The (Lesbian) World To Come

I love a lesbian period piece, I really do. And I am excited to see another lesbian period piece, I really am. I am just a tad curious about why we seem to only be getting lesbian period pieces of late – particularly lesbian period pieces with practically all-white casts.

The latest to add to this growing category is “The World to Come,” which debuted at the Venice Film Festival this month and has garnered critical acclaim. It stars Vanessa Kirby (the only good thing about “Hobbes & Shaw”) as Tallie and Katherine Waterston (kind of the only good thing about “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”) as Abigail – two neighboring rural farm wives who live in upstate New York in the 1850s and start an unlikely relationship together with “increased intimacy and passionate devotion to one another.”

See for yourself here:

Am I the only one getting some seriously grown up Anne Shirley and Diana Barry vibes from these two? Like, the movie synopsis even calls them each other’s “kindred spirit.” I mean, come on! Total Anne and Diana subtext vibes.

I will definitely watch this movie (even though it also stars Casey Affleck and, yeah, not a fan), as I am grateful for any and all quality lesbians movies whether they are lesbians who stare longingly at the sea and paint or lesbians who stare longingly at the sea and dig up fossils and so on and so forth. (Not to be confused with the associated genre of lesbian period pieces about lesbians who write longingly about each other.)

But, you know, lesbians have existed through all time periods and even present day. So, let’s keep mixing it up both with the storylines and the time periods and the cast diversity. More, better, varied and diverse representation matters, always and forever.