--- description: From Last Tango in Paris to Fair Play, these movies have surprised audiences, disturbed them, and even pushed the limits of taste. title: The Most Sexually Provocative Movies of All Time image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d01f604bc384356/698a5751096a94c9a06b0926/most-seductive-movies-001.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Are the Most Sexually Provocative Movies of All Time  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Aug 14, 2024 2:53 PM CUTPublished: Feb 13, 2015 3:00 PM CUT  Photo-Illustration by TIME; Everett Collections, Getty Images (2)  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Updated: Aug 14, 2024 2:53 PM CUTPublished: Feb 13, 2015 3:00 PM CUT The number of explicit sex scenes in mainstream movies are [on the decline](https://time.com/6251447/sexy-movies-magic-mike-3/ "undefined"). Even as violence remains [ever-present](https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/pg-13-movies-are-now-more-violent-r-rated-80s-8c11566223 "undefined") across all types of media, sensuality has been relegated to televisions shows and books, intimacy usually alluded to rather than shown. And yet sex that surprises audiences, disturbs them, and even pushes the limits of taste has a robust cinematic history. Sometimes unfamiliar or boundary-pushing sexual acts—involving a threesome, alone time with a ripe piece of fruit, or pornography about octopi—serve essential elements of the story and work to elucidate an aspect of human nature. Sometimes, particularly before the #MeToo movement, sex scenes pushed the bounds of propriety and exploited the actors involved. Those incidents have driven directors away from showing the most intimate—and, in many ways, important—parts of our lives. Sometimes these scenes are deemed provocative by audiences, in other instances, the ratings assigned by governing bodies have made them infamous. But sex that breaks new barriers in movies, when done right, can jumpstart conversations about how we connect with one another. Here are the most sexually provocative movies of all time. ## _Last Tango in Paris_ (1972)  Last Tango in Paris Courtesy Everett Collection The Franco-Italian romance starring Marlon Brando centered on a couple that conducts an anonymous sexual relationship in an unfurnished apartment in Paris. The film’s intense portrayal of an affair included elements sexual violence—including the use of butter as a lubricant—that sparked controversy, even earning a [TIME cover story](https://time.com/4833754/last-tango-paris/ "undefined"). And in a 2007 interview, actor Maria Schneider [said she felt humiliated by the scene](https://www.vox.com/2018/11/26/18112531/bernardo-bertolucci-maria-schneider-last-tango-in-paris "undefined"), which hadn't been in the script and was improvised by Brando. Years later, in the #MeToo era, [her experiences were re-examined](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/revisiting-bernardo-bertoluccis-artistic-ambitions-and-abuses-in-last-tango-in-paris "undefined") as an instance of assault on camera. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3xaZWHk "undefined"). ## _Risky Business_ (1983)  Risky Business. Courtesy Everett Collection A young Tom Cruise burst onto the movie scene by having sex on an abandoned Chicago “L” train with a call girl as a high schooler in this movie. _Stream on_ [_Amazon Prime_](https://amzn.to/4bYFp83 "undefined")_._ ## **_9 1/ 2 Weeks_** (1986)  9 1/2 Weeks Courtesy Everett Collection This Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger film featured BDSM long before [_Fifty Shades_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VGRCBOY/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timeprovocativemovies-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00VGRCBOY&linkId=5e4427eae1991de6558802387b2c3432 "undefined") ever did. Some of the scenes border on assault, and at one point the couple even has sex after stabbing another man in the buttocks. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/4eenbkx "undefined")_._ ## **_Sex, Lies, and Videotape_** **(1989)**  From left: Peter Gallagher, Laura San Ciacomo, Andie MacDowell, and James Spader, in Sex, Lies, and Videotape, 1989. Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection The film starring James Spader centers on a man who gets off on filming women discussing their sexual fantasies was somehow all about sex while showing no nudity or sex. The movie was the [talk of the Sundance Film Festival](https://entertainment.time.com/2013/05/20/palme-pilots-10-important-cannes-winners/slide/sex-lies-and-videotape/ "undefined") and launched Steven Soderbergh’s career. