The Asian LGBTQ+ films and TV series that should be on your radar

Based on the popular web novel and webtoon, The New Employee follows fresh grad Seung-hyun as he struggles to please his demanding and strict boss Jong-chan. Touched by his dedication, Jong-chan begins to take on a mentor role to Seung-hyun, but will his workaholic personality make a good boyfriend? If you’re into the dominant boss trope in BL, then The New Employee will be right up your alley.

Pine Cone is a semi-autobiographical film about a gay filmmaker who queer desire and relationships as India’s reaction to the LGBTQ+ community evolves. This film also stars Vidur Sethi, the first openly queer actor in a leading role in mainstream Hindi cinema. The plot sees filmmaker Sid Mehra spend a passionate night with a fan of his, but abruptly becoming cold and withdrawn the next day.

Directed by Hong Kong-born Canadian-American Quentin Lee, this movie is giving The Fault in Our Stars, but better. Highschooler Nathan Lee gets diagnosed with terminal brain cancer before he even turns 18. Wanting to experience the remainder of his life to the fullest, he marries his gay best friend Dash and freely experiments with love and sexuality.

This streaming series based on a popular web novel of the same name became a bit of a social phenomenon in Korea when it aired. Because it stars Park Seo-ham, a former member of KNK, and Park Jae-chan, a member of DKZ, Semantic Error put the spotlight on the BL genre within mainstream media and audiences. Choo Sang-woo (Park Jae-chan) is an uptight computer science major who is forced to work with Jang Jae-young (Park Seo-ham), an artist whose personality is the complete polar opposite – and who Chu had previously screwed over in a university project. This is your quintessential enemies-to-lovers joyride, with leads that you can’t help but root for.

Winning the Watcha Award at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival, Peafowl follows trans woman Myung who tries to raise money for gender-affirming surgery by taking part in a dance competition. It doesn’t go well, but her father’s will states that Myung will get her inheritance if she performs a drum dance at his memorial ceremony. Combining the Waacking style and traditional Korean dance, real-life Waacker Choi Hae-jun turns in a compelling performance as the fiery Myung.

At 74 years old, picture book writer Yamazaki struggles with accepting his age and faded looks. He meets a young sex worker, Leo, who realises that Yamazaki created his favourite childhood books after the older man collapses during an S&M session. What follows is a blooming friendship and understanding between two vastly different people, and Yamazaki’s first steps towards self-acceptance. Even within queer films, older gay characters are rarely depicted, and Older Narcissus is a great look into the less pretty and flashy side of gay existence.

Marry My Dead Body is a lot of things – it’s an action flick, a murder-mystery, and a supernatural romcom about the ghost marriage between a homophobic guy and a gay ghost. Policeman Ming-han (Greg Hsu) accidentally picks up a red envelope and is left with no choice but to marry the recently deceased Mao-mao (Austin Lin). The duo sets off a journey to solve a crime together and ends up developing a bond they never expected.

If you’re into Single’s Inferno and EXchange, don’t miss Korea’s first queer reality dating show Merry Queer, which follows the romance and coming out stories of three couples – a gay couple, a lesbian couple, and a transgender couple.

Written and directed by C.B. Yi as his first feature film, Moneyboys follows a group of sex workers in southern China. Taiwanese actor and singer Kai Ko turns in a quietly stunning performance as Fei, a gay hustler who was forced to abandon his lover Xiaolai soon after he starts working in the industry. Years later, he is successful in his field of work, but still carries the guilt with him and is unable to form meaningful relationships. Moneyboys is a glimpse into the oft hidden struggles of gay people and sex workers within a society that is modernised yet still conservative at heart.

Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) helps Nanae, who Rei’s been in love with for years, escape her abusive husband. While on the run, the two women find themselves crossing the blurred lines between love, obsession, and self-destruction. Fueled by revenge and desire, Rei is ready to kill, or even die, for the woman she loves.

Starring K-pop idols, Imfact's Lee Sang of and Mynames' Kang In Soo, this mini-series will take you to their world as they navigate music and romance. Kang In Soo's (as himself) life revolves around music. The free-spirited singer busks on the streets of South Korea and uploads his performances online, where his videos have caught the eye of Yoon Sang Yi (Lee Sang), a keyboardist at a major record company who is always on the lookout for new talent. To further Soo's career, Sang Yi convinces him to join the company and move into the company residence with him. As their relationship grows and blossoms while the two live and work together, so do the challenges. Will they find a way to make it work, or will their budding romance fizzle out?

Manu, a bodybuilder from Chandigarh, falls in love with Maanvi, a Zumba teacher. Everything seems perfect until Manu finds out Mannvi is a trans woman, and decides to end the relationship. Even though the depictions of transphobia may be triggering, this romantic drama deals with transgender identity with sensitivity.

Taiwan's highest-grossing LGBTQ-themed film of all time, Your Name Engraved Herein, is set against the backdrop of 1980s Taiwan as martial law ends. Birdy (Tseng Jing-Hua), a new student at an all-boys Catholic high school, meets A-han (Edward Chen). They fall in love during a time of social change, and explore their love while dealing with family pressure and homophobia, with situations drawing the pair together and pulling them apart.

Starring Thai heartthrobs Bright and Win, this feel-good BL series whipped the Internet into a frenzy during the pandemic lockdown. The tale is nothing particularly groundbreaking – two college students embark on a fake relationship to get away from their obsessive and relentless suitors, and end up falling for each other. Despite the cheesy plot, fans adore the actors’ chemistry and the series quickly became a global phenomenon with a sequel and movie.

Another Thai BL series in a school setting, except this follows the journey of two highschoolers as they navigate friendship, self-discovery, and love. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Phuket, it’s a more relatable and humanised piece compared to other popular Thai BL series, beautifully capturing the struggles and rollercoaster ride of emotions that come with young love and coming out.

 

Hong Kong’s first transgender feature film is a tale of Tung (Philip Keung), a married middle-aged father who only feels his most authentic self while in womenswear, and his quest to live as a transgender woman. The film delves into Tung’s struggles as she grapples with her own identity and societal expectations. Ben Yuen, who stars as Cantonese opera actor Brother Darling, took home Best Supporting Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards for Tracey.