Explore every episode of the podcast Queer Girl Film Club

It’s another episode where opinion is split between the Queer Girl Film Club crew. G didn’t like 1994’s New Zealand crime drama ‘Heavenly Creatures’ and she wants to hear from Alice and Holly about why they did like it… not that Alice and Holly can agree on a very fundamental question: is this film even lesbian?

Along the way they discuss the HUGE names involved in this film (pre-Lord Of The Rings Peter Jackson giving film debuts to Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey!), intense teenage friendships, the oppressive nature of 1950s colonial life, and bad parenting. We’re trying not to be a true crime podcast.

CN: Spoilers, swearing, discussion of murder.

We’re doing it for the ugly, untalented gays this week. We waited so many years for films where girls could be stupid and gross and horny and gay, and then in 2023 we finally got Bottoms, a love-it-or-hate-it tale of the stupidest heroines we’ve met on this podcast so far.

Your mileage for stupid and dark humour may vary, but Queer Girl Film Club are here to discuss how the film acknowledges women’s anger and violence in a way which isn’t sexy for men, whether it stands up to a rewatch, and what being in a fight actually feels like. There’s also discussion of having your sexual awakening to She’s the Man, an inexplicably large number of spoilers for Pretty Little Liars and the answer to last episode’s big question: when G popped the question, was the answer Yes or No?

CN: Discussion of rape jokes, swearing, spoilers and discussion of a sexual nature.

Is this the oldest film in the queer girl cinema canon? Even if it isn’t, Mädchen in Uniform is certainly old, made in 1931 and nearing its centenary. Coming out of the explosion of creativity which was Weimar Germany, it’s a historical document but is it a good film? Queer Girl Film Club are here to find out.

With Alice and G ready to tell us how accurate this is as a depiction of all-girls school life, and Holly on hand with a tonne of historical context, the gang are here to talk teenage crushes, appropriate teacher-student interactions, the power of friendship, and why militarism (whether Prussian or otherwise) is bad for girls.

Some of the articles mentioned in the podcast.

https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC24-25folder/MaedchenUniform.html

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7429-the-femme-solidarity-and-queer-allyship-of-m-dchen-in-uniform

https://www.pagingdrlesbian.com/p/madchen-in-uniforms-revolutionary 

http://www.screeningthepast.com/issue-1-classics-re-runs/madchen-in-uniform/ 

Buy Alice’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Offerings-Stories-Emerging-writers-Course-ebook/dp/B0DB2CX86W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GS5V9KATWWCO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XtY7bQ7VdHjJeaI5HUPN9A.41UVPCKZfwppqZx5oBMLdkmb8fTmDQx_Es96DlD7wKs&dib_tag=se&keywords=offerings+comma+press&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1733517945&s=digital-text&sprefix=offerings+comma+press%2Cdigital-text%2C78&sr=1-1 

CN: Mention of Nazis and Hitler, swearing, spoilers.

Queer Girl Film Club is on a mission this week to persuade ten of you dear listeners to watch Saving Face (2004) for the first time. That’s right, we’re all in on the positivity this week as this underrated gem gets the respect and love it deserves from the team. A tale of a Chinese American family where the daughter is a lesbian surgeon and the mum is pregnant out of wedlock, it’s a glorious, warm and funny film about breaking with tradition.

Join us as we discuss a film more people should see. Along the way the gang talk about language, how LGBTQ+ people navigate family obligations and traditions, parental homophobia, statistics on the number of female surgeons in the UK, and a big detour into lacrosse.

Some articles and links from the pod:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/10/saving-face-the-half-of-it-directors-2004-lesbian-rom-com-debut-was-way-ahead-of-its-time

https://www.vox.com/23055086/saving-face-alice-wu-romcom-asian-moms 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7zQ80oN10P/?igsh=emE1amRwZG9sZzls 

The gang are back for the new season and we’ve not been replaced by AI! We’re kicking off by talking about The Miseducation Of Cameron Post (2018), a film which revisits the same topic as one of the very first films we did on the podcast. But where But I’m A Cheerleader tackled conversion camps in a camp, pastel coloured dreamscape, TMOCP is more of a realistic nightmare.

