If you spend any time reading or discussing movies online, you're likely to come across people who think movies shouldn't have sex scenes. In an era dominated by sexless cinematic models like the Marvel blockbusters, it's not surprising that people are moving away from on-screen intimacy - in recent superhero movies, if you're lucky, the lead character might get a kiss. It's not just the caped crusaders who don't get this: Film researcher Kate Hagen told Playboy in 2019 that "only 1.21 percent of the 148,012 feature-length films released since 2010 contain sex." Description. This ratio is the lowest since the 1960s."
Read more: Shows and movies to watch after Netflix series end, like 'Bridgerton'
But erotic desire in film has a rich history—one that deserves to be celebrated, not rejected. During the era of strict production codes from the 1930s to the 1950s, Hollywood filmmakers learned how to express strong sexual desires without actually showing or discussing sex; starting in the 1970s, American films became more frank , more sexy, and in the 1990s, erotic thrillers were at their peak. Below, you'll find a list of 19 films from the United States and around the world that debated sex on screen—all of which are better and, frankly, sexier than Fifty Shades of Grey .
pull fish
Where else to start a list of pornographic movies but in 1960s France? Jacques Deray's film stars real-life exes Alain Delon and Romy Schneider as lovers whose idyllic The vacation is fatally interrupted by the arrival of an old friend with his sexy 18-year-old daughter. The two break up and reunite, engaging in a power struggle and lots of sex, culminating in a murder. The film was a sensation at the New York Film Forum in the summer of 2021 - even though the film is 60 years old, its tense plot, beautiful scenery and erotic overtones have never dated. As programmer Bruce Goldstein explains, "It's a vacation in the South of France that a lot of people don't get to enjoy. The two stars are also real-life lovers and have incredible attraction and chemistry between them."
Live on the standard channel
shampoo
When you think of American cinema in the 1970s, you probably think of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" films or his friend George Lucas's first "Star Wars." However, somewhere between the extremes of hyper-serious and hyper-commercial is Shampoo , a sex farce starring and co-written by Warren Beatty. Already known as Hollywood's most prolific womanizer, Beatty grapples with his own celebrity image and that of legendary celebrity barber Jon ·The image of Peters is satirical. Pretty much every woman he met.
While there are a few sex scenes in the film, they're generally produced for some comic relief; the real sexiness comes from Beatty's undeniable appeal. You'll understand why everyone wants to sleep with him—and why it's probably a bad idea. As with "Fish , " "Shampoo" co-stars were previously in relationships with Beatty and Julie Christie, which adds an extra layer of sexual chemistry and, in this case, a layer of possibility of melancholy.
Stream on Showtime (or rent elsewhere)
body temperature
Kathleen Turner made her debut in 1981's "Body Heat ," delivering a performance so impressive that The New York Times still called it "jaw-dropping" nearly 25 years later . This steamy adaptation of Billy Wilder's 1940s classic noir " Double Indemnity" stars Barbara Stanwyck as a femme fatale; here, a conniving, sexy idiosyncratic Na is a worthy successor to the legendary Stanwyck. Turner begins an affair with a bumbling (but most importantly, sexy!) lawyer played by William Hurt and manipulates the lawyer into killing her husband. Like "Fish" and many other great erotic thrillers that followed, this film has a dangerous, violent edge to it that makes it all the more exciting.
rent a house here
fatal attraction
It's hard to imagine an erotic thriller becoming the highest-grossing film of the year in 2022, but that's exactly what happened with 1987's Adrian Lyne's "Fatal Attraction." In addition to grossing over $300 million at the box office, it was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Don't let the mainstream success fool you, though: this is a thoroughly twisted and erotic film. Michael Douglas stars as a seemingly stuffy lawyer who makes the mistake of having a one-night stand with a woman played by Glenn Close, who becomes obsessed with him and stalks him as he tries to get away from her. And usually doesn't take no for an answer. Seek answers. The film isn't entirely interested in psychological (or dramatic) plausibility, and should definitely not be viewed as an example of a positive manifestation of mental illness. But there's no denying that it has a delightfully camp quality, and as Roger Ebert wrote in his review, the two protagonists "have wild, passionate sex. Their coupling takes place in a freight elevator , on the kitchen sink, and I think on the bed.”
Stream on HBOMax
instinct
A few years after Basic Instinct , Michael Douglas appears in another hit erotic thriller, directed by master provocateur Paul Verhoeven and co-starring Sharon Stone. Douglas plays Nick Curran, a detective investigating the death of a rock star who had a highly inappropriate sexual relationship with the case's prime suspect, Katherine Trammell (Stone). The film was controversial at the time for its extreme sexual content and its depiction of a bisexual woman as a murderous psychopath - concerns about positive representation are nothing new - but the content was also considered It's deviant and scary. (The scene in which Stone shows her vulva is still often considered shocking, as few films and actors have followed in its footsteps.) Like so many other envelope-pushing porn films, trying to determine what exactly is going on is a fool's errand. . Are they morally acceptable: What excites them is their willingness to circumvent tradition. (And, of course, all the sex.)
