thegayuk
Here's a list of the best gay-themed movies from the UK. Vote on your favourite. Feel free to add one if we've missed one out.
A long, hot summer in South London is the turning point in the life for two teenagers, Jamie and Ste. Ste, a popular sporting hero at school, is being bullied mercilessly by his drunken father and so he decides to seek refuge with Sandra, Jamie's next door neighbour. One night, Jamie and Ste end up sleeping, top to tail, in the same bed in Sandra's flat, and from these beginnings a touching romance develops between the two boys.
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Set within the Asian community in London, My Beautiful Launderette is an unusual love story concerned with identity and entrepreneurial spirit during the Thatcher years. Omar (Gordon Warnecke) takes over the running of his wheller-dealer Uncle's launderette with the intention of turning it into a glittering palace of commerical success. When he employs childhood firned and ex-National Front member Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis) they become lovers as well as working partners. However, complications soon ensure as the anger of Johnny's deserted gang begins to build and Omar is forced to face increasingly difficult family issues. Written by Hanif Kureishi and skilfully directed by Stephen Frears, My Beautiful Launderette tackles the difficult issues of racism, bigotry, violence and politics in early 80s Britain and still manages to be compassionate, humourous and hugely entertaining.
This Merchant-Ivory adaptation of E.M. Forster's Edwardian novel gave Hugh Grant his first major role. Cambridge undergraduate Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) is thrown into confusion about his sexuality when he experiences strong feelings for fellow student Maurice Hall (James Wilby). Both men attempt to suppress the 'love that dare not speak its name', but the arrival of a handsome gamekeeper (Rupert Graves) forces Maurice to submit to his natural impulses.
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In this riveting film about sexual tolerance in modern society, the paths of several men intersect during a dramatic thirty-six hours.
The life story of controversial 1960s playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman), revealed in flashback after his murder by lover Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina). Born in Leicester, Orton moves to London and enjoys an openly gay relationship with Halliwell in their famous Islington flat. However, when Orton achieves spectacular success with such plays as 'What the Butler Saw' and 'Loot', Halliwell begins to feel alienated and the pair's future looks increasingly uncertain.
This Oscar-winning film stars Sir Ian McKellen as James Whale, the director of the classic 1931 film 'Frankenstein'. Whale has slipped into a comfortable but monotonous retirement, living with his housekeeper Hanna (Lynn Redgrave) and lounging in the Los Angeles sun. His solitary existence is disrupted by two events: a visit from a curious film student who wants to find out more about the golden age of Hollywood; and the arrival of Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser), the new gardener. Whale finds himself attracted to Boone and asks him to pose for a portrait, but the gardener is disturbed by his employer's homosexuality and is initially reluctant to befriend the elderly man.
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Set in contemporary London, Lilting tells the story of a Cambodian-Chinese mother mourning the untimely death of her son. Her world is suddenly disrupted by the presence of a stranger. We observe their difficulties in trying to connect with one another without a common language. Through a translator they piece together memories of a man they both loved dearly, and realise that whilst they may not share a language, they are connected in their grief.
Starring Glen Mulhern, Brendan Mackey, Steven Berkoff, Michael Praed and Vas Blackwood
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Comedy starring Jimi Mistry as Alim, a South-Asian Canadian who thinks he's living with the spirit of Cary Grant (Kyle MacLachlan). Alim lives in London and works as a stills photographer in the movie business. He is trying, with Cary's help, to live up to the glamorous standards of old Hollywood. Alim's partner Giles (Kristen Holden-Ried) is a handsome economist who's charming, intelligent, comfortable with who he is and completely unaware of his lover's fantasy life. Alim and Giles are happy together, despite Alim's secret, until Alim's mother Nuru (Sureka Mathew) shows up for a visit, and the whole charade begins to unravel.
