The Boys in the Band (2020)

Seven gay men at a birthday party in 1968 New York. Before Stonewall. Before liberation. Before anyone had taught them that their existence wasn't something shameful to be managed and hidden. The self-loathing in this film is PAINFUL — and intentionally so. The original play was controversial in the queer community for that reason. But this 2020 Netflix version with the original Broadway cast (Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells) is a profound historical document. This is what internalized homophobia looks like when it has nowhere to go. Watch this, then watch Moonlight, and feel the distance we've traveled — and how far there is still to go.