Growing up queer is never just about romance—it’s about identity, confusion, and the quiet moments that shape who we become. That’s why gay coming-of-age films resonate so strongly with me. They capture the first crushes that leave us breathless, the friendships that blur into something more, and the bittersweet process of learning to love ourselves.
The first time I watched Call Me by Your Name, I felt like someone had finally put my teenage longing on screen. Years later, Your Name Engraved Herein and Boys reminded me again how universal those emotions are, even across different cultures. These films aren’t just love stories—they’re reflections of youth, courage, and discovery.
In this guide, I’ll take you through some of the most unforgettable queer coming-of-age cinema, divided into four sections: Classic & International, Asian Picks, European Picks, and American Picks. Whether tender, heartbreaking, or joyfully funny, each of these films offers a mirror to the journey of growing up gay.
Classic & International: Defining Gay Coming-of-Age Films
🇮🇹 Italy / 🇺🇸 USA | 📅 2017 | 🎬 Romance / Coming-of-Age
Set in the Italian Riviera of the 1980s, 17-year-old Elio spends the summer at his family’s villa where he meets Oliver, a confident and charismatic American scholar. What begins as hesitant attraction slowly grows into an intense relationship, as Elio experiences first love in all its beauty and heartbreak.
The novel already had an unforgettable final monologue, but the film elevated it to pure cinema. More than a summer romance, it’s a story about youth, memory, and the courage to feel everything deeply. Elio and Oliver’s six weeks together become a timeless reminder that first love is not just about passion, but also about growth and emotional awakening.
🇺🇸 USA | 📅 2016 | 🎬 Drama / Coming-of-Age
Told in three chapters, the film follows Chiron, a young boy growing up in Miami with a drug-addicted mother and little support. He finds temporary refuge with a kind-hearted drug dealer and his partner. Chiron’s friendship with Kevin evolves into something deeper, but violence and fear drive them apart—until years later, a phone call reunites them, forcing both men to face what they truly feel.
A simple coming-of-age story told with tidal emotional force. Moonlight is not only about sexuality, but about the ways we change and endure. The imagery of ocean waves and moonlight becomes a metaphor for longing and transformation. It’s tender, painful, and unforgettable—an Oscar-winning masterpiece of queer cinema.
🇬🇧 UK | 📅 1996 | 🎬 Romance / Drama / Coming-of-Age
Jamie, a shy boy growing up in a single-parent household, struggles at school and at home, especially when his mother starts dating a rough new boyfriend. His neighbor Ste, meanwhile, suffers beatings from his abusive father and brother. When Jamie’s mother takes Ste in for a night, the two boys discover comfort and love in each other’s presence, slowly realizing their true feelings.
A warm and understated film, Beautiful Thing avoids spectacle and melodrama. Instead, it tells a simple story of two boys falling in love and finding the courage to come out. The quiet moments—like dancing together in their flat—carry an intimacy more powerful than any grand gesture. It remains a landmark of 90s queer cinema, full of gentle strength.
🇩🇪 Germany | 📅 2004 | 🎬 Romance / Coming-of-Age / Sports
Tobi and Achim are best friends on a youth rowing team. Though both appear to have girlfriends, Tobi harbors deeper feelings for Achim. During a summer training camp by the lake, Tobi’s emotions boil over, leading to a kiss that scares Achim away. Left heartbroken, Tobi begins connecting with members of a visiting gay rowing team, and his journey toward acceptance begins.
Beautiful cinematography and a cast of fresh-faced German youth make Summer Storm both visually and emotionally compelling. It balances lighthearted team dynamics with the heavier struggles of identity and self-denial. For many, it remains one of the most honest depictions of teenage queer discovery—sunlit, messy, and achingly real.
🇧🇪 Belgium | 📅 2011 | 🎬 Romance / Drama / Coming-of-Age
In 1960s Belgium, Pim, a sensitive boy living with his single mother in a rundown town by the North Sea, dreams of escape. He develops feelings for his neighbor and childhood friend Gino, but their relationship is complicated by secrecy, family expectations, and Pim’s yearning for something beyond the small-town confines. When a wandering gypsy youth enters the picture, Pim’s fragile world shifts once again.