Join us as we discuss the insidious niceness of the adults running the conversion camp, the differences between the book and the film, and on the importance of friendship in LGBTQ+ communities, both on screen and in real life. And if you have listened and you want to hear the short story Alice wrote for Maxine Peake, friend of TMOCP’s director Desiree Akhavan, you can find that here: https://factoryinternational.org/factoryplus/new-writers/mycelium/ 

CN: Mention of self harm, discussion of physical and psychological abuse at conversion camps, swearing, spoilers and discussion of a sexual nature.

Have you watched a lot of cheerleader media (cheerleadia?) Yeah, we are assuming you’ve not seen All Cheerleaders Die (2013) but do come listen anyway and see if Alice can persuade you (and G and Holly) that it is, in fact, the Greatest Film Of All Time, in our Halloween special.

There’s magic and witches and an undead cat and glowing gemstones and blood and murder and cannibalism and zombies. It’s gay, it’s a remake (somehow)  and the goth eyeliner is terrible. Wrap up warm in the spooky season as G explains the plot because Alice has brain fog and Holly has no idea what’s going on in this trashy flick, with its 90s SFX and pit full of spikes. Along the way there’s more references to Lord Of The Rings than you might expect (or want, if you are Alice), discussion of diamond knives, and Alice discovers the sound effects button on the recording equipment. Truly haunting.

CN: Mention of cannibalism, swearing, spoilers (although we really don't expect you've seen it and that's ok, listen anyway, get spoiled, it's ok) and discussion of a sexual nature.

Bodybuilding! Magical realism! Lesbians! When Chekhov’s gun is actually a gun! Come along and join the appreciation of the gun show (Katy O’Brien’s arms) with Queer Girl Film Club as we talk Love Lies Bleeding (2024).

Enjoy the gang’s discussions and digressions about the year’s most hyped queer girl film, during which we talk about the queerness of body horror, Kristen Stewart’s excellent acting chops, scary Ed Harris, steroids, and why it feels like we’re getting a lot of 80s and 90s set films at the moment (clue: no smart phones). You can also enjoy G and Alice pronouncing director Rose Glass’s surname completely differently to how Holly says it.

Some links to things which are mentioned in the pod:

https://www.gaylydreadful.com/blog/pride-2022-comfort-in-the-grotesque-a-queer-take-on-body-horror 

https://www.autostraddle.com/queer-erotics-of-bodybuilding-love-lies-bleeding/

CN: Swearing, spoilers, discussion of a sexual nature, discussion of gory violence, discussion of domestic violence.

Queer Girl Film Club springing into action to bring you the latest in queer girl cinema releases? Kind of. We would have had this out last week, but alas, G has become the second member of the pod to get concussion in the last six months!

But the CT scans are done and the results are in: QGFC have the brainpower to talk about Drive Away Dolls (2024), an utterly silly, low brainpower crime romp about two lesbians accidentally driving off with a car laden with incriminating items. And there’s a women’s football team!

Join us as the gang as we discuss necessity and objectification in sex scenes, why having a lesbian wife screenwriter can really improve a man’s queer girl film-making, and whether you should make out with your friends. It’s quite the trip as we also talk rescuing cats, how fake boobs can lead to cinematic discovery, and unexpectedly spoil a minor part of Dune 2.

CN: spoilers (for Drive Away Dolls and Dune 2, weirdly), swearing, discussion of a sexual nature, discussion of non-bloody head injuries.

This week we’re doing one of, if not the, most requested films - Disobedience (2017). We did say it was a Rachel Weiss kind of season, didn’t we?

We’ve got a special guest, Naomi, to give us some helpful insights into Jewish traditions and life for queer Jewish people, although she also eloquently explains how there are many different ways to be Jewish, and Jewish and queer. Honestly, this might be our most insightful episode yet, so thank you Naomi!

