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25 best sex movies that are actually sexy and erotic
Let's talk about sex with these provocatively brilliant movies, from Nymphomaniac to Poor Things.
From indie gems like Shortbus and Secretary to star-studded projects like Nymphomaniac, we've pulled together some excellent sex movies that are worth your time.
The best erotic films of all time show how sex can be portrayed in exciting, sensual, provocative and fascinating ways on the big screen. We're not talking about adult films or pornography, but movies where sex is central to the plot and there is a captivating depiction of all kinds of intimacy.
Sex has had an ever-changing relationship with mainstream cinema, from the open-minded first decades of silent movies followed by the highly conservative Hays Code era, to the notorious erotic-thriller wave of the '90s.
Today, there's an absence of sex scenes and real intimacy in Hollywood productions, although we can still find absorbing portrayals of sex in many independent productions (for example, Ira Sachs' Passages). Sure, there have been some notable sex comedies recently, like Jennifer Lawrence's No Hard Feelings, Joy Ride and Bottoms, but the kind of erotic movie we're looking for here is a bit different.
In this list, we celebrate erotic movies which found artful, thought-provoking ways of exploring sexuality, whether they faked it for the camera or fell into the category of movies that feature unsimulated sex.
We don't get to enjoy well-narrated intimacy on screen that often these days, so here are some outstanding sex movies you should watch.
Last updated: 5 August 2025
Cruel Intentions (1999)
Roger Kumble's deliciously camp retelling of Dangerous Liaisons is a teen classic, as well as an exploration of sex and power.
Cruel Intentions follows two vicious step-siblings, Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil (played by teen icons Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar), who make a bet to entertain themselves – would Sebastian be capable of deflowering the new headmaster's daughter (Reese Witherspoon) before the start of term?
Beyond the famous kiss between Witherspoon and Selma Blair, which was quite scandalous at the time (now, not so much), sex is at the movie's very foundation.
Watch now: Prime Video
Boogie Nights (1997)
Boogie Nights is not only a movie about sex, but a movie about the porn industry in the '70s and '80s. Expect a lot of nakedness and body oil.
Paul Thomas Anderson's critically-acclaimed movie stars Mark Wahlberg as rising porn star Eddie Adams, who drops out of high school and decides to make a living from his sizeable... advantages. He becomes as famous as it gets in the industry, but addiction threatens everything he's worked for.
Also starring Julianne Moore, John C Reilly and Burt Reynolds, Anderson's chronicle of the Golden Age of Porn is fascinating, with hilarious characters and unforgettable moments.
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
Queer (2024)
Luca Guadagnino is no stranger to making movies sexy again, from the peach shenanigans of Call Me By Your Name to the threesome tease of Challengers.
However, Queer might be his sexiest movie yet with sex scenes that are among the most graphic depicted outside of arthouse cinema, from a blowjob in a seedy motel to two bodies literally coming together as one during the movie's trippy third act.
It's not just about the sex though. Queer gets the feeling of sheer longing from Daniel Craig's author William Lee towards Drew Starkey's Eugene Allerton. There's an ache to the scenes outside of the bedroom that elevates Queer beyond its intense sex scenes.
Watch now: Prime Video | MUBI
Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)
This award-winning French romantic drama starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos is a must-watch of European cinema, and one of the best LGBTQ+ movies of all time.
Based on Jul Maroh's 2010 graphic novel of the same name, Blue Is the Warmest Colour follows Adèle (Exarchopoulos), a teenager who falls madly in love with Emma (Seydoux), an aspiring painter. Once their paths cross, the electricity between them is undeniable, but their relationship is pretty rocky.
As we follow these two women through the years, the movie offers some highly steamy depictions of sex and nudity, which helps create this insane chemistry between the two leads.
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | iTunes
Saltburn (2023)
Saltburn was one of 2023's most-talked about movies – and mainly about its unforgettable sex scenes that redefined the meaning of "thirsty".
Emerald Fennell's follow-up to Promising Young Woman stars Barry Keoghan as Oxford student Oliver, who becomes obsessed with the charming aristocrat Felix (Jacob Elordi) and proceeds to do anything to be close to him.
