The Top 15 Erotic Films of the Past 25 Years, Ranked

There’s been a fairly significant decline in the number of erotic thrillers produced over the course of the last few decades, as it seems like modern audiences are more averse to sexually explicit content in cinema. What’s surprising is that many of the most acclaimed drama shows of the 21st century, such as The Sopranos and Game of Thrones, are able to put out sexually graphic moments without receiving any backlash. The genre may not be as popular because young audiences are continuously drawn to sequels, prequels, and adaptations, and seem to have less interest in seeing completely original stories.

The erotic thrillers that have succeeded in recent years are those that feel relevant, as they address modern themes such as capitalism, political corruption, gender roles, and existentialism. Here are the ten best erotic films of the last 25 years, ranked.

15

‘Black Swan’ (2010)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Black Swan is a brilliant psychological thriller that ranks as one of the few horror films in history to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. While it is an arresting film about the lengths that artists go to in order to achieve perfection, Black Swan also shows how the character Nina (played by Natalie Portman in an Oscar-winning performance) is caught between two different sexual personas after she is cast in the lead role in the ballet Swan Lake.

Black Swan examines a dark side of eroticism, as it takes a toll on Nina’s mental stability as she attempts to transform her personality. Portman’s performance in Black Swan is one that took considerable training to pull off, and the ambiguities that director Darren Aronofsky included within the film’s final frames make it more exciting to watch multiple times to pick up on latent details.

14

‘Blue Valentine’ (2010)

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Blue Valentine is one of the most haunting films about unhappy relationships ever made, as director Derek Cianfrance took a kaleidoscopic approach to examining heartbreak. By telling his love story out of order, Cianfrance is able to slip in and out of happy, sad, and confusing moments, allowing the viewers to experience the full spectrum of emotions that come within a committed relationship.

Blue Valentine was praised for the authenticity of its intimate scenes between the couple, which lacked the superficiality of what most Hollywood love scenes looked and felt like at the time. The film earned Michelle Williams an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and while Ryan Gosling’s work was sadly overlooked, Blue Valentine did indicate that he was a far more versatile, sincere, and complex actor than generic romantic comedies like The Notebook had indicated that he was.

13

‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)

Directed by Park Chan-wook

The Handmaiden is one of the most brilliant thrillers of the 21st century, as it comes from legendary Oldboy director Park Chan-wook. Although The Handmaiden unpacks serious issues regarding the treatment of mental health patients and the evident differences in privilege between characters in different social classes, it is also a compelling mystery that uses eroticism to examine dual identities.

The Handmaiden is explicit and transgressive in a way that most American films aren’t, and includes an ending that is sure to shock any first-time viewers. Despite the graphic moments throughout, The Handmaiden is a work of art that never feels like it is exploiting its characters or their sexualities; rather, The Handmaiden examines how each of its protagonists may be hiding secret desires beneath their public personas, and gives them intriguing opportunities in which they succumb to their wildest fantasies.

12

‘Shame’ (2011)

Directed by Steven McQueen

Shame is one of the most harrowing psychological dramas in recent memory, and contains Michael Fassbender in what may be the single greatest performance of his career (which is certainly no small statement). Although it only received a limited release in the United States after being given an NC-17 rating (which limits the amount of allowed promotional material and prevents many people from seeing the film), Shame explores the life of a man burdened by his sexual addictions.

Shame depicts its characters’ sexuality in a disturbing manner, as it shows how challenging it can be for a person to deny their inherent nature. Although Shame is a very bleak film about loneliness that is by no means easy to watch, director Steven McQueen has earned a reputation for tackling controversial topics and dissecting them in an intimate, yet artful way.

11

‘Call Me By Your Name’ (2017)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

Call Me By Your Name is a brilliant coming-of-age film that showed why Luca Guadagnino is one of the best directors when it comes to understanding eroticism. Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name, Call Me By Your Name stars Timothée Chalamet as the teenager Elio, who begins an affair when he is staying with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) at his summer retreat.

