Real sex scenes in the cinema
From Vincent Gallo‘s controversial film The Brown Bunny to Robert Pattinson‘s masturbation in Little Ashes, real-life sex scenes depicted in film – no matter how staged – can draw audiences into the stories their writers and directors are trying to tell.
Catherine Breillat’s first film Catherine Breillat in 1976, A Real Young Girl, adapted her own controversial novel about a 14-year-old girl exploring her newfound sexuality. (Star Charlotte Alexandra was 20 at the time of production, and the film didn’t hit U.S. theaters for more than two decades.) Another of Breillat’s films, 1999’s Romance, tells the story of a woman desperate for human contact and also contains real-life sexual scenes.
John Cameron Mitchell wanted to “honour” sex as an occupation of real people, like art, music or cooking, in his second feature film, 2006’s Shortbus. Mitchell has told IndieWire about the shoot: “Sure, a lot of films had used sex, but they were pretty bleak, and I wanted something that was more fun and funny but also had emotional depth.”
The list of films that have dared to depict sex without simulation is a fascinating look at how standards for sensual scenes on screen have evolved and how our culture reacts to the use of sex in art.
And so I said, “I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do, but I want you to challenge yourself so we can challenge the audience.” Shortbus is not about sex. It uses sex as a medium, as a system for conveying ideas, characters and emotions, just as “Hedwig and the Angry Itch” uses music. Sex is our music in “Shortbus”. We only did one sexual rehearsal. I just followed what the actors wanted to do.”
The depiction of real sex in film takes many forms, depending on the decade, country and political landscape. However, those artists who are willing to admit their interest and seriously consider the artistic value of showing real sex are always mindful of the fact that it is taboo.
This list of films that have dared to present sex without simulation is a fascinating look at the way standards for sensual scenes on screen have evolved and the way our culture reacts to the use of sex in art.
Following, in chronological order, are 45 films that include actual sex scenes.
Blow Job (1963)
Andy Warhol was a renowned provocateur, and one of his most famous films, Blow Job, certainly drew attention with its provocative title. Surprisingly, “Blow Job” is a lot less shoegazey than you might expect: the 35-minute film consists of a shot of actor DeVeren Bookwalter’s face while he’s getting a blowjob. However, we never see him performing the sex act, which has sparked debate over whether the film is recording actual sex or if Bookwalter is just acting. In his book Popism, Warhol claimed that five different men performed fellatio on Bookwalter for the film.
Gift (1966)
Danish director Knud Leif Thomsen’s Gift (released in the United States as Venom) is notable as the first narrative feature film with actual sexual content. Focusing on the relationship between a hedonist and a submissive girl, the film has an anti-pornographic message, with several scenes where the boy exposes his girlfriend to porn movies, the content of which is shown to the viewer. The inclusion of these scenes caused controversy for the film and censorship in her country. In America, the film was heavily censored and the sexual content was removed before its theatrical release.
Blue Movie (1969)
A major work of the golden age of porn, Andy Warhol’s Blue Movie was the first film with real sex scenes to be widely released in the United States, although Warhol himself claimed it was not porn. He saw the 100 or so minutes of sex and dialogue between actors Louis Waldon and Viva as a film about love, as well as the Vietnam War. Despite its content, the film was taken seriously by critics of the time and is seen today not as hot porn but as a depiction of what the world was like in the late 1960s.
Pink Flamingos (1972)
John Waters’ film “Pink Flamingos” was banned in Australia because of “close-ups of real-life prowling…. which arguably contravene R-rated standards”. The scene in question features drag queen Divine performing actual oral sex on the actor who plays her son in the film.
Je Tu Il Elle (1974)
Directed by Chantal Akerman, the Belgian director of Jeanne Dielman, Je Tu Il Elle is a groundbreaking depiction of queer sexuality in cinema. Akerman plays an isolated bisexual young woman who has sexual encounters with both an unknown man and a former lover. The film is best known for its finale, a 14-minute risqué scene between Akerman and Claire Wauthion and one of the first raw lesbian sex scenes in history.
