Natalie Krill and Erika Linder in Below Her Mouth, 2017
For most of Hollywood’s lifetime lesbian characters have been invisible or concealed in mainstream cinema, and even written out of stories for reasons that were once lawful (the Hays Code), and later commercial. While lesbian characters and stories are becoming increasingly more prevalent, their representations remain largely unsatisfying. Since the ’80s, the same-sex genre has made strides to shake off Hollywood taboos and clichés. In Desert Hearts (1985), the comedic/melodramatic and glamorous portrayal of a love affair between two women was considered revelatory.
It was the first time a lesbian couple had been portrayed in a positive light. But I’m a Cheerleader’s (1999) satirical telling of a closeted high school cheerleader who gets sent to straight camp triumphed in its unapologetic queerness and mockery of homophobia. Elsewhere with the casting of stars such as Angelina Jolie in Gia (1998) and Meryl Streep in The Hours (2002), lesbian stories slowly crept into mainstream cinema. These films paved the way for the new age of lesbian cinema making headlines and garnering award nominations this side of the millennium. New films of this genre are put on a pedestal, often considered groundbreaking and dubbed as ‘art-house’, despite still falling prey to the many tropes of the mainstream film industry. Like Blue is the Warmest Colour, Carol and Pariah before it, Below Her Mouth is the latest love story between two women to be both hyped and put under the microscope.