There’s also time to have a little lust over Rachel W, to give Rachel A and Alessandro N some love for their great performances, and to talk about some of the differences between the film and the book (everyone’s read the book… except Holly, as usual). Join us as we discuss one of Alice’s favourite film tropes, THAT sex scene (THAT bit, you know the bit, is discussed at around 58:00 minutes if you’re not into it) and we get to the true meaning of this film.

CN: swearing, discussion of a sexual nature, spoilers (film and book).

Tell your friends, there’s a new episode of Queer Girl Film Club! We are talking friendship a lot in this week’s episode as we discuss the Netflix 2020 release, The Half Of It. Only the second film from director/writer Alice Wu (something Holly in particular is outraged by, more Alice Wu films now!), this queer smalltown America take on Cyrano de Bergerac charms the crew.

Listen as we talk about good friendships between queer women and straight men, how religion and friendships affect queer kids in small communities, and (surprisingly) a lot about Ancient Greek writers. Yeah, there’s a lot more Aristophanes in this episode than we expected. Listen as we discuss how to make films from epistolary (letter writing) books, whether the QGFC crew want to be perceived or not, and G oscillates between declaring her word to be gospel and ignorable.

CN: Swearing, spoilers and discussion of a sexual nature (pretty much none of the latter is about the film, sorry, we are chaotic!).

It’s a fractious episode for Queer Girl Film Club this week, be prepared for disagreements, personal attacks and shouting over Fucking Åmål/Show Me Love (1998), a big hit in Sweden which isn’t such a big hit for some of the pod.

Listen as the gang talk telephone etiquette, kissing girls as a dare and whether naturalistic film-making is good or not. We take this gritty lo-fi depiction of slightly shitty teens struggling in a small town apart, and find that Holly is a much more forgiving person than Alice and G. Is it a happy ending or a depressing ending (and are we talking about the film or the episode here?!)?

CN: Discussion of self harm (42:50-47:50), swearing, spoilers.

Merry Christmas listeners, and why not listen to some festive film chat from Queer Girl Film Club! There might be a little disagreement as to whether Rent (2005) is a Christmas film or not, but there’s certainly some snow and singing to be had, and the QGFC gang are keeping up our Christmas traditions, like bringing up those Netflix Vanessa Hudgens films again.

We spend a bit less than 525,600 minutes talking about this big screen adaptation of one of the most successful musicals, especially the film’s queer girls, chaotic bisexual and biphobia lightning rod Maureen, and her on-again off-again power suit lesbian lawyer girlfriend Joanne. We also have some time for the rest of the cast from the good (Collins and Angel, who might be a queer girl or a genderqueer icon, we don’t want to label them) to the baaaaaaaad (poor old Mark and Roger are in for a battering).

We also cover how this film is too earnest to be camp, why the tango is the best song in any musical, and G tries to derail as much as possible to avoid talking about the actual film cos she’s not the biggest fan.

Here’s a link to Lindsay Ellis’s Rent video which gets a mention - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qfFbtIj5w 

It’s time for Holly’s eighteenth century history podcast! Oh wait, no, this is a Queer Girl Film Club episode about Oscar winning* slice of genius The Favourite (2018). But it does contain quite a bit of Holly talking about the actual history, so we hope that’s to your liking.

There’s also plenty of space for rhapsodising Olivia Colman’s incredible performance, Emma Stone’s complex portrayal, and Rachel Weisz in THAT SHOOTING OUTFIT. There’s even some self-censoring from G, who doesn’t tell us exactly what she thinks about Rachel Weisz but you get the picture.

Along the way Alice tells us about her favourite seventeenth century poet, Holly debunks a duck race, and we talk costumes, screen time and the joy of watching a queer film where the emphasis isn’t on queer peril.

*This film did not win enough Oscars.

