Close

Widest Theatrical Release: 233 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

Close, a tragedy surrounding childhood best friends Leo and Remi, does not include any explicit LGBTQ content. However, when the boys start school, they are relentlessly bullied for their friendship, and their closeness leads to bullies calling them homophobic slurs. Leo pulls away from Remi because of this, and Remi ends up dying by suicide. The harrowing film shows just how dangerous bullying and hatred can be toward children when there is even the slightest deviation from the norms of masculinity.

Dicks: The Musical

Widest Theatrical Release: 635 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

This highly irreverent musical comedy from out comedians Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson stars the pair as identical twins (who look nothing alike). From the beginning voiceover of the film, which states “the following film was bravely written by two homosexuals, the first time gay men have ever written anything,” it is clear that the comedy is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. The first part of the film insists that the lead brothers, Craig and Trevor, are both heterosexual as they go about their lives of debauchery. When they discover that they are twins, they try to get their parents back together, a la The Parent Trap. However, they run into some roadblocks given that their father, Harris, comes out as gay to Trevor in song. Still, Harris does have interest in his former lover, Evelyn, when he sees her again, saying he may be attracted to both men and women. Evelyn reacts with shock that anyone could possibly be attracted to both men and women, a clear dig at bisexual erasure. Toward the end of the film, Trevor and Craig have a massive falling out. When the brothers make up, their reunion turns into the two of them having explicit sex. The film ends with the two twin brothers getting married as God himself officiates their wedding. God announces that he too is both straight and gay, and the film ends with a singalong that proclaims “God is a f– and all love is love.”

This movie is one that clearly does not take itself seriously, and delights at poking fun at the concepts of heterosexuality and masculinity. Though it does veer into offensive territory, particularly in its portrayal of incest, it is hard to imagine a world where any audience takes this film at face value.

Medusa Deluxe

Widest Theatrical Release: 7 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

This British film is set at a hairdressing contest where one of the contestants has been mysteriously murdered and scalped. The victim is Mosca, a hairdresser, who was gay. The film introduces us to further queer characters as the plot unfolds, including Angel, Mosca’s long term partner; Rene, who runs the competition and was previously involved with Mosca; and Gac, a security guard who also had a brief fling with Mosca. All of these characters are deeply flawed, as are the straight characters in the film. As the plot is revealed, it becomes apparent that Mosca died of a drug overdose, and that Gac scalped him out of devotion. Though violent, the film itself was a character driven take on the murder mystery genre, with an ensemble of queer characters who were nonviolent, survived the film, and were simply flawed individuals.  

Talk to Me

Widest Theatrical Release: 2,379 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: PASS

This horror film follows a group of friends who have found an embalmed hand that leads them to communicate with spirits. One of the friends, Hayley, hosts the party that introduces the group to the hand. Hayley’s gender is never a topic of conversation, but they are referred to with they/them pronouns throughout the run of the film. Including a nonbinary character in a group of young friends makes sense for this film, as younger generations are identifying more and more outside the gender binary.

Though the pronoun usage is the only onscreen reference to Hayley’s gender identity, the casting of trans actor Zoe Terakes in this role led to Kuwait banning the film. It is disheartening that something as simple as an actor’s gender and they/them pronouns can lead to such censorship.

When You Finish Saving the World

Widest Theatrical Release: 403 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

This film did not contain any LGBTQ characters or content, which is especially disappointing given that the lead character, Ziggy, was bisexual in the Audible original that the film was based on. There is a brief mention of Ziggy having a crush on a girl in the movie, yet no other mention of his sexuality. It would have been easy to add an additional line to confirm his sexuality, even if it is not a large part of the narrative, and this film could have had a bisexual lead.

You Hurt My Feelings

Widest Theatrical Release: 912 Theaters

Vito Russo Test: FAIL

You Hurt My Feelings follows couple Beth and Don, a writer and therapist respectively, who have a falling out when Beth finds out that Don did not like her most recent book. There is brief queer representation in this film, when Beth meets a lesbian couple at a bar and asks what they would do if they were in her situation. Don also has a client who mentions his male partner in passing. None of these characters have a significant bearing on the plot, though it is a positive to see queer people existing in the world.