It sure has been a November to remember, but honestly the whole thing flew by so fast and furious you’d be forgiven if you forgot some of it. On that tip, here’s a little crash course on all the trailers for up-and-coming gay entertainment that dropped this past month.
There was a so-wild-it’s-(maybe)-true miniseries about scheming royals, a tear-jerker about divorce, a [REDACTED]-jerker about raunchy ghosts, and a trio of documentaries that take a closer look at the history of gays in the military, our trams-masc siblings, and queers who have made a home in the Midwest.
To help you stay ahead of it all, we’ve assembled a recap of the best and gayest trailers that hit the internet throughout November with reminders of when and where you can watch each title. Check them all out below and mark your calendars accordingly!
Serving In Secret
We gays have a long and complicated relationship with the military, which gets thoughtfully explored in this new doc from MSNBC’s Turning Point series. Subtitled “Love, Country, & Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the film traces the history of LGBTQ+ military service—and the discrimination that’s plagued our community since the beginning—featuring interviews with Pete Buttigieg, Rachel Maddow, and handful of gay veterans.
‘The Inspection,’ ‘Tom of Finland,’ and more movies to watch that spotlight queer people serving in the military.
Shoulder Dance
In this sexy rom-com, Ira and Josh (Matt Dallas and Taylor Frey, respectively) are living a happy life together in their beautiful Hamptons home. But, one day, Ira’s childhood best friend—Roger (Rick Cosnett), who he hasn’t heard from in years—shows up out of the blue and throws everything out of whack, stirring up love, lust, jealousy and so much more in a modern, queer twist on the classic bedroom farce.
Now available on VOD.
Beyond The Aggressives
Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, filmmaker Daniel Peddle spent five years documenting the lives of a group of queer, masculine-presenting people of color living in New York City, which became the celebrated documentary The Aggressives. Now, Peddle checks in with his subjects 25 years later, exploring the paths they’ve forged for themselves, and once again shining a light on those whose stories are rarely told.
Now playing in select theaters. Premiering on Showtime in 2024.
Body Shop
Hong Kong filmmaker Scud revisits the ghosts of his own past in Body Shop, an erotic head trip unlike any other. When a young soldier dies and becomes a ghost, he sets out on a globe-trotting journey to reconnect with his trans sister then gets distracted by possessing the bodies of the living and meddling in their romances. Eventually his travels bring him to the titular “body shop” where things are nothing like they seem.
Available on VOD beginning December 6.
We Live Here: The Midwest
Though we often talk about the LGBTQ+ community existing in liberal, major city “bubbles,” there are many of us who have made lives for ourselves all across this country of ours. This new doc welcomes viewers into the lives of queer families in so-called “flyover states”—a Black gay couple in a religious Nebraska town, lesbian partners raising their son on a Kansas farm, and more—and shows us why home is worth fighting for.
Premieres December 6 on Hulu.
Our Son
Gay marriage has been legal for long enough now that you had to figure a “gay divorce” movie was coming along sooner or later, right? Billy Porter and Luke Evans play a pair of fathers who, after years together, make the difficult decision to go their separate ways. Though things are initially amicable, negotiating the terms of co-parentage for the eight-year-old son forces them to confront the changing reality of their family.
Begins playing in select theaters on December 8, then hits VOD platforms on December 15.
Porter released an R&B-influenced debut album in 1997.
Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!
Following acclaimed Off-Broadway and Edinburgh Film Festival runs, queer British comedian Leo Reich cements his “star on the rise” status with his first solo stand-up special, Literally Who Cares?!, on HBO. Brilliant, biting, and gleefully self-effacing, the 23-year-old comic’s show sends up self-serious performance art, coming-of-age and coming out, and the crushing ennui of being alive
Premiering December 16 @ 10pm ET on HBO and streaming on Max.
Mary & George
Fresh off of playing a sensitive gay prince in Red, White & Royal Blue, Nicholas Galitzine’s got another royal queer role on the way—only this one’s much more dastardly. He stars opposite the great Julianne Moore in the miniseries Mary & George as the real-life mother-son duo who charmed, cheated, and cucked their way to power in 17th century England, preying on King James’ reported weakness for hot young twinks like George.