CN: VERY STRONG LANGUAGE (from Chaucer to Rachel Weisz), child and pregnancy loss (45:35-46:42 and 56:05-57:45), discussion of a sexual nature and spoilers.

We are back for season 4 of Queer Girl Film Club! And why not start with something classic: the British romcom! Journey with us to a simpler time (2005) while we talk about Imagine Me And You.

Everyone’s posh, everyone’s cringe and there’s only eight people in the whole of London, but Alice, G and Holly are happy to take a trip to this much-rewatched film. Along the way we ask if we believe in love at first sight, why did the florist make friends with the ten year old when no one was watching, and what is the impact of compulsory heterosexuality? We also note the surprisingly high number of things the film got right about lesbians, while also getting everything wrong about London geography. Oh well, can’t win them all.

Here’s a link to the book the gang are talking about at the start: https://www.queerlit.co.uk/products/the-queer-film-guide

CN: swearing, discussion of a sexual nature, spoilers.

Halloween films aren’t for the faint hearted, and we’re definitely recommending listeners take a look at what might be our longest list of content warnings below before they jump into The Perfection (2018).

However, if you are willing to brave all of that, this is an interesting, if unsuccessful at times, film which gives the QGFC crew much to love and hate. Although they all agree that cellos are sexy instruments, which is convenient as there’s a lot of cello action in this nuts film.

Along the way the gang grapple with how to enjoy a film which is both a bonkers horror with unexpected cleavers during the world’s worst bus ride, AND a clumsy attempt to be arthouse and tackle themes like sexual abuse. We are serious when we say check if this film contains stuff you can stomach before jumping into either the film or this pod episode.

CN: Discussion of sexual abuse and coercive behaviour, discussion of maggots and other insects, vomit, mental health treatment and ECT, graphic description of knife wound, swearing, spoilers, discussion of consensual sexual encounters.

It’s a special episode where we decided to try and different medium and invite some friends over!

Nearly film length, but not a film, San Junipero is the iconic queer girl episode of Black Mirror, and to help us unpick this TV classic we invited Amber and Joyce from Gay Actually podcast to talk about it.

From the symbolism of the ocean to the on-the-nose perfection of the soundtrack to an extremely deep analysis of whether any of us would actually go to San Junipero post mortem, there’s a lot to cover for this relatively short story.

Along the way everyone gets distracted by a hamster, ableism in society gets called out, and we touch on the beauty of the story just like Kelly touches on (up) Yorkie’s leg in that scene in the rain, yeah you know the one.

Thank so much to Gay Actually for joining us and you can check their great pod out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/502kAoBziLBlR0gQJVv9Xd?si=126ea748f82b4ae2 

CN: Swearing, spoilers, sexual references, discussion of death and mortality, discussion of assisted dying, discussion of ableism

Hello all! It’s been a while and now we are back with an episode a Queer BAIT Film Club where we watch a film which isn’t gay enough and try to work out why a perfectly good (or bad) lesbian film didn’t happen.

This episode we are travelling back to the 1990s to see one of Angelina Jolie’s earliest big screen ventures as she plays… wait for it… you are NOT ready for this… a swaggering butch lesbian in a leather jacket who upends the lives of four teen girls at a generic US school. There’s sexual tension, homoerotic tattooing, and man-bashing (some literal) and yet it’s not official queer. What gives?!

The Queer Girl Film Club gang are here to try and find out. How can a film with so many crimes not ‘be gay’? Who doesn’t want a rundown house in the woods full of candles as a base (Georgia and Alice have done a lot of fire safety training and remember none of it)? Does a film need a queer kiss to be queer enough not to be bait?

Along the way the crew try to work out if Georgia is concussed from doing “too much sport” (® Alice, 2023), Holly asks if this is one of the greatest soundtracks of any film ever, and Alice calls Dmitri Mendeleev a pussy. Yes, the periodic table guy.

PLUS, if that wasn’t enough, find out what films we will be covering in season 4, coming SOON!

