Rhys Darby, left, plays Stede Bonnet alongside Taika Waititi, who plays Captain Blackbeard, in season 1, episode 9 of “Our Flag Means Death.”
Happy Pride month! While parades and festivals are coming back in full swing, there’s still plenty you can do if you want to celebrate indoors — namely watching these queer shows and movies! Here are some I recommend:
First Kill (Netflix)
Look, I do not care if vampires are overdone nowadays with the plethora of shows and movies about them. We have a show about a same-sex vampire and vampire hunter romance and it is glorious.
“First Kill”— based on creator Victoria Schwab’s short story of the same name — is about Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook), a vampire who is at the age where she’s supposed to kill her first human. But unfortunately for her, she sets her sights on Calliope (Imani Lewis), who’d be an easy target — if she wasn’t a vampire hunter. To top it all off, both of them start catching feelings as they attempt to kill one another.
If that sounds a little cliché and trite for you, that’s because it is, but it’s also the kind of story queer women like myself never really got growing up. We have thousands of cliché straight romances. It’s not a problem for “First Kill” to be one for queer audiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4wJK4C_nZY
Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)
Vampires and pirates? Queer content is getting into all the genres these days. “Our Flag Means Death” was recently renewed for a second season after an outpour of love for the first season, and for good reason — the show is delightful and hilarious.
It follows Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) who abandons his life of comfort as a member of the British gentry to become a pirate, despite being terrible at it. Bonnet and his crew run into Edward Teach (Taika Waititi) — better known as the infamous Blackbeard — who offers to help them to be better at the craft. The main romance is between Bonnet and Teach, but there are other queer characters and relationships throughout the show. It’s very fun and self-indulgent, and the perfect feel-good watch before season 2 comes out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFE8ASwxmpA
Heartstopper (Netflix)
Alice Osmann’s delightful comic “Heartstopper” was adapted into a Netflix original series this year, and the show manages to retain the charm of the original.
This British coming-of-age story explores the relationship between Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) who is starting a new school year and meets Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). The two hit it off, though Charlie’s not sure if Nick wants to be friends or something more. Other members of the recurring cast include Charlie’s friends Tao (William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Isaac (Tobie Donovan) who are worried about him being hurt again.
The show is delightful and soft and just a very pleasant watch if you want your heart to turn to mush for a few hours after a long summer day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrK4xPy4ahg
Everyone’s Talking About Jamie (Amazon Prime)
“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” is adapted from the stage play of the same name based on the life of Jamie New (Max Harwood), a gay boy growing up in South Yorkshire who wants to be a drag queen.
With a set up like that, and the fact that it’s a musical comedy, you won’t be surprised to know the film is a visual delight. Its costumes and performances are eye-catching and flamboyant, combined with a touching storyline about accepting yourself and the people around you. In particular, there’s Jamie’s mother Margaret (Sarah Lancashire) who wants her son to be happy but struggles to support him as a single mother.
It’s heartfelt, it’s fun, it’ll have you humming along and it is worth the watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXhpTZeG4eg
The Prom (Netflix)
What’s this? Another musical? Yeah, I have a soft spot for “The Prom,” which released on Netflix in 2020. Bear with me because the film’s premise sounds worse on paper than it is in the film or the stage show.
“The Prom” follows a group of washed-up Broadway actors who go to a small town in Indiana to hopefully get some positive press coverage by helping Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman) get the chance to go to prom with her girlfriend, against the wishes of her homphobic community. There are several plot lines that weave together, but they all converge into a story about finding yourself and not trying to vie for others attention, which is very sweet.
The stage show and film are love letters to Broadway and chock full of references that are sure to get any musical theater fan excited, and I can’t recommend it enough.
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