The film is best known for its finale.
Female Vampire (1975)
Jesús Franco’s film exists in three different versions: a vampire film called La comtesse noire, a romantic horror film called La Comtesse aux seins nus, and a hardcore version called Les avaleuses. The film premiered in France under the title “La Comtesse noire”.
Alice in Wonderland: An X-rated Musical Fantasy (1976)
The erotic musical comedy Alice in Wonderland features a real-life lesbian sex scene between Kristine DeBell and Juliet Graham. It was originally filmed as softcore, but was later re-edited as a hardcore pornographic film, using footage that was not shot during the original production, including a sequence of DeBell giving oral sex to the film’s producer Bill Osco, which was added to the Mad Hatter scene.
The Girl from Starship Venus (1976)
Also known as The Sexplorer, this 1976 comedy is a sci-fi erotic adventure directed by Derek Ford – also known for sexploitation films such as Sex Express and What’s Up Nurse! The protagonist – who resembles Barbarella – is credited as Monika Ringwald in the credits, but she used a series of pseudonyms during her career, which included nude modeling. There was also a hardcore version of the film, reportedly a favourite of Quentin Tarantino.
The Empire of the Senses (1976)
Nagisa Oshima’s Empire of the Senses is based on the true story of Sada Abe, a Japanese woman who smothered her lover through erotic asphyxiation and then cut off his penis and carried it in her purse. While the mutilation and murder aren’t real, the sex is.
Caligula (1979)
The 1979 film starring Helen Mirren involves necrophiliac incest, which is thankfully staged. But the sex scenes are not staged at all, thanks to Penthouse founder Bob Guccione, who served as producer on the film.
I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967)
Swedish director Vilgot Sjöman’s film was initially labeled porn in the US, but Roger Ebert’s review stated that it was inherently “anti-erotic”, according to Vulture. The US federal government and several states individually went as far as the Supreme Court to have the film banned as obscene. The director had stated at the time: “If you speculate on sex and have nothing to say artistically, you’re going to have a bad movie. But if you have something to say, you’re on safe ground.”
But if you have something to say, you’re on safe ground.
Immoral Women (1979)
Divided into three stories, Walerian Borowczyk’s “Unethical Women” follows three women – Margherita, Marceline and Marie. The first story with Margherita has a real-life intercourse scene.
Walerine and Marceline are the two women who are in love.
Cruising (1980)
William Friedkin’s Cruising – set in New York’s BDSM community while a series of homicides are taking place – includes murder scenes that are edited side by side (so, inevitably, they are compared) with actual footage of real-life sex acts.
Spetters (1980)
Paul Verhoeven depicts a highly sexual love triangle (well, square) within the dangerous world of motorcycle racing in Spetters, a controversial film that nearly cost the later RoboCop director his career. The film contains a lot of nudity, with some pornographic material interspersed throughout.
James Joyce’s Women (1985)
Fionnula Flanagan gives many different striking performances in director Michael Pearce’s adaptation of her play. The writer/actress plays Joyce’s wife Nora, as well as other real women in Joyce’s life and some of the novelist’s famous characters. The film includes a lot of nudity and extensive masturbation scenes.
No Skin Off My Ass (1991)
“I don’t mind being considered a queer filmmaker, pornographer or provocateur,” Bruce LaBruce wrote in 2015, ahead of a retrospective of his work at MoMA. “But I have always considered myself a filmmaker first and have tried to develop an aesthetic and a personal style. That’s probably why so many of my films, despite having radically queer and/or pornographic content, have played so much on the international film circuit.” LaBruce’s feature debut “No Skin Off My Ass,” in which he also stars, includes scenes of pornographic content and is considered a groundbreaking work of New Queer Cinema. “My film is an underground punk remake of Robert Altman’s film That Cold Day in the Park,” LaBruce writes. “It’s about a hairdresser who falls in love with a neo-Nazi skinhead and thus loses interest in hair! That kind of irony runs through all my work. But, ultimately, it’s also a story about redemption, because the skinhead’s sister joins forces with the hairdresser to reform the misguided skinhead and turn him into a man he loves. How much more romantic can you get?”
