Contemporary cinema and queer representation: the heteronormative formula of the film industry

Abstract

Cinema is a form of artistic expression that has a significant impact on society, which implies that it is not limited to entertainment, but that its content also has great relevance in the perceptions of individuals. Thus, through film productions, topics such as racism, classism, machismo, among others, have been addressed. In particular, this essay will address the representations of the LGBTIQ+ community, which has had more and more relevant characters on the screen; which, although it seems like an important advance in community acceptance, hides still latent stigmatizations. In that sense, this essay aimed to demonstrate that LGBTIQ+ representations in films and series of the 21st century, for the most part, are denigrating and inappropriate because they have been constructed from heteronorm. To support this statement, the archetypes present in the cinema that constructs queer characters were studied and their condition as reinforcers of stereotypes was demonstrated. In this way, techniques are evident within the film industry that prevent full inclusion in respect of sexual identities.