Call Me By Your Name is a patient film that examines the exploratory nature of young love, and is equipped with an amazing musical score, lucious cinematography, and era-accurate production design. Although Chalamet gives a raw, emotionally dynamic performance that may be the single greatest of his entire career, a final monologue delivered by Stuhlbarg about the necessity of heartbreak easily ranks among the most moving moments of paternal advice within the history of cinema.

10

‘Fair Play’ (2023)

Directed by Chloe Domont

Fair Play is a brilliant examination of the competitive nature of capitalism that centers on two young traders at a prestigious firm that fall in love with one another. Although the film acknowledges that being in such an intense environment on a regular basis can lead to romantic tension, it also suggests that any relationship that is built on sustained competition is bound to result in disaster.

Fair Play features some of the most shocking sex scenes in years, and goes all out with a truly riveting ending. It’s rather unfortunate that the film was picked up by Netflix in the aftermath of its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, as it had the potential to be a legitimate box office hit that revived interest in the genre. To see it get lost within Netflix’s vast array of titles is a real shame.

9

‘Bad Education’ (2004)

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

Bad Education is one of the best films directed by Pedro Almodóvar, a filmmaker who has never been averse to taking on controversial and explicit content. Although Almodovar is best known for creating dark comedies and entertaining melodramas, Bad Education is a twisty noir thriller that examines the horrific abuse of children within the Catholic Church.

Bad Education is able to be both very revealing and absolutely compelling, as Almodovar uses more than a few clever framing devices to mask the true identities of some of his characters. Although it is rare to see a film that is so explicit receive any sort of mainstream distribution, Bad Education was actually a relatively successful achievement, as it currently ranks as the second highest grossing NC-17 rated film of all-time at the global box office, right behind Ang Lee’s World War II thriller Lust, Caution.

8

‘Youth’ (2015)

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Youth was a great film about the challenges that come with being an aging artist which featured one of the greatest performances in Michael Caine’s entire career. Although Caine would continue working for another full decade before he finally retired officially, Youth gave him a very reflective role as an aging composer who is asked to come back for one final performance.

Youth examines how hard it can be to look back at youthful memories with any optimism, and features some surrealist sequences that have become the signature touch of writer/director Paolo Sorrentino. While the collision of tones might not be what some audiences expected from a music drama about an aging group of characters, Youth is a far more emotional, darkly hilarious, and surprisingly thought-provoking film than what its premise may have suggested that it might have been.

7

‘Spring Breakers’ (2013)

Directed by Harmony Korrine

Spring Breakers is one of the most outrageous films of the 21st century, and might be the single best thing that Harmony Korrine has ever made. While Korrine has often been criticized for being a filmmaker who puts more emphasis on style than he does on story, Spring Breakers was able to encapsulate a moment in popular culture with an inventive blend of sex, drugs, crime, and pop music.

Spring Breakers is deeply satirical of the way that beauty standards are perceived by the media, but can also be quite disturbing when it gets into its crime storyline. Although the aggressive manner in which Spring Breakers inserts itself may not be for everyone, it is certainly worthy of significant admiration that Korrine was able to remain so true to the very strange artistic vision that he had in his mind.

6

‘Little Children’ (2006)

Directed by Todd Field

Little Children is a powerful drama about the lurking darkness beneath an idealized version of an American suburban community, as it unpacks how people are often quite resistant to speaking about what truly excites them. Although there was a chance that a film as ambitious as Little Children would be less than the sum of its parts, it was able to succeed because of the brilliant performances; both Kate Winslet and Jackie Earl Haley ended up receiving Academy Award nominations for their brilliant work.

Little Children can seem very cynical about the cruelty that people are capable of, but Todd Field is a skilled enough filmmaker that he is able to occasionally insert clues that point to a more optimistic portrayal of humanity. The film is very erotic but not exploitative, as it intends to show the realities of adult relationships in a way that is painfully honest.

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