It’s not groundbreaking, but it succeeds at building the bleak landscape of closeted life in Poland. Kuba ( Mateusz Banasiuk ) gets bored trying to please his mother and girlfriend by day, so cruises men by night. Don’t watch with your parents – it has unsimulated sex scenes. In a French thriller that blends eroticism with violence, Franck ( Pierre Deladonchamps ) visits a naturist beach, but the woods nearby are home to a love affair and a dead body. This French-Belgian drama follows Mathieu ( Jérémie Elkaïm ) as he embarks on a dreamy vacation romance with a stranger ( Stéphane Rideau ). We know it’s difficult for subtitle-virgins, but be sure not to miss these five movies. Outside the English-speaking world are gay films that take leaps in genre-variation and eroticism.
Okay, Timothée Chalamet ( Lady Bird ) masturbating into fruit in Call Me by Your Name (2017) is a little out-there, but mostly, English-language gay movies feel introductory – like a “Being Gay 101” lesson (see the cotton-candy rom-com Love, Simon ). Unlike our rare disco balls gathering popularity along their way into Hollywood, these movies are more erotic and honest than their English counterparts. It’s easy to say no to subtitles, but don’t give in. By: Otis Robinson ‘Free Fall’: 5 international gay films you shouldn’t miss
