unsolicited pressure to perform romance in a world that still side-eyes queer love, sometimes the best date night is one that happens behind closed doors. So, if you’d rather skip the stares and celebrate love on your own terms, grab a blanket, pour some wine, and let these five queer films remind you that love — real, messy, and unapologetic — deserves to be seen.
1. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Set in the sun-drenched Italian countryside, Call Me by Your Name follows 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) as he experiences a life-changing summer romance with Oliver (Armie Hammer), his father’s graduate student assistant. Their connection is both intellectual and deeply passionate, unfolding in an atmosphere of music, literature, and self-discovery.
Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of André Aciman’s novel is a poetic meditation on first love, desire, and the bittersweet nature of fleeting moments. With stunning cinematography and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, it’s a must-watch for those who appreciate slow-burning, deeply emotional love stories and for anyone who’s ever had a love that felt both too big and too brief. Bonus: It might just make you look at peaches differently forever.
2. Dear Ex (2018)
This Taiwanese dramedy centers around Song Chengxi, a teenage boy caught between his grieving mother and his late father’s male lover, Jay. As he becomes entangled in their conflict, he begins to understand the complexities of love, loss, and acceptance.
Dear Ex takes what could have been a simple family drama and turns it into a witty, emotionally rich exploration of grief and queer love. If you like your heartbreak with a side of dark humor and social commentary, this one’s for you.
3. All of Us Strangers (2023)
Adam (Andrew Scott), a lonely screenwriter, begins a relationship with his enigmatic neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) while grappling with visions of his long-deceased parents. As past and present blur, the film navigates themes of grief, love, and self-acceptance.
Haunting and dreamlike, All of Us Strangers is less about romance and more about the ghosts we carry with us. Andrew Haigh crafts an ethereal, gut-punch of a film that lingers like a whispered memory. Perfect for those who enjoy their love stories with a dose of existential melancholy.
4. God’s Own Country (2017)
Set in the rugged Yorkshire countryside, God’s Own Country follows Johnny, a young farmer who numbs his loneliness with alcohol and casual flings. When Gheorghe, a Romanian farmhand, arrives, Johnny’s hardened exterior begins to crack, leading to an intense and transformative romance.
Often described as the British Brokeback Mountain, this film does something rare — it gives its characters the space to heal. Raw, intimate, and utterly breathtaking, it’s a love story where the land is just as much a character as the men trying to carve out a life on it.
5. Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
This French coming-of-age drama follows Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a teenager whose world changes when she meets the confident and free-spirited Emma (Léa Seydoux). Their passionate relationship spans years, capturing both the intoxicating highs and painful lows of love.
Love it or hate it, Blue Is the Warmest Color is undeniably an experience. A daringly intimate romantic film, it presents young queer love in all its brilliance and heartbreak. Though its lengthy runtime and explicit content aren’t for everyone, its rawness ensures it won’t fade into the blue.
Valentine’s Day must always be about celebrating love in all its forms. So whether you’re curled up with your partner, sharing a quiet moment alone, or just indulging in some well-deserved self-care, these films offer a reminder that queer love, in all its joy and pain, is worthy of the big screen and beyond.