CN: Discussion of the dissection of animals in schools 17:39-21:00, discussion of a predatory teacher, swearing and spoilers.

Cinema trip! This weekend just gone the Queer Girl Film Club crew went to an actual real life cinema (complete with fellow audience members, including Guy Checking The Football Scores On His Phone As The Film Was Starting) to see Cate Blanchett going hell-for-leather for Oscar #3 in Tár (2022). The gang found that on top of Cate’s exquisite performance, it’s a film about bad people, uncomfortable topics and major ambiguity.

Join Holly, Alice and Georgia as we discuss how to enjoy this film despite knowing shit-all about classical music, whether it’s really a horror film in denial, and why nervous breakdowns are better with accordions. This episode goes deep on power dynamics and how queer women are capable of being abusive and awful, and why it matters that we talk about this. 

CN: Swearing, spoilers, non-graphic discussion of sexual abuse and other abusive relationships, mention of suicide, discussion of sex work.

What’s more festive than a big family argument? Quite a lot of things, actually, but for our QGFC Christmas special there’s a lot of arguing going on as Alice and Georgia are taking sides against Holly is a massive (yet still analytical and funny) row about our festive queer girl film, Happiest Season (2020). Join us as Georgia outlines what it is that’s so magical about Christmas romcoms, Alice lists her many favourites of the genre, and Holly admits she hasn’t actually seen any apart from Happiest Season itself…

It’s a festive old episode, where the gang debate if the ending is insufficiently cheesy, talk about coming out and how queer shame, and everyone swoons over Aubrey Plaza and Dan Levy, for slightly different reasons.

Happy Christmas to all listeners, and if you need an extra stocking filler, there’s always Alice’s poetry book: https://www.bentkeypublishing.co.uk/product-page/alice-godliman-the-book-of-seeing-past-the-shadows 

CN: Swearing, spoilers, death of parents.

The gang are heading to the coast of France, to an island with no men and only the intense staring and beautiful cinematography of one of the best films ever: Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019), Holly’s favourite film of all time, and a true masterpiece. QGFC are here to share the many many reasons they love this film, touching on light, consent, armpit drugs and the importance of looking after your straight mates when they get into scrapes.

When a film can be two hours long, French and contain loads of staring, and still be something Alice loves, how can it not be a classique? Whether its musing on the impermanence of joy or lusting after Adèle Haenel, Holly, Alice and Georgia are ending season 3 on a massive high.

Perhaps it’s the overwhelming beauty of the visuals and story, or perhaps it’s because both Georgia and Holly have the flu, but the crew are in a poetic and reflective mood this episode, not that this doesn’t prevent diversions into grave robbing and eating your pets.

Problematic romance! Mary Sues or Manic Pixies Dream Teens! What was school really like for both students and teachers? Queer Girl Film Club are here to unpick the acres of oh-dear that is Loving Annabelle (2006), a romantic drama about a teacher falling for her… 17 year old student?! Oh 2006, what were you thinking???

Along the way the gang discuss all the ways the film gets teaching wrong (incredibly, it’s not just the safeguarding nightmare of the central relationship which Alice finds fault with), relive their school disco days, and grill Holly a bit more about what it’s like to go to a Catholic school. There’s also tips on how to lesson plan, how porcupines signal quirkiness, and Holly accidentally makes a new jingle.

CN: swearing, spoilers, discussion of a sexual nature, discussion of age-inappropriate relationships.

Don’t watch films with lots of delicious food on an empty stomach, and don’t record a podcast about foodie films on an empty stomach either! This week, Alice, Holly and Georgia are full of Indian food and ready to talk about Nina’s Heavenly Delights (2006) and its low low LOW budget charms.

Set in the “small provincial town” of Glasgow, Nina’s crams in enough plot to confuse the QGFC crew (or perhaps they were in food comas). Whether it’s Alice dunking on Holly’s cooking skills, a discussion of what not to do when you’ve chopped chillis recently, or the importance of chemistry tests and intimacy coordinators in film, the gang are here to pinpoint why every viewer review of Nina’s seems to be “This film is bad, I loved it”.

