Screenqueens issue 1

surprised by the ending, and can't recommend it enough. Artistry: Through the roof. Rees went on to direct HBO's Bessie, about Bessie Smith, and I'm excited to see that one as well. Watchability: High.

Contracted It's an interesting premise, though unfortunately the execution is a bit too brutal for my taste. The film's about a lesbian who is drugged and raped at a party, after which she develops a virus and attacks those closest to her. If you're absolutely set on watching it, I'd recommend viewing it as a dissertation on the impact of rape on its victims and their families, but this is likely giving the director too much credit. Artistry: Pretty low budget, though that can be a positive for body horror. Watchability: I couldn't really recover from the opening scenes, so I'd say proceed with caution.

But I'm a Cheerleader For many the introduction to lesbian film, Jamie Babbit's 1999 But I'm a Cheerleader cemented Natasha Lyonne's status as gay gal heartthrob. This movie has several really sweet moments, and the aesthetic is to die for. Artistry: I'm actually not too big a fan of Jamie Babbit, but I'd say that's personal preference, and there's a good chance you'll feel differently. Watchability: High.

See also: I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, Go Fish, The Watermelon Woman, Anatomy of a Love Seen Not all of the films listed here are inherently awful. I love a handful of them, as a matter of fact. Still, almost all of them have one thing in common: they rely on lesbianism or coming out as the main plot of the film. Heterosexuality is so ingrained by society in our minds that we generally assume a woman is straight unless told otherwise—and even then, sometimes it takes repeating. (You see this happen in real life as well—if I hear a woman's girlfriend being described by the press as her 'gal pal' one more time, I think I'll vomit.)

Sure, there are films like D.E.B.S. and Life Partners, which treat lesbianism as a facet of a person rather than their only quality, but these films are still far too scarce. I want MORE. I want movies that address the unique hardships faced by lesbians in the world without sacrificing plot. I want lesbian musicals. I want a lone wolf lesbian detective on the beat. I want a dorky teen lesbian overcoming her fears to audition for the school band. I want a Batwoman movie, dammit. The more lesbian filmmakers we have out there making movies, the more accuracy we'll have in the films—so let's get to it, then.