The Queer Legacy of Matilda (1996)

Today is the 30th anniversary of Matilda, the 1996 movie adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, directed by Danny DeVito.

I loved the movie as a kid, but when I saw it recently as an adult, I realized something: this movie is campy as hell. Almost all the major adult characters are so over-the-top they seem like drag personas.

As soon as I noticed, it seemed to unlock the queerness at the heart of the story, which is perhaps the reason I’ve always liked the movie more than the book.

There’s a reason sapphics hold Matilda in such high regard. While Miss Trunchbull may resemble a villainous butch stereotype, what queer woman can resist a queer-coded villain?

And then there’s Miss Honey, the first crush of many a young sapphic. She quietly looks out for her students that need extra support, and at home, she’s living the cottagecore lesbian dream.

Matilda, of course, is played by bicon Mara Wilson. When asked why lesbians love Matilda so much, she mentions the queerness of a children’s movie that prioritizes found family over biological family, saying,

“It was one of the few children’s films to show a strong, resilient female character overcome adversity and a family that did not understand her to create her own family and her own happiness through hard work and friendship.

Also, they all have crushes on Miss Honey.”

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