CN: Swearing, spoilers, some discussion of a sexual nature, discussion of homophobia.

The Virgos are back on their astrology bullshit again, and Holly uses the phrase “I went to Catholic school” more than once! It must be Queer Girl Film Club, back to talk about If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000), a perfectly fine film which somehow elicited some utter madness from the QGFC posse.

Did the team discuss the three stories told in the anthology film? Yes. Did they also veer wildly off piste into Final Destination 2, why dolphins can’t be trusted, and some extremely strange jewellery making techniques? Yes, oh very much yes.

Come listen to the insanity where we try to keep it together long enough to praise Vanessa Redgrave’s acting, sigh over Chloë Sevigny’s swagger, and piece together the trajectory of Ellen Degeneres’s career.

CN: Discussion of homophobia, menstrual blood, swearing, sexual content, spoilers.

Happy Halloween special from Queer Girl Film Club! We’re delving into the demonic and gory world of… high school girls and their strange, familiar, terrifying queer crushes. Oh yeah, and there’s a demon on the loose. That’s right, Alice, Georgia and Holly are here to give misunderstood 2009 horror classic Jennifer’s Body a reappraisal and a liberation from its own marketing campaign.

The gang delve deep into the trauma of being a confused teenager, the horrendous ethics and sexual politics of mid-2000s emo bands, and the importance of licking a lighter (do NOT do this at home).

CN: Swearing, discussion of a sexual nature, discussion of sexual assault as a topic, spoilers.

Queer Girl Film Club or Queer Bait Film Club? This week the team welcome a very special guest, Melissa John-Charles, to discuss whether 90s classic Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) is hiding its queer light or whether it’s an outright lesbian love story. Holly certainly is convinced that there is no heterosexual explanation for this film.

Join the gang as they discuss apiculture (keeping bee hives), books about cannibalism (classic Alice), and fashion (we are not sponsored by Lucy & Yak but we would certainly like to be). There’s also a heated debate as to whether the Kathy Bates bits of the film are the best or worst bits.

CN: Discussion of cannibalism, domestic abuse, racism, swearing, discussion of a sexual nature and spoilers.

An unexpected return! We promised you we had six episodes of varied queer girl cinema this season and it turns out we actually have SEVEN! Here’s your unexpected bonus episode, kicking off the season with Netflix’s pastel explosion, the high school revenge comedy-drama Do Revenge (2022).

Join us to talk about Alice’s specialist subject, the mean girl film: indeed, this episode has Alice laying out a timeline of the classics of mean girl cinema which you won’t want to miss. 

The team get to chew over a wide range of topics from how nice it is to see lesbians do bad things on screen to what an absolute banger the soundtrack is to school uniforms and fashion choices.

CN: Swearing (pretty strong but we are quoting the film itself!), discussion of a sexual nature, discussion of homophobia, spoilers galore.

You’ve been sending in your requests for films for us to cover, and amazingly one of the most popular doesn’t have a visible queer woman in it! But it does have FOOTBALL, unconvincing heterosexuality crowbarred into the plot, and so many sports bras. It could only be all-time classic, Bend It Like Beckham (2002)!

Feeling fresh and delighted after England won Euro 2022, Queer Girl Film Club are here with a special Queer BAIT Film Club to discuss how Bend It Like Beckham could and should have been queerer. Listen as Alice tries to stop Holly and Georgia talking about actual football too much, as the team discuss lack of chemistry between the stars, the cultural significance of this film and whether it even could have been queer, and manage to make reference to all five Spice Girls (but mostly our lady and queen, Mel C).

And stay until the end to find out what films are coming up in season 3 of Queer Girl Film Club!

CN: Swearing, spoilers, mild sexual content.

