From Tom Of Finland to Gentleman Jack, here are 5 great LGBTQ+ biopics to stream this weekend

Welcome to your weekend streaming recommendations, a.k.a. the Weekend Watch, a handy guide to the queerest film and TV content that’s just a click away!

Did you enjoy Barbenheimer? If you watched Oppenheimer and thought, “Wow, I like watching messy real-life people’s lives unfold over the course of three hours,” we’ve got you covered this week. These biopics are based on historical figures that have all contributed in one way or another to the LGBTQ+ world we live in today. 

Read on for five queer biopics to stream this weekend…

Milk

This 2008 Gus Van Sant movie tells the true story of gay political pioneer Harvey Milk from his 40th birthday to his assassination by Dan White in 1978. Sean Penn plays Milk as a sensitive but strong and defiant man who will stop at nothing to enact change in the world around him. The film shows Milk move to San Francisco from New York with his younger lover, Scott Smith (played by James Franco), run for and win a seat on the San Francisco Board of Electors, find heartbreak multiple times, and ultimately die at the hands of the weak White (Josh Brolin). For younger gay folks, this movie is an informative, fascinating look at how queer people were viewed just a few decades ago. 

Now streaming on Max. Rentable on all major services.

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Gentleman Jack

Set in Yorkshire in the 1830s, Gentleman Jack follows Suranne Jones as Anne Lister, a landowner who inherits her uncle’s dilapidated estate. While Lister runs into conflict with the locals, she falls in love with Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle). What makes Gentleman Jack so fascinating is Anne’s proud butch persona in the 19th century, and the fact that the series is based on her real-life diary, which contained 4 million words (!!!) and was mostly written in code to protect her lesbian identity. There are two seasons of Gentleman Jack so far, and while HBO wrote the show off, co-producer BBC has expressed interest in finding it a new home.

Now streaming on Max and Spectrum.

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Tom Of Finland

He’s the original Deviant Art, y’all. Based on the life of iconic gay artist Touko Laaksonen (a.k.a. Tom Of Finland) and directed by Dome Karukoski, Tom Of Finland explores the controversial artist’s sexy work and how it created community in a time where queer men had to hide their perceived deviance. While Laaksonen’s (played beautifully by Pekka Strang) work was sexually charged, with muscular men bursting out of their tight leather pants and harnesses, the film doesn’t shy away from the fear and repression Laaksonen experienced in his home country. 

Now streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy. Rentable on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV and Kino.

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Kill Your Darlings

Did you know that Allen Ginsberg—the sensitive poet and one of the faces of the peaceful Beat Generation—was once involved in a murder case? Kill Your Darlings, directed by John Krokidas, recounts the story of Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) and his emotionally and sexually charged relationship with Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan), who is charged and eventually convicted of murdering David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall). Ginsberg learns of the strange, toxic relationship between Kammerer and Carr, and writes a controversial paper about the killing called “The Night In Question.” Kill Your Darlings will definitely surprise fans of Radcliffe who are used to his squeaky clean Harry Potter persona, but kill your darlings and enjoy this dark, psychological ride.

Now streaming on Roku. Rentable on all major services

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Bessie

Queen Latifah plays Blues singer Bessie Smith in this movie directed by Dee Rees. Smith, who is taken in by the legendary singer Ma Rainey (Mo’Nique), falls in love with Lucille (Tika Sumpter), but marries the unstable Jack Gee (Michael K. Williams). Bessie follows Smith’s turmoil-filled life through the Great Depression to her eventual comeback in the 1930s. In addition to a terrific performance by Latifah, Bessie has phenomenal music and strong supporting turns from Sumpter and Mo’Nique.

Now streaming on Max. Rentable on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Vudu.

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The Kicker…

“My mother and father died before I was born,” says a lesbian in this VITAL trailer for “Lesbian Period Drama,” starring Carey Mulligan…and the cast of Saturday Night Live. Kate McKinnon does some of her most hilarious, on-point work in this sapphic sketch.