Assassination Nation Hari Nef (R) in Assasination Nation Unchallenging in its subject matter and light-and-breezy in its theme, Love, Simon is not winning Oscars any time soon, but it’s tailor-made to fit into a genre otherwise dominated by heteronormative releases. It’s a silent epidemic that, now more than ever, especially under our administration, is growing in traction.” Love, Simon Nick Robinson and Keiynan Lonsdale in Love, Simon, one of the year’s biggest gay moviesįar-and-away 2018’s most-hyped gay release was Greg Berlanti’s teen rom-com Love, Simon which stars Nick Robinson as a boy-next-door Simon Spier, who happens to be gay. “Doing research for this film, I was unaware of the modernity of the issue of gay conversion in America. “Growing up in a conservative southern baptist community, ‘praying the gay away,’ as they would say, was something we were very aware of in our community-didn’t believe in, but were aware of,” Moretz told PinkNews. Shipped off to an emotionally-sterile Christian gay ‘cure’ centre, the film takes an unflinching look at the harsh reality of conversion therapy. In one of two major gay movies in 2018 to tackle the subject of gay ‘cure’ therapy, grown-up Kick-Ass star Chloë Grace Moretz plays a teen caught having a sexual encounter with another girl. The Miseducation of Cameron Post Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane and Forrest Goodluck in The Miseducation of Cameron Post, one of two 2018 gay films based on gay ‘cure’ therapy (Vertigo Releasing) (BFI)ĭespite a quiet commercial release in January, this comedy-drama starring Alex Lawther of The End of the F***ing World fame has earned praise from LGBT+ audiences for its nuanced and warm-hearted portrayal of gender non-confirming teen Billy as a fish out-of-water in a small conservative town.Īdd in a scene-stealing turn from Bette Midler as Billy’s ‘Muv’ and a cameo from trans actor Laverne Cox, and you have the makings of a queer classic.īased on the novel by James St James, Trudie Styler‘s directorial debut sends out a clear message of inclusivity to anyone who has ever felt different. Freak Show Billy Bloom played by Alex Lawther in Freak Show. The gay film made its debut at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival to overwhelming acclaim, but was banned in Kenya overs its gay themes.īut the ban hasn’t prevented global audiences falling in love with Rafiki, which has screened at major film festivals around the world.