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Big Hollywood summer popcorn flicks and lesbian-themed cinema don't typically collide, although there's an argument to be made that Angela Robinson's sexy spy story D.E.B.S and Jamie Babbit's teen angst / mini camp masterpiece But I'm a Cheerleader came pretty darned close.
Still, when it comes to lesbians -- or women in general for that matter -- seeking representation on the big screen, the summer blockbuster season is fairly slim pickings for the ladies next to the testosterone laden superhero scenario on endless redux and the paean to the poor marginalized shlubby guy who gets the hot girl comedies that continue to proliferate.
So what's a girl to do on an impossibly humid 90-degree summer day when she's craving popcorn and arctic temps in a darkened theater? With the help of the New York Times Summer Movies' section we've compiled a list of summer movies that feature strong female characters, respected actresses, and documentaries and features about or directed by women. Look for separate coverage of LGBT film festivals.
Get your Swedish Fish and tub o' corn and settle in!
Opening June 1:
Chely Wright: Wish Me Away
The poignant story of country music star Chely Wright's coming out publicly, a virtual first for a country star. Bobbie Birleffi and Beveryl Kopf direct.
Pink Ribbons Inc.
Out Lost and Delirious director Lea Pool investigates the business of breast cancer and the pink ribbon phenomenon in this documentary.
Snow White and the Huntsman
Charlize Theron stars as the evil queen while Kristen Stewart plays an armor-clad Snow White. Enough said!
Opening June 8:
Peace, Love and Misunderstanding
Catherine Keener stars as an uptight lawyer-type mom who takes her teenaged kids to visit their hippie grandmother in Woodstock. Jane Fonda plays the grandmother while Elizabeth Olsen, Kyle McLachlan, Rosanna Arquette and Chace Crawford costar in the comedy directed by Driving Miss Daisy helmer Bruce Beresford.
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Prometheus
From Ridley Scott, the director who brought us Sigourney Weaver battling an evil alien in her underwear, comes Prometheus, the prequel to Alien starring the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender.
Opening June 15:
Your Sister's Sister
Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt star in out director Lynn Shelton's examination of sibling rivalry and a relationship triangle, featuring a lesbian character.
Opening June 20:
Brave
Pixar's latest animated offering features a warrior princess from Scotland who bucks gender norms and becomes a crackshot archer. Kelly McDonald, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd.
To Rome with Love
Woody Allen films are not for everyone, but for those who enjoy his self-effacing neuroses his latest film stars a bevy of incredible lesbian-adjacent actresses including Ellen Page, Alison Pill, Judy Davis and Penelope Cruz.
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Opening June 29:
Take This Waltz
Sarah Polley directs Michelle Williams as a married woman who falls for her handsome neighbor in a movie that's gotten loads of buzz over costar Sarah Silverman's big nude scene. Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby also star.
Opening July 6:
Savages
Salma Hayek and Benicio del Toro play the leaders of a vicious Mexican drug cartel who come down on mellow pot farmers in a film directed by Oliver Stone. Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson costar in the movie that promises plenty of Oliver Stone-esque hyper masculinity. But Hayek alone is worth the price of admission.
Opening July 13:
Farewell, My Queen
French waif Léa Seydoux plays a lady in waiting to Marie Antoinette, played here by Inglourious Basterd's Diane Kruger. The film, directed by Benoit Jacquot, promises plenty of slightly Sapphic moments between the two. We can't find a trailer with subtitles but some visuals don't need explanation.
Union Square
Indie director Nancy Savoca (Dogfight, Household Saints) helms this gem that stars Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard as estranged sisters who attempt to a relationship. Tony winner Patti Lupone plays their mother!
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