Stream on HBOMax
Sex, lies and videotape
When Sex, Lies and Videotape won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, then-26-year-old director Steven Soderbergh was immediately hailed as a prodigy. The film's subject matter makes his achievement all the more inspiring and impressive: Andie MacDowell plays Ann, an unhappy housewife who can't bear to have sex with her husband but is obsessed with his Friend Graham (James Spader, the show's main actor) becomes interested. The erotic thriller craze of the 1990s), which sought sexual pleasure by filming women discussing their sexual experiences and fantasies. There aren't many actual sex scenes in this movie, but that's the point. Porn comes from breaking taboos between adult men and women who (technically speaking) don't talk openly and explicitly about their sexual desires.
Stream on Showtime (or rent elsewhere)
boundary
Unless you're a die-hard fan, you probably didn't know that the Wachowskis' debut feature was a steamy lesbian neo-noir—at least, not until now. Unlike their later films, "The Matrix" and "Cloud Atlas ," "Limited " was made on a tight budget, but its emotional stakes are epic. Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly star as two women who begin an affair and hatch a plot to steal $2 million from the mob. While "Bound" was not the first American film to feature a lesbian protagonist, it was highly unusual for its time as a mainstream film. The Wachowskis were also forward-thinking in another critical way: They hired feminist writer Susie Bright to serve as the film's sex consultant, a precursor to the now-standard on-set intimacy coordinator.
Stream on Pluto (or rent elsewhere)
Keep your eyes open
Eyes Wide Shut gained instant legendary status upon its release in 1999, and not just because of its explicit content: it was noted as director Stanley Kubrick's final film because of its 's filming took a very long time (up to 400 days) and featured the main characters of the time. -Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. The film stars Kidman and Cruise as a New York couple whose marriage begins to falter after Kidman's Alice admits that she is contemplating an affair. Her husband couldn't stomach the idea and a sex orgy ensued, culminating in a now-iconic masked orgy. It's not a pleasant film - Cruise's Odyssey is a claustrophobic, often hellish dream - but this list wouldn't be complete without it. This is a defining film in the canon of screen sex, and as a celebrity text it's unparalleled. (Also, refreshingly, Nicole Kidman has since explained that Kubrick allowed her to have the final say over nude scenes in the film.)
rent a house here
you are mother
After "Children of Men", "Roma", "Gravity" and of course "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" , Alfonso Cuaron has become a legend in the world of cinema. But before all that, comes the release of Y tu mamá también , a Mexican road movie about two teenage boys - starring fresh-faced Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna plays - who somehow convinces a 20-something woman to accompany them on a long trip. A remote seaside town. There's a lot of sex happening between the parties; the film is so explicit that the MPAA didn't know what to make of it at first. After the film became a hit in Mexico, it was released with an R rating and was subsequently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Streaming on AMC+ (and renting elsewhere)
disloyal
Adrian Lyne, who directed "Fatal Attraction", made a splash again in 2002 with the erotic thriller "Unfaithful." In the film, Diane Lane (who would later be nominated for an Academy Award for her performance) played Connie Sumner, a happy but somewhat bored suburban housewife. She has an affair with another man (Olivier Martinez) after a chance meeting in Manhattan, and her husband Edward (Richard Gere) becomes extremely jealous. The film is filled with explicit sex scenes, which became an immediate talking point upon its release - especially since both Lane and Gere objected to studio requests to portray the Sumners' marriage as problematic or sexually unfulfilling Condition. Connie's motivations are not driven by reason but by pure sexual desire, and sometimes cannot be explained by reason at all.
Stream on Amazon Prime
secretary
James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal co-star in this lightning rod film — one that's intentionally provocative, but when you look closer, you'll find it's both realistic and humane. Erotic thriller veteran Spader perfectly plays a boss who, to his shame, finds himself turned on by his secretary's submissive behavior; in Gyllenhaal's case, her character is a troubled young woman with a tendency to self-harm Shi, who is deeply in love with her boss, her character is clear and not vain. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review, "There always seemed to be some unspeakable secret lingering about Spader, and Gyllenhaal avoided many opportunities to make her character seem pathetic, Instead, it makes her look brave – hell-bent on establishing herself and making herself necessary.”
Stream on Showtime (or rent elsewhere)
in clip
Jane Campion has been in the news this year for her blockbuster new film The Power of a Dog , which explores repressed male sexuality and desire. Throughout her career, she also examined female sexuality, often in transgressive ways that audiences at the time didn't always appreciate. "In the Cut," starring Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo, was a critical flop when it was released in 2003 — possibly in part because audiences were used to Ryan as an all-American. star of a romantic comedy—but has since been criticized by feminist film critics. Ryan plays a writer who becomes involved in a sexual relationship with a detective (Ruffalo) who is investigating the murder of a young woman in her building, and she begins to suspect that he may be the murderer myself. The film is undeniably dark and doesn't shy away from the complex relationship between fear and desire - and is all the more sexy for it. (Ruffalo's performance, and his surprisingly charming mustache, doesn't hurt either.)