Saltburn is a tale of unadulterated dark and horny obsession, featuring some of the starkest sex scenes in mainstream cinema for some years, including a notorious bathtub sequence.
Watch now: Prime Video
American Gigolo (1980)
Before becoming the client in Pretty Woman, Richard Gere played a very expensive escort in Paul Schrader's critically-acclaimed movie American Gigolo.
The story follows Julian Kaye, who is deeply enjoying his luxury life driving sports cars and wearing expensive suits as the favoured lover-for-rent among the elite of Los Angeles. However, his life takes a dark turn when he is involved in a murder.
Schrader explores sex as currency in a corrupted world hungry for power and pleasure.
Watch now: iTunes
A Real Young Girl (1976)
French filmmaker Catherine Breillat is responsible for some of the most provocative depictions of teenage sexuality ever seen on screen.
A Real Young Girl (in French, Une vraie jeune fille) was her first film, and probably one her best. It follows a 14-year-old girl who comes back home from boarding school in the midst of her sexual awakening. She explores her body and pleasure in any way she can (including masturbating with a spoon), and she becomes obsessed with a construction worker she would like to lose her virginity with.
As we might imagine, it was a very controversial film back in 1976, as it includes plenty of nudity and explicit sex scenes. Banned in many countries, A Real Young Girl resurfaced decades later as a brilliant portrayal of teen sexuality.
Watch now: A Real Young Girl is not available to stream in the UK
Poor Things (2023)
Meet Bella Baxter, a young woman who is eager to discover the world after being resurrected with the brain of an unborn child. In her journey, sexual pleasure is key.
Emma Stone's Oscar-winning performance in Poor Things (one of the best movies of 2024) is excellent, as her free-spirited, horny heroine refuses to abide by polite society's rules and instead she makes her own.
Sex is integral to this new movie by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, as the story explores how too often men want to control women through their access to pleasure and their bodies. With every man in her life trying to protect patronise her or to get her into bed, Bella always remains true to herself.
As many other titles in this list, Poor Things is a fascinating, layered movie that is more than its (many) sex scenes, and at the same time it's defined by them.
Watch now: Disney+
Nymphomaniac (2013)
Danish director Lars von Trier is no stranger to portraying sex in his movies, but in the diptych Nymphomaniac he really went for it.
The movie follows a woman from her first sexual experience to a life of intimate encounters of all kinds, as she is determined to discover all the ways her body can find pleasure. She is addicted to it, as the title suggests, but soon that brings some not-so-pleasurable consequences to her life.
Starring an all-star cast with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mia Goth, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe and more, Nymphomaniac is packed with endless sexual content and a unique (sometimes perverse) perspective.
Watch now: MUBI | BFI Player
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
Alain Guiraudie's movie is one of the most critically-acclaimed queer movies of the last decade, and probably one of the most thought-provoking sex movies in this list.
The French filmmaker explores the intersection between sex and death, tackling desire, toxic relationships, body image and more.
Stranger by the Lake is set in a popular cruising spot near a lake, a place to find pleasure with no strings attached. Still, Franck can't help fall in love with a stranger, who is as handsome as he is dangerous.
Watch now: MUBI | BFI Player
Love (2015)
Gaspar Noé's Love didn't go unnoticed when it was first released, as the movie arrived in cinemas with a 3D version that made its unsimulated sex all the more impressive.
It was like being inserted into a porn movie, with a particular scene literally showing the protagonist releasing himself to the camera (that is, directly to the audience).
We know the Argentinian director is prone to controversy (see Irreversible or Climax), but there's more than shockingly explicit sex in Love.
It's actually an absorbing exploration of open relationships and toxic masculinity, following the dynamics of a turbulent couple that decide to invite their neighbour as a third partner.
Watch now: Prime Video
Shortbus (2006)
Written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, Shortbus is one of those rare movies with unsimulated sex, and it's brilliant.
Set in the aftermath of 9/11, the story revolves around a group of characters that meet weekly in a Brooklyn underground sexual salon in a desperate attempt to connect with other people.
As mentioned, the sex seen in the movie is real. As explained by John Cameron Mitchell (via MEL Magazine): "I wanted to work with real sex as part of the story, as it is in our lives – we don't cut away the first time we have sex with someone we are in love with."
