Whether you're looking for something to watch while you curl up on the couch with a Valentine's date or want to enjoy the weekend on your own, this online viewing guide will help you find some memorable love stories you can watch just about anywhere.
First, here's a few you can access right now for free.
On Hulu, enjoy the romantic musical fantasy Were the World Mine (2008) which follows gay high school student Timothy as he struggles with anti-gay bullying at school. When Timothy is cast in the senior production of A Midsummer Night's Dream he discovers a flower that turns the town gay after wishing the town could take a walk in his shoes. For something with a darker twist, you can also check out British drama My Summer of Love (2004). The film costars Emily Blunt as one of two teenage girls who spend a summer loving and lying to each other.
In the Life, the longest running television series highlighting LGBT issues and culture, has several episodes available for free on YouTube including a brief look at the feature-length documentary Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement which explores the relationship of Thea Spyer and Edie Windsor. The feature film was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award, and Windsor went on to be the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that struck down DOMA. You can watch the entire documentary on iTunes for $2.99.
On Snag Films, you can watch the classic Wong Kar Wair film Happy Together (1997) depicting a turbulent romance between two men who fall into a cycle of mutual abuse followed by breakups and makeups, though the couple ultimately love each other underneath all their problems. Historical drama The World Unseen (2007) starring Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth is also available for free on Snag Films. Set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid, the film follows two women who fall in love in a racist, sexist and anti-gay society.
For those willing to pay rental or subscription fees, the options are even wider.
Wolfe Video is the oldest and largest exclusive distributor of LGBT films in North America and the company offers a wide variety of films online through WolfeOnDemand which allows users to rent or own. Check out the GLAAD Media Award-nominated film Reaching for the Moon (2013) about legendary American poet Elizabeth Bishop. When she travels to Rio de Janeiro in hopes of combating writer's block, she meets architect Lota de Macedo Soares and the two fall in love and build a relationship that would span decades and forever impact their work. The drama Pit Stop, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, is also available through WolfeOnDemand. The film directed by Yen Tan focuses on Gabe and Ernesto, two gay men living in a small town in Texas who deal with complicated personal lives before finally meeting one another.
The dramedy The Four-Faced Liar (2010) is available for free to Amazon Prime members or for $4.99 for non-members. The film follows four twenty-somethings trying to find themselves in New York City, including Molly who is confused by her new feelings for Bridget even though she is currently in a relationship with a man. Cloudburst, starring Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, is also available on Amazon Instant Video. They portray lesbian couple Stella and Dotty who embark on a road trip from their home in Maine to Nova Scotia to get married after Dotty is moved into a nursing home by her granddaughter.
On Netflix you can catch the Swedish film Kyss Mig (Kiss Me), about an engaged, aspiring architect who meets the daughter of her father's fiancé at his engagement party, and subsequently falls in love with her. In the romantic musical Leave It on the Floor, available on Netflix, Brad gets kicked out of his house and finds family in the Los Angeles ballroom scene.
Happy watching!