Take a journey back in time to the bad old days when being gay was a terrible thing, when gossips ruined lives and livelihoods, and when forgetting to include the second act of your film wasn’t an impediment to releasing it. We’re forcing Alice to once again relive her memories of being a teacher as the team discuss The Children’s Hour (1961).

Join Alice, Holly and Georgia as they look at the Hays Code, Hollywood’s restrictive code of practice which led to decades of ‘Don’t say gay’ on screen, as well as digressions into fancying teachers, mental health in children, and asking why no one told us that Shirley MacLaine was so damn hot.

CN: Swearing, spoilers, discussion of sexual nature, mental health, suicide.

This week Georgia had one request: for Holly and Alice to explain to her why they think Mulholland Drive (2001) is good and what the hell is going on… quite the ask when we are talking about the David Lynch classic, a film which defies classification, logic and rational thought.

Join the swirling madness as the team talk about non-chronological film structures, Hollywood intrigue, boobs, Susan Sontag, jigsaws, the poet John Ashbery, and accidentally stealing forks from restaurants. Is it gay or is it a higgeldy piggeldy multimedia experience?

CN: Swearing, spoilers, discussions of a sexual nature.

Things got a bit heated this week as the team watched Cannes Palme d’Or winner, the THREE HOUR classic/worst film ever, Blue Is The Warmest Colour. Come and listen as Alice she-hulks out about how much she hates it, Holly defends long naturalistic French films, and Georgia admirably acts as the voice of moderation.

The team get into the director’s general shittiness, the differences between the film and the original comic, and what this film is really about. Also, yes, those very VERY long sex scenes.

CN: Swearing, spoilers (film and book), discussions of a sexual nature, Alice’s pure rage.

It’s special guest time! Alice, Holly and Georgia are joined by poet Benjamina Albanese to talk about 1999 Canadian comedy-drama Better Than Chocolate. 

When Kim and Maggie meet, neither knows that within 48 hours they will be living together, alongside Maggie’s mum and brother. And the gay book shop is facing disaster as customs have impounded their books. Also Judy is having woman trouble and parent trouble. And the horny bisexual is on the rampage. And Holly’s convinced parts were directed by David Lynch is disguise. There’s a LOT going on in this film!

Join the gang as they discuss how the main two lesbians are just Trojan horses to get us to watch the more interesting supporting characters, and how the film tackles its trans lesbian character and the transphobia she faces, while being somewhat shocked that she is the only trans lesbian character any of the team have seen in a film!

As this is quite a hard film to track down, we include a lot more detail about the plot than normal, so be aware of Super Spoilers!

CN - Transphobia, homophobia, strong language, sexual themes, sex toys, threat.

Boobs. Nun rules. Scandalous behaviour from a film which has gotten some Catholics out on the streets in protest.

Join Alice, Georgia, Holly and special guest, Showgirls-superfan and Verhoeven-expert Kat, to discuss the wild journey through 17th century Italy that is Benedetta (2021). Out in cinemas now, so our first ten minutes (ish) are spoiler-free!

CN: Brief mention of self harm, homophobia, strong language, sexual content spoilers.

Welcome back! Season 2 is here and we’re kicking off with the greatest spy film of the c21st (citation needed): D.E.B.S. (2004)! Our super-spies Amy, Max, Dominique and Jill try to stop master criminal Lucy Diamond, the world’s most dangerous criminal who might just awaken something in one of the D.E.B.S…

Join Alice, Georgia and Holly as they hop on the wild rollercoaster which is this super-imaginative, super-low-budget romp. Whether it’s praise for the banging soundtrack, outrage at how bad the D.E.B.S. are at their jobs, or a frankly unbelievable amount of chat dedicated to the logistics of shitting diamonds, Queer Girl Film Club are back with all the insight you need to enjoy this classic.

CN: Eye injury, strong language, sexual content.

Season 2 starts Tuesday 12 April. Come listen to Alice, Georgia and Holly talking about lesbian, bi and queer girl cinema, and find out if this season is the one where one of us goes evil...