The Idiots (1998)
Lars Von Trier’s film The Idiots encourages us to let our “inner idiot” come out of us. It turns out that most of our stupidest and most primal tendencies involve orgies. Most of the sex scenes in the film are staged, but there is one that is definitely real.
Romance (1999)
Catherine Breillat’s film is considered a landmark for the depiction of real-life sex scenes in art cinema. “Romance” follows Marie (Caroline Ducey) as she seeks sexual fulfillment beyond her monogamous relationship.
A Real Young Girl (1999)
Catherine Breillat’s film focuses on the sexual awakening of a 14-year-old girl (Charlotte Alexandra). The actors were adults at the time of filming.
Pola X (1999)
Written and directed by Leos Carax, Pola X, an adaptation of a Herman Melville novel, features a pair of long-lost sisters who become lovers. Body doubles were reportedly used for the more risqué scenes.
Baise-Moi (2000)
Baise-Moi, which translates as “fuck me” (or “rape me,” depending on who you ask), written and directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi, is a revenge thriller about a rape and contains real sex but no actual violence. Nonetheless, it was highly controversial.
O Fantasma (2000)
The Portuguese film The Phantasm is about Sergio (Ricardo Meneses) exploring his sexuality in Lisbon. It’s not porn, but it certainly has a lot of sex.
Intimacy (2001)
Jay (Mark Rylance) and Claire (Kerry Fox) are two strangers who have not-so-anonymous sex every week until they develop an emotional connection. It is the first film in British history to feature hardcore sex scenes and passed the British Film Classification Board without cuts. Kerry Fox’s real-life partner, Alexander Linklater, wrote a column for The Guardian in 2001, detailing the experience of watching his mistress having real sex with another man for the purposes of the film.
The Brown Bunny (2003)
Written and directed by Vincent Gallo, The Brown Bunny features a real-life oral sex scene with Chloe Sevigny. Gallo himself is the recipient and the scene continues until she orgasms.
Anatomy of Hell (2004)
Catherine Breillat continues to document real sex through art. Anatomy of Hell, which explores the darker side of sexuality, stars Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi.
9 Songs (2004)
Stars Kieran O’Brien and Margo Stilley engage in real sex, interspersed with real footage of Franz Ferdinand, The Dandy Warhols and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club concerts in Michael Winterbottom’s 9 Songs. Stilley and O’Brien met for the first time just two days before they were forced to have actual sex for the purposes of the film. Stilley had originally requested that her name be removed from the film’s credits, but ultimately she remains as the lead.
The Raspberry Reich (2004)
Real-life sex scenes play an important role in many (but not all) of Bruce LaBruce’s films. Other LaBruce works include, among others, Hustler White, L.A. Zombie” and “Gerontophilia”.
Lie With Me (2005)
Stars Eric Balfour and Lauren Lee Smith participate in real sex scenes in Clément Virgo’s film.
8MM 2 (2005)
Originally titled The Velvet Side of Hell, 8MM 2 was marketed as a sequel to the Nicolas Cage-starring snuff film thriller (it’s not). However, it does include real sex, as well as clips from porn movies.
All About Anna (2005)
Directed by Jessica Nilsson, the film features intercourse between Eileen Daly and Gry Bay and other men, as well as ejaculatory penile intercourse (from Daly to Mark Stevens) and vulvar licking (from Ovidie to Bay). The famous scene was filmed in the protagonist’s actual apartment.
