Back in the day, movies with gay leads or love interests were considered a narrow niche. These stories didn't particularly appeal to mainstream audiences. Made with low budgets, not many filmmakers got involved in a genre that few people watched. There isn't much box-office profit from producing gay movies. As a result, you won't find too much diversity in the few mainstream gay movies that got greenlighted.
Usually, the story covered solemn topics like AIDS. Or, it was a melodramatic coming-out story rampant with homophobia. Gay movies with Asian characters were even rarer. They existed, but these films weren't numerous. They definitely weren't popular outside of a limited demographic. With the emerging popularity of BL dramas, the good news is that BL movies have seen a slight uptick in interest.
In the past few years, you may have noticed some new BL films popping up here and there. You still won't find too many gay movies in cinemas, but at least it's better than having zero representation.
Typically, BL movies are pretty interesting to watch. Despite having a low budget and casting unknown actors, most projects are done with a lot of passion. They are produced by filmmakers genuinely interested in telling well-crafted LGBT stories. BL Watcher has seen quite a few Asian gay movies in my lifetime.
Below are some of my best BL movie recommendations in the genre. A Balloon's Landing is a Taiwanese movie about a disgraced writer, a tour guide, and their budding bromance. The main character is a Hong Kong author who faces plagiarism allegations. After his career falls apart, he wants to visit a mysterious island in Taiwan, which his pen pal once described as enchanting.
