12 Queer Films to Explore for Mother's Day

The month of May always brings a focus on and a celebration of motherhood. When it comes to queer cinema, relationships between mothers and sons are often a focal point as well. For better or worse, a mother's effect on her child can have a lasting impact. So, as you prepare for the upcoming holiday, here are 12 films we think are worth exploring in honor of Mother's Day on May 12. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
 

Dating My Mother (2017)
The light-hearted comedy Dating My Mother, from writer/director Mike Roma, centers on Danny (Patrick Reilly), a young gay man navigating the online dating scene at the same time that his mother Joan (Kathryn Erbe) decides to begin dating again. Danny returns to his hometown, leaving L.A. behind for a potential new job. He reconnects with Joan, but begins to resent her when she strikes up a new romance, with seemingly little effort on a dating app. When his job prospects dry up, along with his romantic ones, he finds himself heading in the wrong direction as he looks for something in his life to go his way. He pursues his interest in his friend Khris (Michael Rosen), only to be rejected with Khris revealing he's not gay, causing Danny to hit rock bottom. In the end, it's his mother's love and support that helps Danny start again.

 

Just Friends (2018)
Not to be confused with the Ryan Reynolds comedy, the award-winning romantic comedy from the Netherlands centers on the romance that develops between young protagonists Joris & Yad after Joris' grandmother Ans (Jenny Arean) plays matchmaker. To truly explore the freedom of new love, the boys must come to terms with their overbearing mothers. Yad's strict mother Maryam (Nazmiye Oral) is unhappy with his recent drug problems that have led to him washing out of medical school. This leads Yad (Majd Mardo) to becoming a home caretaker for the aging Ans. Meanwhile, Joris (Josha Stradowski) has been inseparable from his eccentric boozy mother Simone (Tanja Jess), who spends her time planning her next plastic surgery. Simone mistrusts Yad because of his Syrian background. Maryam doesn't think Joris is the right match for Yad. In the end, the guys must make their own decisions when it comes to love.

 

I Killed My Mother (2009)
The French film I Killed My Mother is a semi-autobiographical drama from writer/director and star Xavier Dolan. The film follows Dolan's character Hubert, a temperamental gay teenager who regards his mother Chantale (Anne Dorval) with constant contempt. The relationship between mother and son is shown through various scenes of turbulance, highlighting the compelling combination of fury and affection. Hubert comes of age, attempting to find himself while navigating his own confusion over his maternal relationship which in many ways turns to obsession with each passing day. The film's title comes from an essay that Hubert writes for school, after lying to his teacher about his mother being dead and the teacher's confrontation over the lie. Dolan does not shy away from creating a protagonist that is sometimes the antagonist of his own story, through the deep disrespect shown to his mother.

 

Goodbye Mother (2019)
The award-winning Vietnamese film Goodbye Mother tells the story of Van (Lanh Thanh), a young man who returns home to Vietnam after several years living in America. It's the anniversary of his father's death and Van returns to his family with his long-term boyfriend Ian (Vo Dien Gia Huy). Van's plans to come out to his family are complicated by the fact that he learns his mother Mrs. Hanh (Hong Dao) is seriously ill, and holding onto her long-time expectation that Van will get married and have kids in order to carry on the family line. When Van's senile grandmother (Nsut Le Thien), suffering from dementia, mistakes Ian for her grandson, the film further explores the relationship between grandmother and grandson as well. The film is an emotional drama that explores the dynamics within a traditional Vietnamese family and is enhanced by the chemistry between the actors, as Van is left to decide his future.

 

Elliot Loves (2012)
The award-winning comedic drama Elliot Loves presents the life of the title character Elliot (Fabio Costaprado), told across two key time periods in his life. He is shown as a boy (Quentin Davis Araujo) growing up with his young Dominican mother in New York in one timeline and as a 21-year-old on a perpetual quest to find love in the present. Referred to only as Ma (Elena Goode) in the film, it's Elliot's observations and interactions with his mother and her multiple failed relationships that serve to inform Elliot's near-obsession with finding himself a dependable man in the present. Elliot is charismatic and handsome but falls in love easily and devotes himself completely to the latest love in his life, illustrating the major effect that a mother can have on her child as the source of Elliot's optimism in the face of failed romance is slowly uncovered. The film also features a brief role for future Queer Eye host Antoni Porowski, as Elliot's father.

 

The Deep End (2001)
Based on the story "The Blank Wall" by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, the award-winning thriller The Deep End follows Margaret Hall (Tilda Swinton), a dedicated mother raising her three children in the absence of her traveling businessman husband. After she voices her concerns to her teenage son Beau (Jonathan Tucker) about his relationship with the much older man Darby Reese (Josh Lucas), her world comes crashing down upon finding Darby's dead body on the family's property. Fearing the worst, Margaret springs into action to protect Beau by getting rid of the body of his lover. But when the mysterious Alek (Goran Visnjic) shows up, looking to blackmail her, she is forced to confront the question of how far a mother will go to protect her son. The relationship between mother and son is tested throughout the film, as Beau works through his coming of age amidst the drama, and Margaret risks everything to ensure his freedom.