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3RowSTM "undefined")_._ --- ### More from TIME --- ## _Henry & June_ (1990)  Henry & June Courtesy Everett Collection _Henry & June_ was the first film to receive an [NC-17 rating from the MPAA](https://www.slashfilm.com/790428/the-henry-june-controversy-explained-the-first-nc-17-movie/ "undefined") (which had recently replaced an X rating). The movie was based on the real-life sexual relationships among Anaïs Nin, famed author Henry Miller, and his wife June Miller. **Read More:** [_15 of the Sexiest Movies You’ve (Probably) Never Seen_](https://time.com/6972079/sexy-movies-underrated/ "undefined") ## _Basic Instinct_ (1992)  Basic Instinct Courtesy Everett Collection [Sharon Stone’s infamous leg-crossing scene](https://time.com/archive/6719853/lots-of-skin-but-no-heart/ "undefined") has gone down in cinema history as one of the most provocative shots ever filmed. Over the years, Stone has said she was misled about what was actually happening on set. In [her 2021 memoir, _The Beauty of Living Twice_](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/entertainment/sharon-stone-basic-instinct-intl-scli/index.html "undefined")_,_ she wrote that she watched the film for the first time in a room full of “agents and lawyers:” “That was how I saw my vagina shot for the first time, long after I’d been told, ‘We can’t see anything – I just need you to remove your panties, as the white is reflecting the light, so we know you have panties on.’” _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3XnhKtH "undefined")_._ ## _Boogie Nights_ (1997)  Boogie Nights Courtesy Everett Collection Back when he was still widely known as underwear model Marky Mark, Mark Wahlberg took on the role of a porn star in [Paul Thomas Anderson’s matter-of-fact look at the mechanics of porn](https://time.com/archive/6731577/cinema-dirk-diggler-a-star-is-porn/ "undefined"). _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/45htTCi "undefined")_._ ## _Eyes Wide Shut_ (1999)  Eyes Wide Shut Courtesy Everett Collection Stanley Kubrick’s last film, starring real couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, included several sex scenes (real and fantasy) as well as an orgy scene that had to be altered to earn an R rating for the American release. **Read More:** [_All Eyes on Them_](https://time.com/archive/6735812/cinema-all-eyes-on-them/ "undefined") _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3KE5soW "undefined")_._ ## _Y Tu Mama También_ (2001)  Y Tu Mama También. Courtesy Everett Collection Two friends spontaneously decide to engage in a sexual relationship with an older woman while on a road trip. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3yViegl "undefined")_._ ## _Brokeback Mountain_ (2005)  Brokeback Mountain Courtesy Everett Collection In 2005, _Brokeback Mountain_ was one of the first mainstream motion pictures to [feature a love story and sex scenes between two gay characters](https://time.com/6183107/lgbtq-movies-pride-month/ "undefined") played by two famous actors, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3RndupZ "undefined")_._ ## **_Lust, Caution_** **(2007)**  Wei Tang (right) in Lust, Caution, 2007. Focus Features/Everett Collection Ang Lee's sensual espionage story centers on a honeypot plot to seduce and assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai during World War II. Upon release, it became the highest-grossing NC-17 movie of all time. The movie’s star Tang Wei was [banned in the Chinese media](https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN09352386/ "undefined") because of the sexual nature of her performance in the film. _Stream on_ [_Apple TV_](https://go.skimresources.com?id=143429X1608040&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftv.apple.com%2Fus%2Fmovie%2Flust-caution%2Fumc.cmc.31t8m66yjq1f499poggu1npye%3Faction%3Dplay "undefined")_._ ## Black Swan (2010)  Black Swan Courtesy Everett Collection Natalie Portman [won an Oscar for her role in _Black Swan_,](https://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2016150,00.html "undefined") but what created the most buzz was a hallucinatory sex scene between her and Mila Kunis and a botched-masturbation sequence. _Stream on_ [_MAX_](https://go.skimresources.com?id=143429X1608040&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.max.com%2Fmovies%2Fblack-swan%2F06debfd6-5b00-4b84-9baa-94f70ae8eb46%3Futm%5Fsource%3Duniversal%5Fsearch "undefined")_._ ## **_Shame_** **(2012)**  Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in Shame, 2011. Fox Searchlight/Everett Collection In [Steve McQueen's _Shame_](https://entertainment.time.com/2011/12/01/shame-michael-fassbenders-naked-launch/ "undefined"), Michael Fassbender goes full frontal—a rarity in movies—as a struggling sex addict who engages in graphic sex and consumes plenty of pornography. **Read More:** [Shame](https://entertainment.time.com/2011/12/02/shame-director-steve-mcqueen-on-sex-and-silence/ "undefined")[ _Director Steve McQueen on Sex and Silence_](https://entertainment.time.com/2011/12/02/shame-director-steve-mcqueen-on-sex-and-silence/ "undefined") _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/4c9cTkp "undefined")_._ ## _Nymphomaniac_ (2013)  Nymphomaniac Courtesy Everett Collection The [two-part Lars von Trier movie](https://time.com/31204/nymphomaniac-movie-review-lars-von-trier-vol-1/ "undefined") about a self-described nymphomaniac was released in two formats: the original hardcore version, and an edited softcore one. While some dismissed it as porn, most critics embraced the film as an engaging exploration of a woman’s sexuality. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/4eeoos5 "undefined")_._ ## _Blue Is the Warmest Colour_ (2013)  Blue Is the Warmest Color Courtesy Everett Collection This [French romance film](https://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/24/blue-is-the-warmest-color-how-much-sex-is-too-much-sex/ "undefined") made a splash first at the Cannes Film Festival and then in theaters for its explicit lesbian sex scenes between two teenage girls. [Some critics](https://www.vulture.com/2013/10/timeline-blue-is-the-warmest-color-controversy.html "undefined") questioned whether the film's gaze is exploitative, especially after film's young stars called out the director for poor working conditions. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3z5CRGv "undefined")_._ ## _Gone Girl_ (2014)  Gone Girl Courtesy Everett Collection Just a few months before _Fifty Shades of Grey_'s release, [_Gone Girl_ ](https://time.com/collection/best-mystery-thriller-books/6309233/gone-girl/ "undefined")shocked audiences with a [brutal and bloody sex scene](https://time.com/3472314/gone-girl-movie-book-feminist-misogynist/ "undefined"). _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3KEr6tu "undefined")_._ ## _Fifty Shades of Grey_ (2015)  Fifty Shades of Grey Courtesy Everett Collection Audiences were curious about how the [popular book](https://time.com/3697185/fifty-shades-of-grey-e-l-james-interview/ "undefined") filled with BDSM would [translate to the big screen](https://time.com/3706587/fifty-shades-of-grey-movie-review/ "undefined"). Fandango reports that it has [sold more pre-sale tickets for _Fifty Shades of Grey_](https://variety.com/2015/film/news/fifty-shades-of-grey-fandango-box-office-records-1201434864/ "undefined") than any other R-rated film at that point. **Read More:** [_How Do You Solve a Problem Like Christian Grey?_](https://time.com/3696868/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-christian-grey/ "undefined") _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/4efoIqy "undefined")_._ ## **_The Handmaiden_** **(2016)**  Kim Min-hee (left) in The Handmaiden, 2016. Amazon Studios/Everett Collection Park Chan-wook's erotic thriller set in 1930s Korea is a story of antique pornography, bondage, sexualized trapeze performances, straight and queer sex scenes, and—yes—octopus sex. ## **_Call Me By Your Name_** **(2018)**  Chalamet and Hammer in Call Me by Your Name: the feeling is mutual Sony Pictures Classics Though Luca Guadagnino's movie controversially [shied away from depicting explicit gay sex](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-empty-sanitized-intimacy-of-call-me-by-your-name "undefined"), another scene has firmly planted itself in the cultural firmament: Timothée Chalamet sensually playing with a peach [has become a meme](https://people.com/movies/timothee-chalamet-shares-meme-of-peach-scene-from-call-me-by-your-name/ "undefined") though some say the scene [didn’t go far enough](https://www.vulture.com/2017/11/armie-hammer-peach-scene-in-call-me-by-your-name.html "undefined"). **Read More:** [Call