9 LGBTQ+ fall movies to curl up with this season and where to watch them

1. Notes of Autumn (2023)

Starring Luke Macfarlane and Peter Porte, this Hallmark gem is as pumpkin-spiced as queer romance gets. When longtime friends Leo (Macfarlane), a musician suffering from writer’s block, and Ellie (Ashley Williams), a book editor in a rut, swap homes for the season, they discover inspiration—and maybe new love—in unexpected places. With its golden lighting, fireplace confessions, and warmhearted storytelling, Notes of Autumn is the kind of feel-good comfort film that makes you want to move to a small town and fall for your best friend.

Where to watch: Hallmark+

2. Home for the Holidays (1995)

Directed by Jodie Foster, this Thanksgiving classic isn’t explicitly queer, but it is deeply queer-coded, largely thanks to Robert Downey Jr.’s chaotic, lovable gay character, Tommy. Holly Hunter stars as Claudia, a single mom returning home to her dysfunctional family for the holidays. What follows is a messy, heartfelt exploration of love, identity, and family dynamics that still feels timeless. Beneath all the turkey-day tension, Home for the Holidays captures what so many queer people know well: sometimes, family is about showing up, chaos and all.

Where to watch: Rent on Amazon Prime

3. Lez Bomb (2018)

Written, directed by, and starring Jenna Laurenzo, Lez Bomb takes the classic coming-out story and turns it into a Thanksgiving comedy of errors. Laurenzo plays Lauren, who brings her girlfriend Hailey (Caitlin Mehner) home to meet her conservative family, only for every attempt at honesty to backfire spectacularly. Between the nosy relatives, accidental mix-ups, and heartwarming reconciliation, this one’s pure queer comfort food. It’s silly, relatable, and full of the kind of awkward humor that makes you want to hug your past self.

Where to watch: Lez Bomb

4. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel star in Céline Sciamma’s hauntingly beautiful love story about an artist and her subject who fall for one another on a remote island in 18th-century France. Marianne (Merlant) is hired to paint Héloïse’s (Haenel) wedding portrait in secret. As they grow closer, art and intimacy intertwine. Every frame burns with restrained desire, candlelight, and windblown cliffs, making it the perfect film for a chilly autumn night. It’s not exactly lighthearted, but it’s breathtaking and acts as a cinematic equivalent of watching firelight dance across your skin.

Where to watch: HBOMax

5. The Half of It (2020)

In this tender Netflix dramedy, Leah Lewis stars as Ellie Chu, a shy, brilliant teenager in a rural town who ghostwrites love letters for Paul (Daniel Diemer), the sweet but awkward jock crushing on the same girl she secretly loves, Aster (Alexxis Lemire). What follows is a delicate exploration of friendship, longing, and what it means to truly be seen. Writer-director Alice Wu creates a world full of misty mornings, flannel jackets, and heartache that feels like a first autumn crush—bittersweet but unforgettable.

Where to watch: Netflix

6. Big Eden (2000)

Before Hallmark finally started making gay Christmas movies, there was Big Eden. Arye Gross plays Henry, a New York artist who returns to his Montana hometown to care for his grandfather and unexpectedly reconnects with his roots and with Pike (Eric Schweig), the quiet local grocer who’s always harbored feelings for him. There’s no bigotry, no heartbreak, just tenderness, food, and community. It’s a rare gay film that lets its characters simply exist in love, surrounded by the beauty of autumn trees and unconditional acceptance.

Where to watch: Tubi

7. You Can Live Forever (2022)

This quiet Canadian drama pairs forbidden love with a muted fall color palette. Anwen O’Driscoll stars as Jaime, a queer teen sent to live with her devout Jehovah’s Witness relatives after her father’s death. There, she meets Marike (June Laporte), and the two girls fall into a secret romance that’s both tender and tragic. Set against small-town stillness and stormy skies, You Can Live Forever captures that uniquely autumn feeling of beauty edged with ache and reminds us that even brief love can change you forever.

Where to watch: Tubi

8. Weekend (2011)

Tom Cullen and Chris New deliver raw, natural performances in Andrew Haigh’s deeply intimate two-day romance. Russell (Cullen) meets Glen (New) at a bar, and what starts as a casual hookup becomes a weekend of connection, vulnerability, and emotional honesty. The gray skies, the lingering silences, the quiet ache of knowing it can’t last… everything about Weekend feels like a rainy Sunday in November. It’s not flashy or dramatic, but it’s profoundly human, a soft-spoken masterpiece that stays with you.

Where to watch: PlutoTV

9. Handsome Devil (2016)

Set in an Irish boarding school, Handsome Devil finds its heart in the unlikely friendship between introverted music lover Ned (Fionn O’Shea) and rugby star Conor (Nicholas Galitzine). When the two become roommates, they learn to navigate homophobia, masculinity, and identity in a world that doesn’t always make space for difference. Director John Butler crafts a story that’s equal parts witty and warm. It’s a celebration of individuality, friendship, and the courage to sing your own tune (sometimes literally).

Where to watch: Tubi

Whether you’re craving romance, self-discovery, or just an excuse to stay inside while it rains, these queer fall films deliver the kind of warmth that sticks to your ribs. They remind us that love, in all its messy, fleeting, and beautiful forms, is worth savoring--especially when the world outside is cooling down.