Watch now: Shortbus is not available to stream in the UK
Secretary (2002)
Looking for an irreverent rom-com? Secretary is one of the best sex movies ever made, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader.
The story follows Lee Holloway, who, after leaving a psychiatric hospital, starts working as a secretary for a mysterious lawyer. Turns out her new boss shares her taste for sadomasochistic practices, so they start a forbidden relationship.
Wacky, sexy and utterly unique, Secretary is a different kind of romantic comedy and one of the most enjoyable erotic movies in this list.
Watch now: Prime Video
Duck Butter (2018)
Two young women explore intimacy, sex and relationships in Duck Butter, a beautiful, sexy indie film directed by Miguel Arteta.
Alia Shawkat and Laia Costa give their all as the main characters, who, disappointed by their previous romantic relationships, decide to engage in a 24-hour experiment. Will they be able to find a new kind of intimacy while having lots of sex?
However, not everything goes smoothly, as their respective lies come to find them in this little, isolated paradise they wanted to create.
Watch now: Netflix
Belle de Jour (1967)
Belle de Jour's explicit nudity and sex scenes caused quite a scandal in 1967 (the same year it won the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival), but it isn't all about meaningless provocation.
After all, we're talking about Luis Buñuel — one of the most intriguing, defiant and acclaimed filmmakers of his time, even with the obstacles posed by the Spanish dictatorship.
Starring Catherine Deneuve, the movie centres around Séverine, a married woman who juggles her housewife duties and her secret life as a sex worker, which helps her satisfy her masochistic fantasies.
Watch now: Prime Video | iTunes
Basic Instinct (1992)
In the peak of erotic thrillers in the late '80s and early '90s, Basic Instinct stood out as a provocative box-office hit.
Who could forget the absolutely iconic scene where Sharon Stone's Catherine Tramell brings an entire police team to their knees with a sensually revealing leg cross?
Directed by Paul Verhoeven, the movie follows police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) as he investigates the murder of a wealthy rock star while trying (and failing) to resist the temptation of engaging in a sexual relationship with the main suspect.
Watch now: iTunes
Crash (1996)
David Cronenberg gave us a different kind of erotic thriller, one where the objects of desire are car crashes and the nasty scars they leave behind. Yes, that specific.
Starring James Spader, Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette, Crash (not to mistake for the Oscar-winning movie from 2004) follows a man that joins a group of symphorophiliacs (those sexually aroused by watching disasters) hoping to fix his sexual relationship with his wife.
In this iconic movie of the New Flesh wave that inspired movies like Julia Ducournau's Titane, Cronenberg explored the irrational drives of industrial society through this perverse and weirdly arousing story.
Watch now: BFI Player | Prime Video
In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
One of erotic cinema's most infamous classics, Nagisa Ōshima's In the Realm of the Senses is nothing short of shocking.
It's not just the amount of explicit sex scenes, but also some quite disturbing moments. Yes, we're thinking about the one where an egg is pushed into Eiko Matsuda's vagina.
Released in 1976 amidst controversy, the story follows a former sex worker now working as a hotel maid who starts a toxic affair with her boss. The movie, which features unsimulated sex, takes us through their many sexual experiments.
Watch now: In the Realm of the Senses is not available to stream in the UK
The Handmaiden (2016)
Oldboy director Park Chan-wook grabbed our attention with this sensual thriller set in Korea during the Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century.
Inspired by Sarah Waters' novel Fingersmith, the plot follows a wealthy woman who hires a handmaiden, not knowing her new employee is trying to steal her money alongside a skilled conman. However, the relationship between the two will develop in unexpected ways.
Sex is vital for the story, and not only because of its sexual content: The Handmaiden is a tale of seduction, desire, possession and, ultimately, love.
Watch now: BFI Player
The Duke of Burgundy (2014)
An enchantingly erotic fairytale that's equally sweet and spicy, The Duke of Burgundy is a small-gem discovery you'll enjoy. Promise.
Set in a rural region in an unidentified European country, the story follows a woman named Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna), who works as a maid in an ancient mansion under the command of Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen).
When Evelyn makes a mistake, Cynthia likes to punish her. And Evelyn likes to be punished.
Watch now: MUBI | BFI Player
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
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