15 movies with bi characters or themes

In bisexual communities, we often talk about the lack of bisexual representations in books, TV and movies. While there’s much to say about bisexual erasure from culture and the media, I think there’s also a lot of value to reading texts bisexually – finding a glimpse or an aspect to embrace, a loose thread that we can pull and unwind, and perhaps creating our own yarn, our own story. Maybe the characters and the stories we read were not intended to be bisexual, perhaps they were but were represented negatively, perhaps bisexuality isn’t even a part of the plot but can still be detected underneath, in the subtext.

Whichever way we look at it, finding these texts and thinking about them can be amazingly helpful for us. We can choose to see our own reflections there, and see that we are not truly isolated or eradicated (as so many of us feel). We can feel validated, we can see that we exist, and we can use these stories and characters to say things about ourselves – to reclaim our erased existence, to critique representations, and to create yet another way to speak about our experiences using our own words.

Between the years 2008-2011 I ran a bisexual film club by the name of B-Movies. Each meeting we showed a film with a bisexual theme, or a character that could be read as bisexual. Before the movie, we would have a 20-minute lecture attempting to expose the bisexual story, to put a bisexual lens to the text.

Here is a list of some of the movies we showed in the club (in no particular order). I hope they could be a useful resource for anyone looking for movies with bisexual themes, or that allow bisexual readings. Click the images for IMDB.

IMPORTANT: Please be aware that most of these movies are politically problematic in some ways, and that some might contain triggering content. Please read the IMDB information before watching, and make sure you only watch triggering content if you feel you are able to handle it, and in a time and place where you feel safe.

Shortbus // John Cameron Mitchell // 2006

Henry and June // Philip Kaufman // 1990

Kinsey // Bill Condon // 2004

The Rocky Horror Picture Show // Jim Sharman // 1975

Hedwig and the Angry Inch // John Cameron Mitchell // 2001

Velvet Goldmine // Todd Haynes // 1998

Bedrooms and Hallways // Rose Troche // 1998

Rent // Chris Columbus // 2005

Cabaret // Bob Fosse // 1972

Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds // Philip J. Bartell // 2006

Interview With the Vampire // Neil Jordan // 1994

Stage Beauty // Richard Eyre // 2004

Brokeback Mountain // Ang Lee // 2005

Chasing Amy // Kevin Smith // 1997

The Pillow Book // Peter Greenway // 1996