Lesbian 90s: A List of the Daring Films that Shaped Generations

Hannah Brueske ‘26 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

The 1990s are often argued to be the best decade for the film industry for a plethora of reasons, including major technological advancements, emerging directors with revolutionary visions, and a great variety of films made– in genre, theme, and budget. The 90s were also the first decade where independent filmmakers had a real chance to have their movies made and seen by a large audience. This allowed for the emergence of the LGBT cinema movement. It was a vibrant time for lesbian filmmakers who, with a deep dedication to their intricate visions, sought to capture stories they believed in. On tiny budgets, the crew and actors often worked entirely for free. Still, they managed to create films that are still talked about to this day. The 5 films highlighted on this list feature true lesbian narratives by a diverse group of all-female filmmakers. These films capture the lesbian community perfectly– in all its messy glory.

The Watermelon Woman (1996) dir. Cheryl Dunye 

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played ‘mammy’ archetypes.

Written, directed, edited, and starred in by Cheryl Dunye, this film is a prime example of what happens when an artist’s vision is fully realized. The film highlights the erasure of black, specifically black queer women in Hollywood, as the main character, a black lesbian video store clerk, starts creating a documentary about her inquiry into the life of a black actress from the 1930s. In Dunye’s debut feature film, the characters, except for her own, the main character “Cheryl” who is autobiographical, are invented, but the subject matter is very real. Cheryl becomes obsessed with uncovering the true identity of the actress who was never credited in the movies she starred in. Her search later reveals that the actress herself had been a lesbian. The strange draw Cheryl feels toward the actress pays homage to the mysterious phenomenon of the interconnectedness of queer people, who have always been able to find each other in a world that seeks to keep them hidden. 

The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995) dir. Maria Maggenti

An adventurous love story between two young women of different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all the typical struggles of a new romance.

Director Maria Maggenti first developed the script for this film as a project for NYU’s Graduate Film Program. In true lesbian fashion, the film is dedicated to Maggenti’s first girlfriend. This film was made by an all-women crew, none of whom were paid, but chose to work on this project out of a deep dedication to their community and the opportunity to gain real practice in their careers. It’s a film that takes its lesbian characters and relationships seriously. The female-centered environment can be felt in the tenderness and sweetness through which the film captures young love. In the film, boyish lesbian Randy (Laurel Holloman), an unpopular girl who is failing high school and Rebecca (Kate Stafford), a popular straight-A student fall in love against all odds. Though the movie deals with heavier topics, like coming out and bullying, it’s full of very fun and lighthearted moments, capturing the essence of 90’s high school lesbians. 

Go Fish (1994) dir. Rose Troche 

A romantic tale about finding a soulmate. The only difference here is that both partners are women…in Chicago’s lesbian community.

This film feels like a compilation of home video footage of a 90’s thriving urban lesbian friend group. The plot tackles the struggles of the sexual and romantic relationships of 5 very different lesbians. It was largely shot on a film camera that had been primarily used to shoot news footage during World War II because the creators had to borrow film equipment from various film schools. Because the actors and crew involved were all working full-time jobs, this film had to be shot during nights and weekends. Go Fish is the love child of director Rose Troche and Guinevere Turner, star of Go Fish as well as The Watermelon Woman. The two broke up in the middle of shooting the movie but remained friends and would later go on to direct and star in the popular lesbian show The L-Word. The mission of Go Fish was to accurately represent the lesbian community on-screen, as Troche and Turner felt it had only been misrepresented in movies up until then. 

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) dir. Jamie Babbit 

A naive teenager is sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.

The most popular film on this list, But I’m a Cheerleader is a true cult classic, and its characters are popular Halloween costumes among queer women to this day. In 2022, singer Phoebe Bridgers and the band Muna even paid homage to the film in their “Silk Chiffon” music video, by recreating some of its scenes. But I’m a Cheerleader successfully points out the absurdity in ‘conversion camps’ through its outlandish campy-ness and ironic script. Director Jamie Babbitt, who had grown up obsessed with Barbie, brought her colorful vision to life in a hyper-artificial set made almost entirely by hand by a small crew. With characters played by big names like Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, and even RuPaul who plays an “ex-gay”, this movie is poignantly hilarious and ahead of its time. 

Bound (1996) dir. Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski 

Tough ex-con Corky and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet’s crooked boyfriend Caesar.

An erotic noir, Bound is sexy and daring. Both queer trans women, the film was the Wachowski sisters’ directorial debut. They have since had enormous success with their Matrix movies. Bound reinvented the archetype of a femme fatale, by having Violet (Jennifer Tilly) seduce another woman. In it, butch plumber Corky (Gina Gershon), who is entranced by Violet’s beauty, agrees to help her steal two million dollars of Violet’s mob-boyfriend Caesar’s money. Their passionate love affair carries them through the plan, with the end goal of having Violet escape from her boyfriend for good. 

The films on the list demonstrated that it is in fact possible for lesbian movies to capture audiences and tell compelling stories without tokenizing its characters or changing their style to fit the male gaze. The fact that these films are made for lesbian audiences is clear in the fact that the productions were female-led both in front of, and more importantly behind the camera, and in the films the women get to keep their love, escaping a tragic demise that is often placed on queer characters. Films that feature prominent lesbian characters today often face backlash from the lesbian community for inaccurate portrayals and characters that feel like vapid representations for the sole purpose of inclusion. This is why the films on this list have never lost their audience and remain deeply beloved by the lesbian community and beyond. Not only did they offer substantial social commentaries on the politics of the time they were made, but they still manage to strike a cord today.

All loglines for the listed films are sourced from IMDB