LGBT movies to see this fall in place of Stonewall

Last week, the media exploded over the terribly inaccurate and hetero-washed Stonewall, directed by Roland Emmerich. Emerich went on the defensive, claiming that casting a straight-acting, white man would draw in a broader audience than just the gays.

“You have to understand one thing: I didn’t make this movie only for gay people, I made it also for straight people,” Emmerich told Buzzfeed on Wednesday. “I kind of found out, in the testing process, that actually, for straight people, (Danny) is a very easy in. Danny’s very straight-acting. He gets mistreated because of that. (Straight audiences) can feel for him.”

But, it backfired. On opening weekend, Stonewall grossed $112,414 from 127 theaters. For the math illiterate, that’s a location average of $871. Barely anyone went to see this movie.

Don’t sweat it though, there are a few more LGBT movies in theaters this fall that could easily fill the void of Stonewall. Here are a few suggestions.

Freeheld
Director: Peter Sollett
Starring: Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Steve Carell

Freeheld follows the journey of one New Jersey couple fighting for equal rights. Following a diagnosis with terminal lung cancer in 2005, Laurel Hester repeatedly appealed to the county’s board of chosen freeholders in an attempt to ensure her pension benefits could be passed on to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree.

Carol
Director: Todd Haynes
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson

Based on the novel The Price of Salt, Carol is a love story about a 20-something falling for a much older woman. Blanchett stars in the titular role as a 1950s-era married woman who begins a romantic relationship with a young store clerk played by Mara.

About Ray
Director: Gaby Dellal
Starring: Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon

Elle Fanning takes on the role of a transitioning teen, hoping to rally support from his mother and grandmother. The film follows Ray and his family as they navigate through an important, and difficult, process.

The Danish Girl
Directors: Tom Looper, Lasse Lasse Hallström
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander

Based on the fictional novel by David Ebershoff, Eddie Redmayne takes on the role of the very real Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of gender reassignment surgery. The film weaves viewers through a story of self discovery and acceptance.