I’m re-posting (sometimes in expanded form) a series of reviews of lesbian-themed movies that I originally drew up in answer to a request for recommendations of "good movies involving lesbian romances that don't end up with the protagonists deeply unhappy, dead, or both." To this set of criteria I’ve added the question, “Is the story primarily about coming out?” This set of index questions will necessarily involve some spoilers, but since I'm not reviewing any current releases, I think the statute of limitations has expired.
Many of these items are not currently in print. I'll link each to their imdb.com entry for reference. But for those currently available, Wolfe Video is the go-to distributor for lgbt movies.
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The Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls in Love (1995) I cannot possibly express how much of a breath of fresh air this movie was when it debuted. Yes, it's angsty--but it's angsty in a teenage romantic comedy type of way. No death, no recanting, minor transient unhappiness, but very much a coming out story above all else. The movie is positive and light-hearted, but the sort of slapstick "OMG the parents are coming home unexpectedly" comedy typical to any teenage flick. If there is a flaw that I could point to, there is a somewhat heavy-handed nod to dodging class/ethnic stereotypes. But perhaps that, too, it part of the in-your-face refreshing novelty.
This is a movie that could only be made during a particular window of time. Any earlier and the light-hearted tone would have been difficult to sell. Today, the girls would have started from a place of more awareness of the possibilities (and the adults in their life would have as well). If I'm correctly remembering details about the making of the movie, it was one of those "independent director gambles her entire credit balance on the project dearest to her heart" things. You probably still couldn't get a studio to create something this innocently wonderful.