Me By Your Name _and_ The Shape of Water _Fearlessly Display Love_](https://time.com/5042707/call-me-by-your-name-shape-of-water-fearlessly-display-love/ "undefined") _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3VkxzOP "undefined")_._ ## **_Midsommar_** **(2019)**  Florence Pugh in 'Midsommar', 2019. A24/Everett Collection [Ari Aster's horror movie](https://time.com/5615615/midsommar-movie-review/ "undefined") involves a character cheating on his girlfriend during a ritualistic sex scene in which he drinks a cup spiked with period blood. He then performs the act surrounded by a group of old women who chant along to each thrust. _Stream on_ [_Max_](https://fave.co/3KGE1uE "undefined"). ## **_Titane_** **(2021)**  Agatha Rousselle in Titane, 2021. Neon/Everett Collection When[ Julia Ducournau's body horror drama](https://time.com/6101743/titane-review/ "undefined") premiered at Cannes, it quickly became known as the movie in which the protagonist has sex with—and gets impregnated by—a car. _Stream on_ [_Hulu_](https://fave.co/4c86ghS "undefined")_._ ## **_Passages_** **(2023)**  Adèle Exarchopoulos and Franz Rogowski in Passages Courtesy of MUBI The MPA ratings board gave this [love triangle drama](https://time.com/6301500/passages-review-ira-sachs/ "undefined") an NC-17 rating, which [some](https://variety.com/2023/film/news/passages-nc-17-rating-director-slams-mpa-film-unrated-1235674235/#:~:text=Sexy%20Love%20Triangle%20Drama%20'Passages,Cultural%20Censorship%20That's%20Quite%20Dangerous' "undefined") [critics](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/passages-nc-17-rating-queer-movies%5Fn%5F64c3f4cee4b03ad2b8983471 "undefined") have contended had more to do with the fact that a queer sex scene in the movie is filmed in one long, unbroken take than the explicitness of that sexual content. _Stream on_ [_Amazon_](https://amzn.to/3XqveEG "undefined")_._ ## **_Fair Play_** **(2023)**  Alden Ehrenreich as Luke and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in Fair Play Courtesy of Netflix [Chloe Dumont's _Fair Play_](https://time.com/6317756/fair-play-review/ "undefined") is a film about a woman and her fiancé competing for the same high-stress finance job. It became the talk of Sundance when it opened with an oral sex scene during which the protagonist gets her period. **Read More:** [_The Director of_ Fair Play _Breaks Down Those Sex Scenes and Talks Male Fragility_](https://time.com/6324638/fair-play-sex-scenes-male-fragility/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3707246/these-are-the-most-sexually-provocative-movies-of-all-time/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3707246/these-are-the-most-sexually-provocative-movies-of-all-time/"},"headline":"These Are the Most Sexually Provocative Movies of All Time","datePublished":"2015-02-13T15:00:46.000Z","dateModified":"2024-08-14T14:53:46.000Z","description":"Fifty Shades of Grey looks positively tame compared to these movies","url":"https://time.com/3707246/these-are-the-most-sexually-provocative-movies-of-all-time/","keywords":["movies","Fifty Shades of Grey","50 shades of grey"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d01f604bc384356/698a5751096a94c9a06b0926/most-seductive-movies-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d01f604bc384356/698a5751096a94c9a06b0926/most-seductive-movies-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"most-seductive-movies-001","caption":"","creditText":"Photo-Illustration by TIME; Everett Collections, Getty Images (2)","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3707246/these-are-the-most-sexually-provocative-movies-of-all-time/","name":"These Are the Most Sexually Provocative Movies of All Time"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch: A Legacy of TIME100 Pioneers","description":"Billie Eilish, Gregory Robinson and Sandra Oh have all been TIME100 Pioneers—examples of what it takes to be a leader who pioneers new ways of thinking in the world.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OKBbLLJa/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-04-12T12:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OKBbLLJa.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3707246/these-are-the-most-sexually-provocative-movies-of-all-time/","duration":"PT2M56S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3707246/these-are-the-most-sexually-provocative-movies-of-all-time/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```