Based on André Sollie’s novel, North Sea Texas is a tender, melancholy coming-of-age film. It avoids easy resolutions, focusing instead on the beauty and pain of first love. Director Bavo Defurne captures the atmosphere with a fresh, poetic visual style, making Pim’s quiet longing feel both personal and universal. It’s bittersweet, but hauntingly beautiful.
Asian Picks: Queer Youth Stories from Taiwan, Korea and Japan
🇹🇼 Taiwan | 📅 2020 | 🎬 Romance / Drama / Coming-of-Age
Set in early 1990s Taiwan, two high school boys travel to Taipei where they face a society still hostile toward homosexuality. Amidst bullying in the dorms, shifting school policies, and the growing presence of female students, their subtle bond is shaken when a girl enters their lives.
This film is both a love story and a cultural milestone, arriving in the wake of Taiwan’s legalization of same-sex marriage. It balances themes of faith and desire—most memorably through the closeted priest who admits his love yet confesses he will die “in sin.” While the young leads deliver strong performances, the final reunion sequence decades later falters in casting and tone. Even so, the movie remains a representative Taiwanese gay romance, its melancholy echoing the long struggle for equality.
🇹🇼 Taiwan | 📅 2006 | 🎬 Romance / Coming-of-Age / Drama
Shane and Jonathan grow up together after being paired in elementary school, with Jonathan guiding Shane to overcome his hyperactive tendencies. Their friendship deepens over the years, but Jonathan secretly harbors feelings that cross into love. When a lonely girl, Carrie (Kate Yeung), enters their lives, their fragile balance unravels, leading to heartbreak and self-discovery by the sea.
Eternal Summer captures the cruelty and quiet endurance of youth. More than a love triangle, it’s about loneliness, secrecy, and the blurred line between friendship and desire. The film’s cool blue cinematography mirrors the melancholy of adolescence. It’s not about explosive drama but about the kind of pain and yearning that lingers long after the credits roll.
🇰🇷 South Korea | 📅 2006 | 🎬 Romance / LGBTQ+ / Drama
The first Korean film to openly center on gay life, No Regret follows Su-min (Lee Young-hoon), an orphan struggling to survive in Seoul. After losing his factory job, he begins working in a gay bar, where he crosses paths again with Jae-min (Kim Nam-gil), a wealthy man facing an arranged marriage. Despite initial rejection, their passion grows into love—until Jae-min’s family discovers the relationship, throwing them into despair.
Simple in story yet powerful in feeling, No Regret endures as a landmark in Korean queer cinema. It doesn’t rely on spectacle; instead, it finds strength in small details, quiet music, and raw emotion. Watching it is like sipping warm tea on a quiet afternoon—the narrative flows gently, but the impact is deeply human and long-lasting.
🇯🇵 Japan | 📅 2023 | 🎬 Drama / Coming-of-Age / LGBTQ+
From acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Monster tells the story of Minato, a young boy who appears withdrawn and troubled, and his mother Saori, who fears he is being abused by a teacher. As layers peel away, the truth emerges through shifting perspectives, revealing Minato’s bond with classmate Yori. Their fragile friendship, marked by misunderstanding and tenderness, sits at the heart of the film’s mystery.
Winner of Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm at Cannes, Monster has been described as Japan’s Close. It’s not a traditional queer romance, but a deeply moving exploration of childhood, secrecy, and perception. Kore-eda masterfully balances social critique with intimate emotion. The film’s queerness is subtle but vital, reminding us that queer identity often emerges in the quietest of moments.
European Picks: Gay Coming-of-Age Cinema Across Europe
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 📅 2014 | 🎬 Romance / Coming-of-Age
Fifteen-year-old Sieger (Gijs Blom), a quiet boy who loves athletics, joins his school’s track team one summer. Training brings him closer to his relay teammate Marc (Ko Zandvliet), and their friendship deepens into something more. A kiss by the lake stirs feelings that Sieger struggles to understand, especially when a neighborhood girl, Jessica, enters his life.