Merry Christmas and a happy new year, it’s Carol (2015) time. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell Harold they’re lesbians! Cate Blanchett is here to seduce Rooney Mara through the medium of glances, glove lunches and glamour. 1950s repression never looked so gorgeous but does Carol break your heart or leave you cold?

It’s one of the queer cinema classics, and Holly, Georgia and Alice are here to unpick what makes Carol great (if you’re Holly and Georgia), fairly good (Alice) or tedious (a disgruntled listener or two). Along the way the gang talk road trips, naming your children Rindi, and Patricia Highsmith’s extremely weird dinner party trick.

CN: Strong language, spoilers.

Betrayal! Intrigue! Class! Colonialism! Dirty dirty books! The most successful Korean film in the West before Parasite came along! It’s time to watch The Handmaiden, a sumptuous, stylish, erotic adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith set in a Korea occupied by Japan.

Join Holly, Alice and Georgia as we discuss The Handmaiden in all it’s funny, poignant and poetic glory. We normally advise you watch the film before listening (except Jenny’s Wedding) but this time we REALLY REALLY REALLY recommend you watch it first because the spoilers are plentiful and you really should watch this to enjoy the rollercoaster unspoiled.

Listen as the gang discuss bath time, symbolism, the history of Japan and Korea, and the myriad uses of thimbles.

CN: Strong language, discussion of sex scenes, and conversation about suicide (49:00-50:53 if you would prefer not to listen).

The straightest film ever made about lesbians? Is it is even about lesbians or just it just have lesbians in it? Are these lesbians even interested in women?!

Alice was so excited when she first heard there was going to be a cheesy romantic drama starring Katherine Heigl but with lesbians in it. Finally, queer girl would get the same trashy nonsense as the straights! But she was destined to be disappointed, and years later had to share that disappointment with Holly, Georgia and our special guest, Georgia’s girlfriend Kat!

Come listen to us roast a film you’ve probably never heard of or seen for good reason. Why is a film about lesbians and coming out so dull? Why is there no chemistry anywhere? Why is Grace Gummer’s relationship with her lawn the best bit?

CN: Discussion of coming out, some swearing.

It’s heist time as Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly are gay, do crime in Bound (1996)! Noir-ish tension, an iconic sex scene, and a whole load of domestic chores, it’s the Wachowski Sisters’ debut.

Join Georgia, Alice and Holly for some shameless lusting, some joyful celebration of scheming, and a thorough appreciation of the film’s accurate depiction of just how hard it is to run up multiple flights of stairs.

CN: Brief discussion of sexual assault (and how there isn’t any in this film!), some mention of violence, some discussion of a sexual nature, and a bit of swearing here and there.

The article Alice mentioned, 'Bound is a trans classic': https://www.autostraddle.com/bound-is-a-trans-classic/

But I'm A Cheerleader! The iconic duo of Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvall. Plus a whole bunch of other faces (Melanie Lynskey! RuPaul! Rufio from Hook?!?!). The story of cheerleader who thinks she's straight but gets sent to a gay conversion camp anyway because her family and friends can see something in her which she herself can't see... yet.

Why is this film so iconic? Is extreme camp a good way to tackle a difficult topic? What did it mean back in 2000 to have a happy ending?

Join Alice, Holly and Georgia as we gush excessively about a film we all love.

CN: some swearing and discussion of sexual themes; discussion of conversion therapy.

Ammonite (2020)! Kate Winslet is fossil-finding legend Mary Anning. Saoirse Ronan is Charlotte Murchison, sad rich lady who is left in Mary Anning's care by her snooty husband. Romance blossoms, sort of.

 Is it good or just gay? Were queer girls allowed to do dialogue before 1900 or was it all staring? Portrait of a Fossil on Fire or does it work on its own merits?

Join Alice, Georgia and Holly as we discuss meaningful glances, the power of ACTING, and Holly gets pedantic about fossils.