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)
Drama201594 minsDirector: Eva Husson
High-school students start a private orgy society in Eva Husson’s dazzlingly shot, no-holds-barred drama.

The Chambermaid LynnThe Chambermaid Lynn
201490 minsDirector: Ingo Haeb
An obsessive-compulsive hotel cleaner who harbours a fetishistic fascination with her hotel's guests meets an enigmatic dominatrix who changes her world.

Beach RatsBeach Rats
Drama201798 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 drama2016146 minsDirector: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.

The Duke of BurgundyThe Duke of Burgundy
Drama2014104 minsDirector: Peter Strickland
Peter Strickland’s visually and aurally intoxicating tale of sadomasochistic power-play is a daringly erotic sensory feast.

Lust, CautionLust, Caution
Drama2007158 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
Drama2011101 minsDirector: Steve McQueen
A sex addict struggles to hide his habits from his equally troubled sister. With Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan.

Secret RitesSecret Rites
Documentary197147 minsDirector: Derek Ford
'King of the Witches' Alex Sanders initiates doe-eyed Penny into the ways of his coven.

Donkey PunchDonkey Punch
Thriller200795 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.

Swimming PoolSwimming Pool
Drama2002102 minsDirector: François Ozon
A crime novelist seeks peace but gets a dangerous muse in this twisted bilingual thriller from François Ozon.

Jeune & jolieJeune & jolie
Drama201393 minsDirector: François Ozon
Francois Ozon’s sly and seductive account of teenage girl’s dalliance with high-class prostitution.

PermissivePermissive
Drama197090 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’.

I Promise You AnarchyI Promise You Anarchy
201586 minsDirector: Julio Hernández Cordón
A pair of teenage skateboarders find themselves drawn into a murky criminal underworld in this distinctive thriller.

Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! Or (Fun with the Sunbathers)Strip! Strip! Hooray!!! Or (Fun with the Sunbathers)
Comedy193235 minsDirector: Norman Lee
Stuffed-shirt party pooper Sir Hector infiltrates a sunbathing camp full of scantily clad jazz-swingers in this 1930s comedy

The Book of GabrielleThe Book of Gabrielle
Drama201679 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.

Mapplethorpe: Look at the PicturesMapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
Documentary2016109 minsDirector: Fenton Bailey
An unflinching and sometimes graphic account of the life, art and legacy of the legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

American TranslationAmerican Translation
2010115 minsDirector: Pascal Ascandes Arnold
A sexually ambiguous Frenchman tours his native countryside with his naive American lover in pursuit of the ultimate thrill.

Keep the Lights onKeep the Lights on
Drama2012102 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.

LovelaceLovelace
Biopic201393 minsDirector: Jeffrey Friedman
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.

Trap for CinderellaTrap for Cinderella
Drama2011100 minsDirector: Iain Softley
Emilia Fox delves into Tuppence Middleton’s repressed childhood memories, in Iain Softley’s erotic and elaborate psycho-thriller.

The RainbowThe Rainbow
Drama1988106 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
Romance2013180 minsDirector: Abdel Kechiche
The epic, passionate and strikingly naturalistic Palme d'Or-winning romance.

Nymphomaniac Vol. INymphomaniac Vol. I
Drama2013118 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.

Everlasting LoveEverlasting Love
Drama201469 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.

That Kind of GirlThat Kind of Girl
Drama196377 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.

Over ExposedOver Exposed
Drama197736 minsDirector: Dennis London
Aye aye, Captain! Sex comedy hijinks on the Thames near Twickenham in this forgotten saga of a switched-on snapper

Central BazaarCentral Bazaar
Drama1975142 minsDirector: Stephen Dwoskin
Five strangers explore their fantasies over a period of five days in Stephen Dwoskin's remarkable experimental film.

More related films in our Subscription collection, Sex.

More related films in the Rentals collection, The Pleasure Principle.