There is a wide range of movies, and so far I am still exploring, sometimes not too interested in certain genres, such as "sort of erotic" lesbian movies, comedians trying to stereotype lesbians (even being funny), and perhaps maybe movies that are so uncharming, from a communication point of view (yes, marketing count).
I am going to avoid tv series by saying two words. The L Word, as bad as was the last season of it, definitely redefined the word lesbian in wider terms, although I believe it didn't reach mainstream audience. And The Real L Word is simply building an awful image of lesbians, making them significantly stupid and superficial.
So, from my late experience of lesbian in movies, I have to say that my attachment to some movies has definitely be linked to the incorporation of women in love with women and shown is a normal way. For example, "Precious, based from the novel Push" was an amazing example of what is a lesbian relationship. "The kids are alright"could be an example, although the theme of the movie was about a family built by two women. I also recently watch the documentary "little man" which is about a mother experiencing the birth of her child 100 days earlier, and it happens to be that this woman was with another woman. It feels a reality of it without becoming all about it, all about the transformation/change of a woman into a lesbian... Which I have to say is a little too important in most of the movies I am watching lately.
For some reason, probably linked to the fact that it is major in the life of a lesbian to do their coming out or eventually even accept that they may have feelings for a person of the same sex, the movies are essentially centered on women realizing they are in love with another, usually another who had experienced love with a woman for some time. Rarely, you would have two women who have feelings for one another and discover at the same time they may happen to be in love with a woman. The one movie I saw lately about two girls discovering their love was "Circumstance". In most cases, the movie have to be of either two women of a more mature age, one married and the other one "long time lesbian", falling for the other. Incredible. From "Imagine me and you", to "Aimee and Jaguar", to "Elena Undone" to "Between two women" to "a village affair" to "gazon maudit" (french twist) to so many others... Good movies overall nonetheless. I can tho see tho that things evolves from older stories about the guilt of having betrayed the marriage and become 'the absolute sin' = lesbian, and finally deciding to not choose, or eventually choose the husband, to a more interesting step forward into accepting their feeling and facing it to the world. And eventually choosing that the surrounding would eventually welcome it.
The other move of the lesbian movies is to present the blossoming of girls into their feelings, and the discovery that their are lesbians, either having to face it through falling for someone of their surrounding, or having to do their coming out to their family and friends. "Pourquoi pas moi?" (why not me), "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love"...
I was wondering if those movies were not reflecting the main realities of women of two different generations, one generation where it was the right thing to do to get married, have kids and not think too much about love as an essential and passionate thing to live, and having to confront their feelings once they had been shaken (which we also can see in other movies with women falling for the right guy), and the younger generation who is surrounded by gay right movements, and discovering who they are, and feeling love for the first time, for a woman.
Anyway, there are a lot of beautiful movies about lesbians, mostly romantic comedies/dramas, around us... But I cannot wait to watch more movies where lesbians are part of the script without having to find the movie classified in the Lesbian section or being shocked about the stereotype they made of the lesbians.
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