Propelled onto then-mainstream platforms, the defiance NQC filmmakers practiced waselevated to a cinematic activism that reached art cinema audiences via the 1990s boom inindependent film institutions (Pierson 2014).

the perversity of seeking identification and historical presence in images that are createdwithin inherently straight cinematic institutions such as those expressed in a classicalmode defined in part by historically stable temporalities.

Defiance at mainstream culture and also “the ‘tasteful and tolerated’ gay culturethat cohabits with it” binds new queer cinema films to each other (Aaron 2004: 7), andoffers a template for now-contemporary queer film theory’s reassertion of activism.

One of the many reasons NQC takes such a place of prominence in the history ofLGBTQ+ cinemas is that it simultaneously disrupted the drive for positive cinematicrepresentations of lesbian and gay lives and the continuation of negative and stereotypicalcinematic representations—lesbians as vampires, gay men as “sissies,” the presumptionthat LGBTQ+ individuals are doomed to unhappy deaths—chronicled by Vito Russo(1981).

The Watermelon Woman is all about responding toqueer erasure and constructing a new history by posing questions about storytelling, memory,and archives

advancement of authentic storytelling that reflects thetrue complexity of queer identities

queer films are morethan just forms of cultural expression; they represent an essential means by which the queercommunity resists the oppression of mainstream culture

Since queer cinema is a powerful cultural tool for dismantling stereotypessurrounding gender and sexual orientation, the limitations imposed by the mainstream market mustbe overcome to allow for the presentation of more authentic and diverse queer narratives

Queer characters are often instrumentalized, used as secondary roles to support the development ofheterosexual characters, and their identities and desires are frequently overlooked or diminishedwithin heteronormative narrative frameworks.

As a result, resistance narratives are weakened, further deepening themarginalization of queer characters in mainstream cinema

Mainstream film audiences, even before entering the cinema, are oftenaccustomed to and have already accepted traditional gender and sexual roles, which makes them moreinclined to accept only narrow narrative choices when encountering queer characters [22].

In earlier films, queer characters primarily served heterosexual characters and actedas tools for entertainment.

Within the heteronormativenarrative framework, although queer films have gained some visibility in the mainstream market,their characters and narratives do not hold central positions. They are often adjusted through aheterosexual-dominated perspective

Theuniqueness and rebellious spirit of queer cinema have gradually been weakened through this processof assimilation, resulting in a loss of deeper exploration into the diversity of gender and sexualorientation

he assimilation of queer identities has caused queer characters inmainstream films to lose their original radical and political expressions.

This economic and aesthetic "unification" drives film and television to present queer identitiesin ways that lead to assimilation.

reduced to simplified identities, moulded into aesthetic representations thatconform to mainstream norms.

results in queer characters being dilutedor adjusted to fit mainstream expectations.

Russo [4] explains that many queer charactersin films and television are portrayed by heterosexual creators, and the "closet mentality" only worsensthis distortion, as queer artists are often unable to discuss their identities openly. As a result, queerrepresentations remain restricted to rumours and innuendos, leading to the assimilation of queer roles.

public critiques of queer representations often rely on problematicheteronormative aesthetic standards rooted in anti-gay ideologies

Although queer films have succeeded in pushing LGBTQ+ themes into themainstream, their narratives have followed heteronormative cultural perspectives, thus diminishingtheir initial intent to challenge these norms

Queer romantic comedies like But I’m a Cheerleader (Jamie Babbit, 1999) and Saving Face(Alice Wu, 2004), while featuring queer storylines, follow similar structures to other romance genres:meeting, misunderstandings, and ultimately leading to a happy ending [1].

Despite being centred on queer themes,the narrative structure of the film closely mirrors that of traditional heterosexual love stories, aligningwith mainstream audience expectations.

Assimilation of queer identities has become an increasingly prominent issue

As queer cinema enters the mainstream market, it has gradually deviated from its original purpose ofchallenging mainstream film culture and showcasing diverse expressions of gender and sexualorientation.

contribute to a lack of understanding regarding the significance ofsexual orientation in the lives of queer individuals, leading to their assimilation or marginalization inmainstream societ

o preserve the diversity and authenticity of queer culture,resistance is essential.

