Strangers By The Lake: 10 queer lakeside stories perfect for a summer watch
What is it about lakes that makes them such an ideal setting for queer stories?Is it that they’re typically depicted as escapist retreats far from the rest of the world, where we can throw our cares out the door to welcome in a little romance, or even danger?
Or maybe it’s that lakes often bring disconnected people together, fostering a makeshift community around them—whether you want to be a part of it or not.Either way, an awful lot of gay stuff tends to go down lakeside, and there’s a whole sub-genre of queer media to prove it.Inspired by Amazon’s new series, aptly titled The Lake, we’ve assembled a list of notable, LGBTQ-centric stories either set on—or featuring prominent scenes at—a lake.
Whether scintillating romances, white-knuckle thrillers, or heartfelt family dramedies, these films (and one TV show) are perfect watches as you wind down after those long, hot days of summer.Come on in, the water’s fine!This Canadian series finds recently divorced gay man Justin (Orphan Black breakout Jordan Gavaris) returning to the lakeside town where he used to spend his summers, bringing along the teen daughter he gave up for adoption (Madison Shamoun) as a means of rebuilding their relationship.
But, once there, Justin quickly finds himself distracted by dashing potential love interests, boxed wine, and the “wicked step-sister” (an always-welcome Julia Stiles) who now owns his late father’s cottage.Streams on Amazon Prime Video.One of Euphoria‘s ever-alluring “it girls” Sydney Sweeney co-stars in this sexy, slow-burn indie from first-time feature director Laura Gallagher.
