The 52: Booksmart

   From June 2023 to June 2024 I'll be watching a lgbtqia+ film each week and coming back here with my thoughts, feelings and plenty of hopes we aren't met with the "kill your gays" trope. I call this The 52.

I got about three quarters through Booksmart before realising that yes, actually, it does count as a queer film. Let me explain.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Firstly, what makes a 🌈✨queer film✨🌈 in my eyes? 

Anna Vs the Apocalypse, a christmas horror musical, was billed to me as a queer film. It is not. The only queer character gets less than 5 minutes of dialogue. I love this film, but it is not a ~Queer Film™~

Booksmart was billed to me as a queer film. It is.

Booksmart features dual protagonists in Molly and Amy, one of whom is a lesbian and the other who is straight. Perhaps Molly gets fractionally more screen time, but I would certainly not call her the sole protagonist; the way these characters and best friends can only tell this story together is quite beautiful. A kind of “no Molly without Amy, no Amy without Molly” feeling comes over you while watching, and while the girls aren’t always the best for each other, their relationship and chemistry as a team is undeniable.

Booksmart is about realising you’ve never experienced something and are about to miss your last opportunity. It’s about friendship and discovering yourself and the people around you, and it’s most certainly about Billie Lourd being a powerhouse and damn genius who always plays characters that surprise and delight.

Amy’s identity with her sexuality was portrayed in a way that I hadn’t seen before but appreciated so much. Confusion around sex isn’t necessarily rare to be shown in straight films, but I’d never seen it before - so honestly and with a balance of fear, support, and humour - in a queer film, and I appreciated it more than I can say.

Get a best friend who’ll watch porn with you so you can figure out how it’s done.

And if anyone ever mentions the teddy bear and Amy’s parents to me I will cry. That scene should have been cut and burned. The way she… no. NO. We will not speak of it.

Like things shorter? Follow me on Letterboxd and see my review