With manyLGBTQ+ coming out moviesgenerally focused on teenagers and young adults, it can be difficult to find something to relate to if you’re not part of that age demographic — or just if you’re looking to find something different. The fact of the matter is: queer people and stories exist in all ages, and there’s no one-size-fits-all time frame when itcomes to coming out.
AsPride Month 2022nears its end, we’ve compiled some of the best movies about older LGBTQ+ people coming out and experiencing love, as it’s never too late to accept yourself and find love on your own terms. FromCarolandBeginnersto thegroundbreakingBrokeback Mountain, here are the best movies to watch.
5Desert Hearts
One of the first movies to depict a positive view on lesbian sexuality,Desert Heartswas a trailblazing film for the industry. The movie tells the story of a 35-year-old professor who needs to obtain a quick divorce, so she travels to Nevada and stays at a guest house for women like her. There, she meets a younger woman and the two fall in love — but not without a struggle and judgement from people on the outside. A relatively unknown movie, this one should definitely be on your watch list.
Related:12 Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Movies of the 21st Century
4Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountainis often called one of the greatest LGBTQ+ movies of all time, and for good reason.Director Ang Lee’s tale of two men finding love in the heartlands is heartfelt and touching, no matter who you are. Despite the movie starting when the two main characters, Jack and Ennis (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) are 19, the journey of self-acceptance spans several decades, with the men struggling with their sexuality for nearly their whole lives. A life-long love affair is packed into this movie, and despite the tragic ending, you’ll still walk away with a warm feeling in your heart.
Based on the novelThe Price of Salt,Carolis one of the most popular new LGBTQ+ movies. In it, a younger photographer named Therese (Rooney Mara) falls for the older Carol (Cate Blanchett), a woman going through a divorce from her husband. As the movie is set in the 1950s, the relationship between the women is subject to a lot of outside influence and scrutiny, and is used against both of them multiple times. However, ultimately, true love perseveres, and they get theirversion of a happy ending. Carol herself is confronted about her sexuality and refuses to deny herself any longer, showing that it’s never too late to accept yourself for who you are, despite any complications that could arise. Dramatic, romantic and with an all-star cast,Carolis one of the gems of LGBTQ+ cinema.
Related:Best LGBTQ+ Movies About Women, Ranked
2Twilight’s Kiss
Sometimes referred to asSuk Suk,Twilight’s Kissis a Cantonese film that tells the story of two older men in Hong Kong. They are both married to women, with families of their own, but when they meet, over time they realize they can allow themselves to be happy, and they begin contemplating what a life together might look like. They both struggle to let go of the easy familiarity of their heteronormative family lives, but show true joy and acceptance when they’re together. Truly a film about coming out as a senior, with a 100% score onRotten Tomatoes,Twilight’s Kissis a tender and sensitive look at what that actually means for the people who go through it.
1Beginners
Beginnersis perhaps not the most famous movie about coming out in later life, but that doesn’t make the story any less impactful. The movie is centered around Oliver (played by Ewan McGregor) and his father, and how their relationship changed following Oliver’s mother’s death — especially after Oliver’s father, Hal (portrayed by Christopher Plummer) comes out at 75. Told through a series of flashbacks,Beginnersexamines the relationship between Hal and his wife before her death and follows on to showing Hal finding real love with a man in the last few years of his life. Oliver learns a lot from his father’s actions, and takes the lessons into his relationship with Anna (played by Mélanie Laurent), a new woman in his life.Beginnersis a movie about how it’s never too late to begin again, and its focus on coming out in later life is especially important to this message.
