Top ten LGBT films on Netflix to cuddle up to

The last throes of winter are upon us, and if the chill keeps you inside, here are 10 LGBT films worth checking out. Picking awesome films from the vast archives of NetFlix was simple – whittling it down to just 10, was torture. Instead of rehashing popular picks, the list below features films that should be seen, but might be overlooked. That means trimming the list to eliminate widely-known films, including favorites such as Brokeback Mountain, Bound, Shortbus, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Boys Don’t Cry, Boys In The Band and Philadelphia. If you haven’t seen these – do – because your lexicon of LGBT film is lacking.

Here’s the top 10 to watch right now:

1. Aimée & Jaguar (1999, drama, Germany)

It is 1943 and a housewife and mother of four, whose husband is fighting for Hitler’s reich, falls in love with a Jewish journalist. Beautifully realized and well acted, this was one of my favorite films of the year when it was released.

2. Another Country (1984, drama, UK)

Rupert Everett and Colin Firth star in this adaptation of a play based on two real characters in Britan’s upper-crust college system. Cary Elwes is a total heart-stealer in this lavish production, Firth was not yet an A-lister, and Rupert Everett was not yet bitter.

3. Beautiful Boxer (2004, biopic, Thailand)

A top-drawer film based on the life story of Parinya Charoenphol, a champion Muaythai boxer who sexually transitioned. Told with honor and incredible beauty, this film is a revelation.

4. Bedrooms & Hallways (1998, romantic comedy, UK)

Scottish dreamboat Kevin McKidd (before he became boss in Grey’s Anatomy and fierce in Rome) plays Leo, a likable lad, who joins a upscale suburban men’s awareness group and trips up expectations when he clicks with another member.

5. Christopher and His Kind (2011, biopic, UK)

Matt Smith (Dr. Who) delivers a sparkling performance as writer Christopher Isherwood and his first visit to Berlin in 1931, where gay society openly flourished. We meet second-rate lounge singer Jean Ross, upon whom Sally Bowles of Cabaret is based. Made for TV, there is a lot of nudity and sexual activity… America has far to go.

6. Desert Hearts (1985, romance, USA)

This film is in the canon of many lesbian film fans, but younger women and gay men may not know it. This film is a tenderly told and beautifully filmed story of a woman’s sexual awakening in 1950s Nevada.

7. His Secret Life (2001, drama, Italy)

After an opening scene involving probably the worst-ever-filmed auto/pedestrian accident, this story of a happily married man’s secret life comes to light when his wife traces the origins of a painting she finds among his effects. The inhabitants of his “other life” embrace her and she them, as their stories unfold.

8. Ma Vie En Rose (1997, drama, Belgium)

Ludovic was born a boy, but insists it is a mistake. It’s a quandary the family can handle, but when they move to a new neighborhood where dad has a new job, the adult response is to freak out. The film features incredible fantasy sequences and a thoroughly satisfying ending.

9. Queer As Folk (1999, situational comedy, UK)

This original British version of QAF consists of eight masterfully composed episodes. It was the #2 most watched BBC program, after Charles & Diana’s wedding, and the #1 most complained about. BBC immediately aired it again and ordered two follow-up episodes. The characters develop and define, and the story arcs are brilliant – vastly different from the “primetime soap” treatment in the U.S. version.

10. Were The World Mine (2008, musical, USA)

An indie romantic fantasy featuring top-notch singing and a handsome, talented cast. A gay student at a boy’s school discovers a magic potion that turns people gay.