Streaming on Netflix
piano teacher
The film, directed by acclaimed Austrian director Michael Haneke, stars French screen legend Isabelle Huppert as the titular piano teacher Erica, a disaffected middle-aged woman who struggles with her student Walter ( Benoit Magimel) develops a sadomasochistic relationship. Huppert has a knack for portraying women who bury their feelings too deep to be accessible again, and her chilling, mesmerizing performance as Erica is one of her best: as she told Walter As in, “I have no feelings. Keep it in my head. Even if I did, they would not overcome my intellect.” Philippa Snow wrote in Artforum “Her quirks and pathos were exciting, but her persistence still seemed unusual,” says Dao. Now, they also seem like prescient expressions of our age of alienation and separation.
Live on the Criterion Channel
greed, wariness
Ang Lee follows up his Academy Award-winning "Brokeback Mountain" with this epic blockbuster: a three-hour, NC-17-rated period epic. "Lust, Caution" is adapted from a novella by Chinese-American writer Eileen Chang . It tells the story of a young woman (played by Tang Wei) who goes undercover to seduce and assist in the assassination of a high-ranking figure (played by Tony Leung). The puppet government of Japanese-occupied Hong Kong. The film's explicit sex scenes caused controversy when it was released, but Lee insisted the footage was necessary to tell the story, so the film was released with 10 minutes of explicit sex - 100 hours of filming took place.
rent a house here
weekend
Unlike most of the other films on this list, Weekend doesn't have a ton of sex scenes, but what it does show is refreshingly candid, explicit, and realistic compared to many other on-screen depictions of queer sex. . The film, written and directed by Andrew Haig and starring Tom Cullen and Chris New, is also very romantic. Often compared to Before Sunrise , it tells the story of two gay men who meet over a weekend and form an instant connection. Russell (Karen) is ostensibly unhappy with his sexuality, and Glenn (New) is an artist who records interviews with the men he's slept with. Over the course of the film, they discuss their past sexual experiences, the process of coming out, and more—all while the clock ticking on their separation.
Live on AMC+ and Criterion Channel
Nymphomaniac c, vol. one, two
Director Lars von Trier loves to stir up scandal, and with Nymphomaniac , his two-part follow-up to the equally controversial Antichrist , he's certainly done just that. Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe and Uma Thurman, the film tells the story of a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac, played by Gainsbourg and Stacey Martin, in Different stages of her life. As Von Trier is wont to do, he breaks almost every taboo imaginable in this film, filled with sadomasochistic sex scenes and everything else you can (or can't) imagine. As a final provocation, adult film stars appear as body doubles in many scenes, meaning the sex you're watching is unsimulated.
Play Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here
duke of burgundy
The 2014 film by British director Peter Strickland was highly praised by critics for its style, suspense and eroticism. It depicts the relationship between two women: Cynthia, a professor, and Evelyn, her student who serves as both her maid and sexual partner. While the relationship initially seemed to be dominated by Cynthia, it became clear that Evelyn was truly in charge. Luxuriously textured and carefully choreographed, the film is both restrained - there's no nudity - and completely unrestrained in its depiction of all kinds of eccentricities. As Jordan Hoffman wrote in The Guardian , " The Duke of Burgundy is the most tender love story you'll ever see, in which a woman forcefully pees in her lover's mouth."
Stream on AMC+ (or rent elsewhere)
maid
Park Chan-wook's adaptation of Sarah Waters' 2002 best-selling novel Fingersmith moves the story from Victorian London to Japanese-occupied Korea but retains the novel's sly, twisted plot and its erotic content. "The Handmaiden" tells the story of Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri), a pickpocket hired to spy on wealthy Madam Soo-ja (Kim Min-hee) and facilitate her marriage to a con man. Instead, the two women fall in love—albeit more like lust at first. As it happens, Ms. Hideko is not easily manipulated, nor is she sexually naive. At first, the film perfectly captures the desire between Sook-hee and Lady Hideko - then moves to explicit sex scenes in which the women act out their desires.
Stream on Amazon Prime
Disobedience
Like "Weekend , " "Disobedience" isn't filled with sex scenes—in fact, it only has one. But the climactic scene between Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams became instantly iconic as Weisz spat in McAdams' mouth. This scene is exciting partly because the movie earns it, and partly because it's not trying to pander to our ideas of what sex looks like on screen. Unlike the carefully staged scenes in "The Handmaiden , " "Disobedience" prioritizes real emotions and real human bodies. In the film, Weisz plays Esty, a bisexual woman who leaves London's Orthodox Jewish community, while McAdams' character remains, trapped in an unhappy marriage (to the wonderful Alessandro Nivola). When Esty returns for her father's funeral and reunites with McAdams, whom she's known since childhood, both their lives begin to spiral out of control - and for viewers, the results are wonderful.
Streaming on Hulu