Shortbus (2006)
The iconic film Shortbus captured real-life sex in a variety of ways, following a group of people in New York City as they explore love and sex. “[Director John Cameron Mitchell] featured a lot of sex to shock the audience, to take away the really sensitive ones and to make the audience comfortable with what they were about to see,” star Paul Dawson has said in 2006. In the film, Dawson is shown performing oral sex on himself multiple times.
It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine (2007)
The 2007 film, directed by David Brothers and Crispin Glover, contains actual penetration.
The film contains actual penetration.
Little Ashes (2008)
Robert Pattinson routinely lies to the press, as he has admitted. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that Pattinson actually had an orgasm in Little Ashes, Paul Morrison’s drama about Salvador Dali and Fierico García Lorca. In a 2020 interview, the actor had said: “I once decided to stop acting. It was when I was doing Little Ashes. I played Salvador Dali and I had to shoot a lot of scenes where I was naked and I also had to masturbate. I mean really. My face at the time of orgasm is recorded for eternity… [Pretending] just doesn’t work, so I masturbated in front of the camera.”
Brüno (2009)
Following the huge success of 2009’s Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen returned to the big screen three years later with Brüno, a relentlessly bad-ass portrait of a disgraced Austrian fashion designer trying to make it in Hollywood. Director Larry Charles recorded actual footage – albeit censored – of various sex acts at a “swingers party” in an off-script scene that climaxes when Brüno is whipped by a dominatrix. The unsuspecting guests knew they were being filmed but were not prepared for Brüno’s deeply uncomfortable approach to foreplay.
Antichrist (2009)
Lars von Trier tackles real sex again in Antichrist. The film is about a couple, played by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who lose their child in a horrific accident while having sex in the shower. The scene is real, but it uses body doubles: a decision Von Trier supposedly attributed to Dafoe’s penis being “too big” for the film.
Starlet (2012)
Sean Baker’s first film follows the unlikely friendship between two women in the San Fernando Valley and features a real-life penetration scene.
Sean Baker’s first film follows the unlikely friendship between two women in the San Fernando Valley.
Pornopung (2013)
The Norwegian film Pornopung, directed by Johan Kaos, includes a long scene of fellatio.
Wetlands (2013)
In David Wnendt’s German drama, most of the sex scenes involving Helen (Carla Juri) are staged. But a sequence involving men masturbating on a pizza is not.
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
Also known as L’Inconnu du lac, the French thriller premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Director Alain Guiraudie won the best director award, and the film also won the Queer Palm award. It has plenty of nudity but also contains scenes of actual sex shot using body doubles.
The film is a great film about the sex industry.
Nymphomaniac (2013)
According to its title, “Nymphomaniac” and its sequel have a lot of sex. But is it real or not? The film’s sex scenes were allegedly created by digitally adding porn star genitals to the bodies of the actors.
Pasolini (2014)
Willem Dafoe stars as Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini in the 2014 biopic directed by Abel Ferrara. The sex scenes are largely real, depicting Pasolini’s relationship with lust, love and the body.
Love (2015)
Written and directed by Gaspar Noé, Love is shot in 3D. Noé first pitched the film to Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel while shooting Irreversible. It’s rumoured that the script was only seven pages long, with Noé letting the actors improvise during the love scenes.
Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (2016)
Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (or, in French, Théo et Hugo dans le même bateau) is a gay erotic drama about two men who meet at an orgy and then bond during a long walk in Paris. The film won the Audience Award at the Teddy Awards at the Berlin Film Festival. Writer-directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau begin their film with a nearly 20-minute sequence showing naked or semi-naked men engaging in anal and oral sex.
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021)
When a history teacher’s (Katia Pascariu) sex tape is accidentally leaked by her husband, the high school where she works demands answers. This 2021 Romanian dramedy begins by showing the scandalous video in question, but you won’t be able to watch it on most streaming services. On censored versions of the film, you’ll see a text box describing the acts instead of showing them.
By IndieWire.
