Matt Lambert: Queer Films That Influenced Me

Matt Lambert’s work spans from narrative film, experimental documentary, music video, fashion and photography, with a focus on themes of love, intimacy and youth frequently skewed toward LGBTQ narratives. His recent limited release Home is an intimate study of safe spaces in gay culture, and is also Grindr’s first book. So which films helped shape his artistic vision? Let’s find out…

My Own Private Idaho

IMDB Synopsis: Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self-discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.

Mysterious Skin

IMDB Synopsis: A teenage hustler and a young man obsessed with alien abductions cross paths, together discovering a horrible, liberating truth.

Pink Flamingos

IMDB Synopsis: Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as “The Filthiest Person Alive”.

Tarnation

IMDB Synopsis: Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette’s documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother—a mixture of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more—culled from 19 years of his life.

Querelle

IMDB Synopsis: French sailor Querelle arrives in Brest and starts frequenting a strange whorehouse. He discovers that his brother Robert is the lover of the lady owner, Lysiane.

Bully
2012/Dir: Lee Hirsch

IMDB Synopsis: A documentary on peer-to-peer bullying in schools across America.

The Living End

IMDB Synopsis: Luke is a gay hustler. Jon is a movie critic. Both are HIV-positive. They go on a hedonistic, dangerous journey, their motto “Fuck the world”.

Shortbus

IMDB Synopsis: A group of New Yorkers caught up in their romantic-sexual milieu converge at an underground salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.

Scorpio Rising

IMDB Synopsis: An army of gay nazi bikers make their engines roar and ride the way to pain/pleasure.

A Song of Love

IMDB Synopsis: Two prisoners in complete isolation, separated by the thick brick walls, and desperately in need of human contact, devise a most unusual kind of communication.

I Killed My Mother

IMDB Synopsis: A semi-autobiographical story about Hubert as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.