Movies Like Before Stonewall (1984)

Before Stonewall is a 1984 documentary, history film from Greta Schiller with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Gay Sex in the 70s and Stonewall.

Documentary History

Gay Sex in the 70s

2005

A chronicle of gay culture in New York during the post-Stonewall, pre-AIDs era. Thirteen men and one woman look back at gay life and sex in Manhattan and Fire Island - from Stonewall (June, 1969) to the first reporting on AIDS (June, 1981). They describe the rapid move from repression to celebration, from the removal of shame to joy, the on-going search for "someone," the freedom before AIDS, the friendships, and brotherhood.

6.0

MagicScore

Stonewall

2015

Kicked out by his parents, a gay teenager leaves small-town Indiana for New York's Greenwich Village, where growing discrimination against the gay community leads to riots on June 28, 1969.

6.0

MagicScore

The Times of Harvey Milk

1984

Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.

7.2

MagicScore

Milk

2008

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.

7.2

MagicScore

Tom of Finland

2017

Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds peace-time Helsinki rampant with persecution of the homosexual and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art, specialising in homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions. His work – made famous by his signature ‘Tom of Finland’ – became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of a gay revolution.

6.6

MagicScore

Before Night Falls

2000

Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.

6.6

MagicScore

Stonewall

1995

A group of gay friends try to live with dignity and self-respect while events build to the opening battle in the major gay rights movement.

5.7

MagicScore

The Trials of Oscar Wilde

1960

England, 1890s. The brutal and embittered Marquis of Queensberry, who believes that his youngest son, Bosie, has an inappropriate relationship with the famous Irish writer Oscar Wilde, maintains an ongoing feud with the latter in order to ruin his reputation and cause his fall from grace.

6.3

MagicScore

Born in Flames

1983

In near-future New York, ten years after the “social-democratic war of liberation,” diverse groups of women organize a feminist uprising as equality remains unfulfilled.

6.1

MagicScore

#10

The White Crow

2018

The story of Rudolf Nureyev, whose escape to the West stunned the world at the height of the Cold War. With his magnetic presence, Nureyev emerged as ballet’s most famous star, a wild and beautiful dancer limited by the world of 1950s Leningrad. His flirtation with Western artists and ideas led him into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the KGB.

6.6

MagicScore

#11

How to Survive a Plague

2012

A story of two coalitions – ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) – whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time.

6.8

MagicScore

#12

Dance of the Forty One

2020

Mexico City, November 1901. The police raid a private home where a secret party is being held. Among those attending is the son-in-law of President Porfirio Díaz.

7.8

MagicScore

#13

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

2017

Describing herself as a 'street queen,' Johnson was a legendary fixture in New York City’s gay ghetto and a tireless voice for LGBT pride since the days of Stonewall, who along with fellow trans icon Sylvia Rivera, founded Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), a trans activist group based in the heart of NYC’s Greenwich Village. Her death in 1992 was declared a suicide by the NYPD, but friends never accepted that version of events. Structured as a whodunit, with activist Victoria Cruz cast as detective and audience surrogate, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson celebrates the lasting political legacy of Johnson, while seeking to finally solve the mystery of her unexplained death.

7.1

MagicScore

#14

Paris Is Burning

1991

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.

8.0

MagicScore

#15

Beautiful Thing

1996

Set during a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, where three teenagers edge towards adulthood.

7.2

MagicScore

#16

But I'm a Cheerleader

2000

Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, where she must, with other lesbians and gays learn how to be straight.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

In the Name of...

2013

The contemporary story of a priest who launches a centre for troubled youth in a small parish. He is a good priest and is well-liked by his congregation, which remains unaware of his complicated past.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Nina's Heavenly Delights

2006

A feisty young woman returns to Glasgow to run her deceased father's curry house.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Fire

1997

In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

Circumstance

2011

A wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's newfound conservatism.

6.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Before Stonewall?

The top films similar to Before Stonewall by MovieMagicScore are Gay Sex in the 70s (6.0), Stonewall (6.0), The Times of Harvey Milk (7.2). Each shares documentary/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Before Stonewall worth watching?

Before Stonewall holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 30 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Before Stonewall?

Before Stonewall (1984) is a documentary, history film directed by Greta Schiller, starring Rita Mae Brown, Red Jordan Arobateau, Ann Bannon.

Where can I find more recommendations like Before Stonewall?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Gay Sex in the 70s Movies like Stonewall Movies like The Times of Harvey Milk Movies like Milk Movies like Tom of Finland Movies like Before Night Falls

About movies like Before Stonewall

This ranked list pairs Before Stonewall (1984), a documentary and history film from Greta Schiller, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Rita Mae Brown take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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