A scene from ‘I Want Your Sex’

I Want Your Sex review: A sharp, boundary‑breaking comedy

‘I Want Your Sex’ is a provocative comedy that follows an affair between a controversial artist and her lovesick sub.

Suggestive comedies are typically about more than just intercourse. They are gateways to explore aspects of society and ourselves. “Abnormal” is a subjective concept used to inflict judgement on people’s desires. But sex is personal. Sometimes it’s sensual, while other times it’s comic. Confronting puritanical beliefs through thought-provoking cinema is a time-honoured pastime. And a dash of wit can only help the cause. I Want Your Sex checks all the boxes.

Iconic artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde) is looking for an assistant ahead of her next art exhibit. When Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) arrives for his interview, he is a normie in a room full of hipsters. But against all odds, Erika hires him. Then she makes Elliot’s fantasies come true by adopting him as her sexual muse. Her risqué art is not just a façade. Erika makes Elliot her submissive in an S&M relationship. She uses his obsession with her to bond him to her. But when Erika finally crosses the line and ends up floating face-down in a pool, all fingers point at Elliot.

The police investigation into Erika’s possible murder is the film’s framing story. But as a woman who uses and discards people, she is not short on enemies. However, current circumstances put Elliot at the top of the list and at the centre of an interrogation. He begins his account 9 ½ weeks ago, which is a clever reference to the 1986 BDSM thriller.

During a discussion, characters define the difference between art and porn as lighting and context. The film then goes on to depict some pretty explicit S&M acts, involving role play and strap-ons. But this is director Gregg Araki’s art. The filmmaker is known for his unusual movies that push boundaries and challenge norms. This picture doesn’t see sex or fetishes as taboo, but things meant to be explored. In spite of Erika’s pretentiousness, she designs her carnal work to incite a reaction and conversation.

Erika’s whole persona revolves around sex. She is a pompous, sexually confident woman leveraging her fame and position. Even though Elliot insists their relationship was consensual, the police see a classic case of workplace harassment. Erika beguiles Elliot out of his comfort zone, feeding on his fixation with her. The seduction is brief, but the affair is intense and bizarre. Consequently, Elliot’s barely sexual relationship with his detached girlfriend and drunk mini golf with his female best friend are far more relatable than most of the S&M play.

Elliot is living out a fantasy: the sex-starved loser having an affair with his hot boss. Except she “Fifty Shades of Grey’s” him, making him a sub and compromising his dignity (and butt virginity). The improbability of Erika plucking Elliot from the team of more attractive assistants emphasizes the fiction. But if this film has any message, it’s “different strokes for different folks” and everyone can choose for themselves.

While the film is not flaunting any A-listers (though an argument could be made for Wilde following the success of The Invite), it does feature a cast of familiar faces embracing a risqué script. Hoffman epitomized the eccentric underdog in his breakout role in Licorice Pizza five years ago. Now, he’s playing a young man with an open mind and a lust for more than just life. Conversely, Wilde is unnervingly self-assured. Her magnetic sex appeal energizes a room so it’s always on display, though cracks do briefly appear.

Mason Gooding plays Zap, another of Erika’s assistants. But he has rock-hard abs, is very sex positive and has a heart of gold as far as Elliot is concerned. James Duval makes a fun, Easter egg cameo for those familiar with Araki’s work. He’s one the director’s earliest collaborators, starring in three of his movies in the ‘90s. The film also features Chase Sui Wonders, Margaret Cho, Johnny Knoxville, Charli XCX and Daveed Diggs.

The appearance of cartoon breasts and orgasms accompanied by fireworks underlines the absurdity of the narrative. But the erotic comedy and marginal thriller uses a sharp-witted script filled with humour and sex to break down barriers, and explore the spectrum of abnegation and indulgence.

Director: Gregg Araki
Starring: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman and Mason Gooding

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘Tenet’ is a time-bending thriller that keeps you in the loop (Includes first-hand account)

    After approximately six months of not going to movie theatres, it’s not surprising studios are trying to lure audiences back with high-profile films that had pre-established hype. Big pictures with big names are definitely an advantage in this re-emerging market as the many delayed release dates are finally coming due. In 2000, writer/director Christopher Nolan had a breakthrough indie success, becoming a filmmaker to watch — and boy did we! Twenty years later, the mere mention of his name piques interest and conjures expectations of grand complexity. His latest film, Tenet, is a time-bending, action adventure that will keep viewers on their toes.

  • Review: ‘Ted 2’ hasn’t grown up as much as it thinks, which isn’t all bad (Includes first-hand account)

    Many children wished their favourite toy was alive and often pretended it was living while playing, but apparently only one little boy won that lottery: John Bennett animated his stuffed bear, Ted. Obviously you can’t discard a self-aware toy as you would others, so John and Ted grew up together to become beer-drinking, pot-smoking slackers. Best friends and “thunder buddies” for life, the two are there for each other through thick and thin. And in Ted 2, it gets pretty thin.

  • Review: ‘Everest’ is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that’s true to life (Includes first-hand account)

    The prestige that comes with reaching the top of Mt. Everest makes it one of the most coveted accomplishments amongst adventurers — though not necessarily skilled climbers, who set their sights on less commercialized summits. Consequently, Everest is also one of the most expensive treks someone can aspire to complete, so not making it to the top is more than just a disappointment. The ascent is treacherous due to weather, thin air and unstable ground, and there are substantial costs associated with the equipment and manpower required to complete the journey. Yet every year hundreds of people arrive at base camp to give it a try. Everest chronicles one of the worst disasters to occur on the mountain almost 20 years ago.

  • Review: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ embraces the difficulties of being a hero (Includes first-hand account)

    Even though Marvel’s cinematic universe dominated theatres for more than a decade, they hadn’t gained equal supremacy in the realm of female heroes who often fought alongside their male counterparts with less recognition. In 2017, DC seized the opportunity and gave their Amazonian princess a title film directed by Patty Jenkins. The result was not only on-par with some of the best superhero pictures, but it created a lot of anticipation for the film’s sequel. After some delay due to the global pandemic, fans finally get to see the long-awaited follow-up, Wonder Woman 1984.