Bookish, Adults and Sauvage — Plus Booboo Stewart in X-Men: Days of Future Past
A gay detective, a bisexual New Yorker and a French hustler walk into a bar...
Outer Banks has just ended after six seasons and the best thing it gave us by far was Drew Starkey. Specifically, Drew Starkey in Luca Guadagnino's film Queer.
Queer does exactly what it says on the tin and I really appreciate that, even if things go a bit off-the-rails towards the end.
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Queer and Now
Everything new in the world of queer TV and film
— Pride Month is unofficially back on in UK cinemas with the arrival of Stop! That! Train! and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
One is an Airplane-style comedy that will gag you thanks to RuPaul's herstoric performance as President Gagwell.
The other stars Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson in a sapphic masterpiece where the pleasures of death and fried chicken are just as profound as they are profane.
Both are highlights of the year, the perfect double bill for people who walk fast, drink iced coffee, and think their English teacher was their best friend growing up.
(Read my interview with Camp Miasma director Jane Schoenbrun for Curzon right here).
— There's always been something a little f**gy about the idea of a quirky detective who observes the normies around him to uncover their naughty little secrets. Few are explicitly queer though.
Enter Bookish, the murder mystery show that returns to UK channel U&Alibi on August 26th for a second season. Creator and star Mark Gatiss dives deeper into the private life of his gay 40s detective this time around with more depth afforded to his Lavender Marriage too.
— Adults is back for a second season on Disney+ from August 27th. I know this because my husband Jack Innanen gave me that scoop months ago while we sailed the world together on our honeymoon.
If you think that's mad, just wait until you see the crazy antics these kids get up to in the new season. There's got to be some repercussions for that kiss between Anton and Paul Baker, right?
— There's something intrinsically queer about the freedom and non-conformity that drives the best American road movies, among which Dreams in Nightmares should be counted.
Starring Denée Benton (The Gilded Age) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Yellowjackets), Shatara Michelle Ford's story of queer friends travelling the US confirms her to be a major new talent in LGBTQ+ storytelling. Check the film out in select US cinemas from today!
— A gay Brazilian coming-of-age romcom landed on Netflix yesterday called Here The Whole Time. I warn you that the synopsis used on site makes it sound absolutely horrendous for reasons that will immediately become clear:
"A fat teen. His childhood crush. Fifteen days under the same roof... and the terrifying possibility that they might like each other."
However, I've heard it's actually pretty good, especially with it being the rare gay love story to centre a plus-size teen on screen. If you watch the film soon, let me know how it is! I'm drowning in screeners, but I'm very tempted to give this one a try anyway.
— The UK's biggest horror film festival is back with its biggest program yet, which just so happens to include a bunch of gay shit.
Running in London from August 27th-31st, Tubi FrightFest includes queer films such as Alice Maio Mackay's Our Effed Up World, co-produced by Jane Schoenbrun, as well as Sam Scott’s Turn it Up and Ashley Nashville’s Heraldry Paranormal.
Queer stars appearing in the program include Neil Patrick Harris (The Last Temptation of Becky), Charli XCX (Faces of Death), Johnny Sibilly (Night After Night), Caspian Faye (Electric Meat) and Nicholas Vince (The Death of U).
Full film and program details can be found at here.
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43 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2026 Ranked (so far)
Plus where to watch them
In need of something new and extremely gay to watch? Look no further than my ranking of the 43 best LGBTQ+ movies released this year so far.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.
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Queer Awakenings
You know, the hotties who "turned" you gay.
Being gay is NOT a choice. How do I know? Because I was always going to be gay after seeing this as a kid.
I'm noticing a lot of love for X-Men: Days of Future Past on my timeline this week, but where is the love for Booboo Stewart in the role of Warpath?
I've never been more pro-mutant than I was watching him jump around and stab sentinels with those big arms of his.
And the hair. THE HAIR! That's a super-power in its own right.
You know what? Fuck the MCU. Save money by cancelling Avengers; Doomsday and give Booboo his own cinematic universe with a Warpath movie trilogy followed by his very own prequel show on Disney+.
It's what the fans really want. Trust me.
Actually, while we're talking about what the fans want, I also have a bone to pick with you, Netflix.
Where on god's green earth is the second season of Julie and the Phantoms? Not only is that show just fucking adorable and all kinds of fun, Booboo also shows up as a gay ghost who looks like this.
How am I supposed to walk through this life knowing that Julie and the Phantoms is never going to return for a second season? That Booboo "gay ghost" Stewart is no longer a thing?
Guys, I need a minute.
Ok, wait. I feel better now.
Did I mention Booboo also plays Seth Clearwater in The Twilight Saga? Or that he plays Jafar's son, Jay, in the Descendants franchise at Disney? Most importantly of all, did I tell you Stewart also records his own music, often shirtless?
I'm going to leave the link to his Instagram page just here. Now don't say I don't do anything for you. Think of it as an early Christmas present.
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Out Takes
Queer hidden gems you need to see
Sauvage (2018) starts with a twist that's just as steamy as it is heartbreaking, and the film continues to subvert expectations from there.
For his feature debut, French director Camille Vidal-Naquet has crafted a painfully realistic study of life as a homeless hustler working the streets.
Fighting just to stay alive, young Leo does whatever he has to, yet you can feel his desperate need for a connection that's real, not transactional. It looks like he might find that when he strikes up a relationship of sorts with another hustler, but Leo clings on too tight.
He might not even be in love with Ahd. He just doesn't want to be alone.
Sauvage is far from an easy watch. It's emotionally tough to bear, and long stretches where little happens just further emphasise the boring reality of waiting around, cruising for your next hook-up. Still, I found the film to be mesmerising and a lot of that is down to Félix Maritaud.
Since making his debut in 120 BPM, the French star has become a regular fixture in queer French-language cinema, appearing in everything from porno horror Knife+Heart to the Canadian drag film Solo.
There's so much tenderness to Maritaud's performance here. When violence occurs, it mostly happens off-screen, but it feels like you're right there with Leo still because of how present Félix always feels. Even with very little dialogue, his eyes and his physicality say it all.
Side note: I'm also obsessed with this Sauvage interview Maritaud did with The Guardian where he talks about reclaiming the word "faggot":
"Society has spent its time describing me like that to put me to one side. Me, I’m empowered enough now to lift up my head and say: 'Yes, I’m a fag.'"
Leo rarely stands up for himself in the same way though. Far too delicate for the world he finds himself in, Leo is lost, and rare moments of tenderness are all that keep him going.
Props to Vidal-Naquet who avoids going down a lurid, voyeuristic path in favour of something more intimate and even universal regarding that endless search for love. It's such a shame that he hasn't made another film since.
I've included a link on where to watch Sauvage below because you deserve nice things.
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44 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of 2026 Ranked (so far)
Plus where to watch them
Do you want gay shit? Of course you do. Do you want to spend hours looking for it? Obviously not. Thankfully, I'm here to help with this ranking of the 44 best LGBTQ+ shows I've seen so far this year.
Check out the link below to see where your faves end up.
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And just like that, we've come to the end of Cruising Cinema today. As a thank you for making it this far, here's Jonathan Bailey with a reminder to drink your milk. See you next Tuesday!
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