The Best New Movies to Watch for Pride 2019
The life of a pop icon, the evolution of a legendary drag festival, and the tale of two intrepid Mississippi lesbian bar owners are just some of the diverse and compelling queer stories gracing screens this month. Where to begin? Here, we've compiled a handy (and totally manageable) list of the best new movies to check out as we celebrate Pride, the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, and our very rich history.
The Lavender Scare
Directed by Josh Howard and based on David K. Johnson’s book of the same name, The Lavender Scare takes an in-depth look at the discriminatory policies in the 1950s that banned LGBTQ people from working for the U.S. government. Through reenactment footage, voiceovers (including narration by Glenn Close), and animation, the excellent documentary reveals the bullying tactics the government used to coerce people into disclosing the names of queer employees so they could be forced out of their jobs while spotlighting the many people affected by this bigotry, including former astronomer Frank Kameny, who became a trailblazing activist in LGBTQ civil rights. Kameny (who died in 2011) is interviewed, with David Hyde Pierce portraying him in voiceover segments and Cynthia Nixon, Zachary Quinto, and T.R. Knight depicting other government targets.
Where to see it:
The Lavender Scare is playing in theaters in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to other U.S. cities. It also premieres June 18 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS.Rocketman
Director Dexter Fletcher’s musical biopic tells the moving story of Elton John, following him through his troubled childhood to his rise to stardom to the self-destructive addictions that eventually landed him in rehab. It’s there where he looks back on his life, which unfolds on screen in several fantastical sequences in which characters sing and dance to his greatest hits. Taron Egerton, who plays the adult Elton, lends his own vocals to the tracks, and he’s already getting Oscars buzz for his stellar performance. The movie doesn’t sugarcoat the singer’s drug abuse or sex life, either. Richard Madden plays John Reid, who was Elton’s lover for most of the ’70s and his manager until 1998, in what the film portrays as a very tumultuous and codependent relationship.
Where to see it:
Rocketman is playing in theaters worldwide.Southern Pride
Set in Mississippi, this drama-filled, sometimes hilarious documentary follows two lesbian owners of gay bars—Lynn Koval, the white owner of Just Us Lounge in Biloxi, and Shawn Perryon, the black owner of Club Xclusive in Hattiesburg—who each decide to organize the first Pride event in their respective cities. Directed by Small Town Gay Bar’s Malcolm Ingram, the film details the obstacles these inexperienced event planners—Koval is the chain-smoking, self-confessed “control freak,” while Perryon is the sunglasses-wearing, laid-back pragmatist—encounter along the way, but it also takes a captivating look at how race relations impact Pride events.
Where to see it:
Southern Pride is available on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, Fandango Now, DirectTV, Dish Network, and local cable providers.State of Pride
Former Logo correspondent Raymond Braun stars in this YouTube Originals documentary, in which he explores the significance of Pride events in three different cities: San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Tuscaloosa, Ala. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, it features interviews with Troye Sivan and Our Lady J and plenty of moments that'll have you reaching for the tissues. One segment profiles Subhi, a Syrian immigrant who fled from homophobic violence in his native country and is celebrating his first Pride in San Fran with his American boyfriend. Another focuses on Carson, a gay, paraplegic ex-Mormon in Salt Lake who asks his conservative religious family to attend Pride with him for the first time.
Where to see it:
State of Pride is streaming on YouTube.XY Chelsea
This riveting documentary, directed by Tim Travers Hawkins, shows what life was really like for controversial whistleblower Chelsea Manning after she was pardoned and released from prison in 2017, from her choosing her post-incarceration wardrobe to becoming a Maryland candidate for U.S. Senator. Plagued by ex-con paranoia (Manning checks for hidden surveillance when she sets foot in a new place) and haunted by her abusive childhood, she must also navigate her newfound status as a transgender spokesperson. Her mini-meltdown over the backlash she receives for partying with a right-wing political group is especially gripping.
Where to see it:
XY Chelsea is available on Showtime and its on-demand service, Showtime Anytime.
Wig
Long before RuPaul’s Drag Race, the outdoor New York City festival Wigstock helped bring drag culture a little closer to the mainstream. Directed by Gaga: Five Foot Two helmer Chris Moukarbel, this doc traces the enthralling history of the event, which ran from 1984 to 2001, and celebrates its spectacular revival in 2018. The celebs featured include Wigstock founder Lady Bunny (pictured above), RuPaul, Debbie Harry, Neil Patrick Harris (one of Wig’s producers), Kevin Aviance, Tabboo!, Linda Simpson, Bianca Del Rio, Amanda Lepore, and many more. You’ll gag over the early-’90s backstage footage of World of Wonder co-founder Fenton Bailey asking Ru if drag queens will ever be popular in America.
Where to see it:
Wig premieres June 18 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.
Smithsonian Time Capsule: Beyond Stonewall
Alan Martin’s new doc chronicles more than 150 years of LGBTQ history, showcasing artifacts from the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History’s yearlong display "Illegal to Be You: Gay History Beyond Stonewall." Among the items featured are a tin cup and sticker from the 1970 Christopher Street Gay Liberation Pride Day March and Gay-In (the first Pride event); the gender-bending Cardinal Thomas Wolsey costume that 19th-century lesbian actress Charlotte Cushman wore in a stage production of Henry VIII; art from Native American transgender pioneer We’wha; the original script of the Will & Grace pilot episode; and personal items of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard and Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop of the U.S. Episcopalian Church. Robinson, Shepard’s parents, Stonewall activist and Philadelphia Gay News founder Mark Segal (pictured above) and museum curator Katherine Ott are among those interviewed.
Where to see it:
Smithsonian Time Capsule: Beyond Stonewall premieres June 24 at 8 p.m. ET on Smithsonian Channel.Stonewall OutLoud
StoryCorps founder Dave Isay's first documentary for public radio was Remembering Stonewall, which was broadcast on NPR in 1989. Directed by World of Wonder's Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, Stonewall OutLoud is a reenactment of the broadcast, with a cast that includes RuPaul, Lance Bass, Keiynan Lonsdale, Adam Rippon, Charlie Carver, Fortune Feimster, Amber Whittington, Connor Franta, Daniel Franzese, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Raja, and Jinkx Monsoon.