Queer characters are often depicted through a heterosexual lens, while commercial films frequentlydisplay overt fear and hatred toward queer individuals, reinforcing audience biases

edgier, angrier, but alsotheoretically rigorous, and "unapologetic in their frank look at sexuality, combining stylistic elementsdrawn from AIDS activist videos, avant-garde cinemas, and even Hollywood films.

although queer cinema has gained visibility in themainstream market, queer narratives have been assimilated and queer characters marginalized withina heteronormative-dominated film market.

as queer films began to enter the mainstream market, both their narrativesand characters became increasingly adapted to meet the expectations of a wider, more generalaudienc

we are currently experiencing a renaissance of New Queer Cinema

emerged from a conflu-ence of political, economic and artistic factors associated with the AIDS crisisand the political activism it provoked’ (2012: 69

united by their sense of defiance.

hese depictions arereminiscent of the radicalism of early queer activism

chosen alliances between queer people

New Queer Cinema and othertraditions and forms of queer art outside the mainstream dare to imagine life free of seekingacceptance.

The irreverence and passion towardsauthenticity of queerness and its rejection of assimilatio

The Living End explores being newly diagnosedwith HIV, but also delves into the sense of doom associated with the full realization regardingthe lack of care that the US Government has shown to the queer community. The sense ofmortality that the protagonists experience ultimately makes them more apathetic and carefree

The loss of so manyindividuals is immeasurable to the queer community

consider the historical context of the time when these films were made - after almost a decadeof the American government's failure to appropriately react to the HIV/AIDS epidemic leadingto the deaths of thousands of queer individuals, which includes many artists

Beyond that, New Queer Cinema was created by queer filmmakers who on the very basis ofbeing queer were themselves subjected to the very same stereotyp

As an alternative to the view of cinema as merely a form of entertainment, the aimof these films was to challenge the audience’s experience as a form of metacinema, cinema thatexamines the construction of narratives through which stories of queer individuals are toldwhile also combining various modes of storytelling

explore queer shame

In this momentin time, queer negativity and the reclamation of the controversial figures belonging to queerhistory came to be embraced. Exactly this is associated with the New Queer Cinema movement

Reparative reading does not constitute fully positive feelings towards cinematic wordsbut leaves space for “simultaneous spectatorial psychological and emotional states in whichempowerment, ambivalence and shame, among others, may cohabitate” (Francis 409-411).

One may argue even that New Queer Cinema itselflies on the shoulders of reparative readin

constituted an effective prohibition of all depictions of queerness in Hollywood film

Even while films were only allowed to signifyhomosexuality through subtle imagery made to be important only to the keen queer observer

provoking the audienceto consider the very nature of labelling acts as deviant while pointing out the existence ofcinematic tropes which were long utilized to characterize queer individuals

Confronting the portrayal of cinematic queer criminals, outlaws, and rebels is exactly the goalof this thesis,

refuse to compromise or assimilate

magining those overpowered fighting back gives us space to also possibly imagine societalchange in which marginalized communities do not feel threatened or left behind by theirfamilies.

movement of New Queer Cinema that specifically portray queer individuals engaging in actsof deviance, as well as defiance to cultural and societal norms

Throughout this work, historical elements that inspired the movement will be analyzed

Anti-assimilationist politics of thenineties which also included a more critical stance on mainstream LGBTQ+ culture andparticularly gay pride might have contributed to New Queer Cinema

Paris is Burning (1990),Swoon (1991), Poison (1991), My Own Private Idaho (1991), The Living End (1992), Go Fish(1993), and Watermelon Woman (1995)

onstitutes queer identityitself

served as a rejection of assimilationand a reaction to a slew of stereotypes, labelling, and attacks on the queer community

New Queer Cinema also sought to criticize class discrepancieswithin the queer community

anguish and the pain of the time period that they were filmed in

directed by queer directors

not only deviant in their queerness, they also engage in criminal acts such as murder and theft

a label that specific groups of individuals share and that classifies themas social outsiders.

deviance

challenging the demands of mainstream audiences, namely demands for positiverepresentation and happy endings