Rentals
Sex
How has cinema approached sex? Leave your inhibitions at the door and find out.
This collection includes films with sexually explicit scenes. Good sex scenes in cinema are few and far between, and rare is the film that dares to take sex seriously. From silly sex comedies in the 70s to the glut of steamy thrillers of the 80s and 90s, the act of sex has often been reduced to mere titillation. Not so with these explorations of the erotic, which veer from Britain’s first sex movie (Her Private Hell), a Palme d’Or-winning lesbian love story (Blue is the Warmest Colour), a work from Lars von Trier at his most provocative (Nymphomaniac) and a tale of lusty and murderous obsession at a French gay cruising ground (Stranger by the Lake).
Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)
Drama 2015 94 minsDirector: Eva Husson
High-school students start a private orgy society in Eva Husson’s dazzlingly shot, no-holds-barred drama.
ChemsexChemsex
Documentary 2015 80 minsDirector: William Fairman and Max Gogarty
A hard-hitting and often graphic documentary about the 'chemsex' sub-scene in London’s gay community.
Beach RatsBeach Rats
Drama 2017 98 minsDirector: Eliza Hittman
Gripping account of repressed sexual desire in a hyper-masculine environment, with British newcomer Harris Dickinson as a virulently macho Brooklyn teen.
The HandmaidenThe Handmaiden
Period drama 2016 146 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.
The Duke of BurgundyThe Duke of Burgundy
Drama 2015 104 minsDirector: Peter Strickland
Peter Strickland’s visually and aurally intoxicating tale of sadomasochistic power-play is a daringly erotic sensory feast.
Lust, CautionLust, Caution
Drama 2007 158 minsDirector: Ang Lee
Esteemed Taiwanese director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi) returned to Asia once more for this startlingly erotic tale of espionage and obsession.
ShameShame
Drama 2012 101 minsDirector: Steve McQueen
A sex addict struggles to hide his habits from his equally troubled sister. With Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan.
The Chambermaid LynnThe Chambermaid Lynn
2014 90 minsDirector: Ingo Haeb
An obsessive-compulsive hotel cleaner (Vicky Krieps) who harbours a fetishistic fascination with her hotel's guests meets an enigmatic dominatrix who changes her world.
Théo and HugoThéo and Hugo
Romance 2016 97 minsDirector: Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau
A brief encounter at a naked sex club in Paris seems to be going well for Theo and Hugo, but a sudden realisation changes everything.
Fidelio, Alice's JourneyFidelio, Alice's Journey
Drama 2015 97 minsDirector: Lucie Borleteau
When Alice takes a job as a ship’s engineer her fidelity towards her shore-bound fiancé is tested when she discovers a former lover is the ship’s captain.
Secret RitesSecret Rites
Documentary 1971 47 minsDirector: Derek Ford
'King of the Witches' Alex Sanders initiates doe-eyed Penny into the ways of his coven.
Donkey PunchDonkey Punch
Thriller 2008 95 minsDirector: Olly Blackburn
Nichola Burley and Jamie Winstone star in the yacht-set shocker, in which a teen sex party turns into a deadly fight for survival.
I Promise You AnarchyI Promise You Anarchy
2015 86 minsDirector: Julio Hernández Cordón
A pair of teenage skateboarders find themselves drawn into a murky criminal underworld in this distinctive thriller.
Trap for CinderellaTrap for Cinderella
Drama 2013 100 minsDirector: Iain Softley
Emilia Fox delves into Tuppence Middleton’s repressed childhood memories, in Iain Softley’s erotic and elaborate psycho-thriller.
You and the NightYou and the Night
Drama 2013 89 minsDirector: Yann Gonzalez
Eric Cantona and Beatrice Dalle star in an outrageous erotic fever dream about a couple who invite four diverse guests to their midnight orgy.
Mapplethorpe: Look at the PicturesMapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
Documentary 2016 109 minsDirector: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato
An unflinching and sometimes graphic account of the life, art and legacy of the legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
PermissivePermissive
Drama 1970 90 minsDirector: Lindsay Shonteff
When Suzy arrives in London to visit an old school friend, she is unwittingly plunged into the ruthless world of the ‘groupie’.
Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! Or (Fun with the Sunbathers)Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! Or (Fun with the Sunbathers)
Comedy 1932 35 minsDirector: Norman Lee
Stuffed-shirt party pooper Sir Hector infiltrates a sunbathing camp full of scantily clad jazz-swingers in this 1930s comedy
LovelaceLovelace
Biopic 2013 93 minsDirector: Jeffrey Friedman and Robert Epstein
Porn star Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) finds herself abused by the industry and her maniacal husband– so she sets off to embrace feminism and, vitally, herself.
Jeune & jolieJeune & jolie
Drama 2013 93 minsDirector: François Ozon
Francois Ozon’s sly and seductive account of teenage girl’s dalliance with high-class prostitution.
The RainbowThe Rainbow
Drama 1989 106 minsDirector: Ken Russell
Ken Russell returns to D. H. Lawrence for the story of a young girl’s sexual awakening and immersion in a love triangle with both a man and a woman.
Blue is the Warmest ColourBlue is the Warmest Colour
Romance 2013 180 minsDirector: Abdel Kechiche
The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d'Or-winning romance.
Nymphomaniac Vol. INymphomaniac Vol. I
Drama 2013 118 minsDirector: Lars von Trier
Volume 1 of Lars von Trier’s explicit, controversial film about a woman recounting the history of her sexuality in episodic style.
Stranger by the LakeStranger by the Lake
Drama 2013 100 minsDirector: Alain Guiraudie
A young man witnesses a violent crime at a gay cruising ground and becomes obsessed with the killer in Alain Guiraudie’s acclaimed mystery-thriller.
Everlasting LoveEverlasting Love
Drama 2014 69 minsDirector: Marçal Forés
A thrilling and disturbing exploration of the perils of illicit sexual encounters, beginning when a teacher initiates a tryst with one of his pupils.
The Book of GabrielleThe Book of Gabrielle
Drama 2016 79 minsDirector: Lisa Gornick
Lisa Gornick's funny and frank drama sketches the relationship between a sex-obsessed lesbian illustrator and a randy hetero author, who bond over their favourite subject.
That Kind of GirlThat Kind of Girl
Drama 1963 77 minsDirector: Gerry O'Hara
A cautionary tale about VD and the dangers of free-love set against a backdrop of smoky jazz clubs and evocative London locations.
American TranslationAmerican Translation
Drama 2010 115 minsDirector: Pascal Ascandes Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr
A sexually ambiguous Frenchman tours his native countryside with his naive American lover in pursuit of the ultimate thrill.
SebastianeSebastiane
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1976 85 minsDirector: Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress
A distinctly bold and sensual reclaiming of gay history, Jarman here tells the sexually intense story of the 4th-century martyr.
Keep the Lights onKeep the Lights on
Drama 2012 102 minsDirector: Ira Sachs
A filmmaker escapes the pain of a break-up through casual sex and meets a closeted lawyer in this deeply personal work from Ira Sachs.
Swimming PoolSwimming Pool
Drama 2003 102 minsDirector: François Ozon
A crime novelist seeks peace but gets a dangerous muse in this twisted bilingual thriller from François Ozon.
Over ExposedOver Exposed
Drama 1977 36 minsDirector: Dennis London and David Grant
Aye aye, Captain! Sex comedy hijinks on the Thames near Twickenham in this forgotten saga of a switched-on snapper
More related films in our Subscription collection, Sex.
More related films in the Rentals collection, The Pleasure Principle.