 

Akron (2015)
The film festival favorite Akron tells the story of college freshmen, Benny (Matthew Frias) and Christopher (Edmund Donovan) who meet and fall in love. Unaware of their shared tragic family history, the relationship between them grows until Christopher pieces together that Benny's brother was the child that his mother Carol (Amy da Luz) accidentally hit and killed in a parking lot when the boys were children. Benny's mother Lenora (Andrea Burns) remains in grief over the loss of her child, and Carol does as well, leading her to confess to Benny after learning of his relationship with Christopher. Benny is shocked at the revelation and retreats to his family, where he continues to face his own mother's turmoil. Benny & Christopher manage to reconcile, but that leads to continued conflict with Benny's family and a fateful decision from Carol, who makes her way to Akron to face her past and Benny's family.

 

Egoist (2022)
The award-winning Japanese film Egoist follows Kôsuke (Ryohei Suzuki), a young successful Tokyo fashion magazine editor who spent his adolescence in the closet in his rural village until his mother's death. He meets Ryûta (Hio Miyazawa) and falls in love. As their relationship grows, Kôsuke begins spending time in Ryûta's home with his mother Taeko (Sawako Agawa). When Ryûta unexpectedly dies, Kôsuke is crushed and caught off-guard by Taeko's strength and comfort of him. He attempts to step into Ryûta's role in Taeko's life, as she provides him a sense of motherly connection that he has been missing in his life. The chemistry between Suzuki and Agawa drives the film's narrative in its second-half and the relationship that forms between the two characters illustrates the strength of compassion and love that can develop between a man and his mother figure, even without blood relation.

 

Cassandro (2023)
The award-winning biographical drama Cassandro tells the true story of the exotico wrestling character created by Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal), a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, Texas who rose to prominence in the late 1980s. Saúl lives with his mother Yocasta (Perla De La Rosa) and their relationship is highlighted throughout the film, alongside Saúl's pursuit of his wrestling dreams. Saúl confronts elements of his identity and explores his personal relationship with Yocasta, helping him to ultimately embrace his true self. Yocasta is shown to be a role model for Saúl, inspiring a lot of his larger-than-life persona. This is highlighted through her emotional complexity as she tempers her support for Saúl with her concern for his safety, in a community not known for embracing homosexuals. In a key scene, she beams with pride and tearful eyes as she cheers on Cassandro's victory in his first match.

 

Jump, Darling (2020)
The award-winning drama Jump, Darling finds young drag queen Russell (Thomas Duplessie) fleeing to his grandmother Margaret's country home after a break-up. He finds her in steep decline, estranged from his mother Ene (Linda Kash) due to Margaret's unwillingness to move into a nursing home. In her final leading role, Cloris Leachman's Margaret provides Russell an unapologetic window into the aging process as he comes to terms with his own future and his place in the world. What is at first planned as a pit stop for Russell becomes a journey to help his grandmother find her peace. The film explores not only the relationship between grandmother and grandson, but also mother and son as Russell faces his relationship with Ene as well.  The film also shined a light on drag performance in small towns, as Russell explored outlets for his craft, leading him into potentially new romantic territory.

 

Transamerica (2005)
Transamerica presents a Golden Globes-winning performance from Felicity Huffman as Bree Osbourne, a transgender woman who finally gets approved for gender reassignment surgery in Los Angeles, just as she gets a shocking call from Toby (Kevin Zegers), a young man calling from jail in New York, looking for his long-lost father. Shocked by the revelation that she has a son, Bree is convinced to travel across the country to bail him out, while keeping her identity secret. She agrees to get him back to L.A. where the young hustler hopes to start a porn career and find his father. Along the way, the two begin to bond through several misadventures that ultimately lead Bree back to her past and the decision of how to handle her truth in relation to Toby, after hearing of his tragic upbringing. The film presents a unique perspective of family, focusing on the relationship between a child and a transitioning mother.

 

Other People (2016)
The award-winning comedic drama Other People follows David (Jesse Plemons), a gay comedy writer, struggling in his career and his personal life thanks to a fresh break-up. David returns to his hometown to care for his mother Joanne (Molly Shannon). After announcing that she's ending her harsh cancer treatment, David is with her for her final year as she focuses on living happily in the time she has left. The event leads to David confronting his strained relationships within his family, given their difficulty in accepting his homosexuality, while he remains at Joanne's side, getting an inside look at her life and the people she surrounds herself with. The bond between mother and son is on full display in the film, as a year of bonding leads to the restoration of David's family bonds and he rediscovers the love of his family unit. The film was autobiographical for writer/director Chris Kelly, whose mother passed away in 2009.