Very Gay Film/Very Straight Guy: "Querelle"
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at 11:10AM For pride month, straight critic Ben Miller takes a look back at a gay film he otherwise would have never seen
Watching Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Querelle during pride month, I caught myself being drawn into the idea of what pride means. The outward appearance of the gay community has constantly been perceived as unabashed confidence with "we're here and we're queer!" Living out and proud might be the goal, but it certainly wasn't something that happened for most gay people overnight.
Before the parades, representation, and getting to live your true self, there was loads of self-loathing. Fassbinder presents a world completely subservient to the idea of male-on-male pleasure, but still features no characters who want to admit anything about their own sexuality or what it means...