Boys captures the innocence and intensity of first love. The film is tender, sunlit, and filled with the energy of youth—running on the track, shy glances, and hesitant kisses. It’s a story that asks: if you could return to 17, would you? Beautifully shot and emotionally delicate, it remains one of the sweetest portrayals of queer teenage romance.
🇩🇪 Germany | 📅 2016 | 🎬 Romance / Drama / Coming-of-Age
Based on Andreas Steinhöfel’s 1998 novel, this German film follows Phil, a sensitive 17-year-old who spends his last carefree summer with his best friend Kat. When the new and mysterious Nicholas arrives at school, Phil finds himself caught between first love, family secrets, and the messy realities of adolescence.
Carried by Louis Hofmann’s magnetic performance, Centre of My World balances playfulness and melancholy, friendship and heartbreak. It naturalizes the queer coming-out theme, weaving it seamlessly into a broader story of identity and belonging. Stylish visuals and a strong ensemble make this a striking and emotionally resonant coming-of-age drama.
🇫🇷 France | 📅 2020 | 🎬 Romance / Drama / Coming-of-Age
In coastal Normandy, Alexis (Félix Lefebvre), a restless teenager, nearly drowns at sea before being rescued by David (Benjamin Voisin). Their friendship quickly grows into an intense summer romance, six weeks that define Alexis’s youth. But when a girl named Kate enters their world, tensions rise, leading to a tragic turn that changes Alexis forever.
François Ozon’s Summer of 85 is both radiant and devastating. While comparisons to Call Me by Your Name are inevitable, this film is darker, more turbulent, and steeped in obsession. It captures how first love can feel like both a dream and a wound. A bittersweet meditation on passion, memory, and loss.
American Picks: High School and Identity in LGBTQ+ Teen Movies
🇺🇸 USA | 📅 2018 | 🎬 Romance / Teen / Coming-of-Age
Seventeen-year-old Simon Spier is navigating the usual high school chaos with one big secret—he’s gay. When he falls for an anonymous classmate online, he begins a funny and heartfelt journey to uncover the identity of his crush while struggling to come out on his own terms.
Love, Simon broke ground as the first major Hollywood teen rom-com centered on a gay protagonist. It’s charming, witty, and moving without the heavy melodrama that often defines queer cinema. Instead, it embraces humor and warmth, showing that being gay is not a “problem,” but simply part of everyday teenage life. Watching Simon’s journey feels like a breath of fresh air—and a hug to every queer kid who deserved this story years ago.
🇺🇸 USA | 📅 2007 | 🎬 Romance / Drama / LGBTQ+
Zach, a kind and artistic young man, puts his own dreams on hold to help his struggling sister and her son. While spending time surfing with his best friend Gabe, Zach meets Gabe’s older brother Shaun, a writer. The two men slowly fall in love, creating a family-like bond even as others fail to understand their relationship.
Winner of multiple festival awards, Shelter is a heartfelt indie that mixes romance with family drama. Its strength lies in its tenderness—the way Zach finds love not only with Shaun but also in the stability and joy they build together with his nephew. It’s a story of responsibility, self-discovery, and the quiet happiness found by the sea.
🇧🇷 Brazil | 📅 2014 | 🎬 Romance / Coming-of-Age / LGBTQ+
Leonardo, a blind teenager longing for independence, spends most of his time with his best friend Giovana. When new student Gabriel arrives, Leonardo’s world begins to shift, leading to a tender exploration of love, friendship, and freedom. As feelings grow, both Leonardo and Giovana must navigate the complexities of change.
Based on the award-winning short I Don’t Want to Go Back Alone, this Brazilian feature expands its story into a full-length coming-of-age gem. What makes it stand out is not just the romance, but Leonardo’s journey toward autonomy and selfhood. Winner of the Teddy Award at Berlinale, The Way He Looks is sweet, sincere, and quietly groundbreaking.
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