Top 10 Movies About Sex

Sex. It's a part of human nature and there are some films that focus on the theme of sex and "all the good things, all the bad things that may be". The criteria for this list is films that use sex as their main themes and don't have sex stuff just suddenly thrown in for artistic measure. (Looking at you, Monster's Ball) So, let's talk about sex and the top 10 movies about sex:

10. Blue is the Warmest Color: The most recent film on this list, Blue is the Warmest Color deals with the theme of being indecisive about one's own sexuality as the main character, Adele, spends the film "trying to figure out what she likes", so to speak. To me, that is the same for a lot of people in real life and they can easily relate to Adele and her story.

9. Teeth: Teeth is a little indie gem that I'm sure not many have heard of. It is about a girl who is in a chastity group in her high school who discovers that she has teeth inside her vagina. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but the film itself is pretty serious, as it uses the concept of having a vagina with teeth as a metaphor for sexual control and empowerment.

8. Love and Other Drugs: Another more recent entry on this list, Love and Other Drugs is a demonstration of how love is the biggest drug to be addicted to. The film also shows whether one can have sex without eventually falling in love and features brilliant sexual chemistry between the two lead stars, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.

7. The Sessions: Not only is The Sessions based on a true story of a man unable to move looking to have sex before his time, but it shows that sex is something that can be celebrated. While sex may venture into darker territory, The Sessions goes into some of the upsides of it by demonstrating a rather uplifting story of a man doing, for someone like him, something that is seemingly impossible.

6. Repulsion: Now onto more darker territory. Repulsion is a brilliant horror film from Roman Polanski about the theme of sexual repression. As the main character finds herself sexually repressed, she slowly goes over the edge. So, in a rather subtle way, the film shows just how healthy sex is to the body and what could happen if we really deprive ourselves of it.

5. Basic Instinct: While the film may be well-known for the famous "vaginterview" scene, as well as other scenes of explicit sex, Basic Instinct delves into a bit more than that. Much like Teeth, Basic Instinct demonstrates how sex can not only be used for being in control, but how it can be used as a weapon, and Catharine Tramell really shows how to do just that without relying too much on the ice pick.

4. Boogie Nights: Those who probably haven't heard of the film might think this film is about disco once they hear or read the title. It does have that, but it's more about porn. It is very much about the porn industry and of course has plenty of sex. Even though I've never actually watched porn, nor do I have the desire to, I do feel the film shows just how porn is a demonstration of sex without making love.

3. Shame: We have seen many films deal with addiction to drugs and alcohol, but rarely do we get a film dealing with sex addiction, and not only does this film deal with just that, but it is absolutely brilliant. It is NOT an easy watch, I might add, but it shows just how sex can dominate our physical being and does it realistically. There is even a "binge sex" scene at the end that one could easily get aroused by, but it is still very tragic.

2. American Beauty: Even though American Beauty demonstrates themes dealing with living in suburbia, there are some underlying themes about human sexuality channeled onto the main characters. You have Lester, the middle-aged man who yearns for her daughter's much younger friend, Angela, who seems to really celebrate her sexuality. Lester's wife, Carolyn, is as sexually frustrated as her husband and to find passion, engages in an affair with her business competitor. But their neighbor, Col. Frank Fitts, deals with a different kind of sexual frustration and repression of his own. I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't seen it, so I'll just leave it at that.

1. The Graduate: Number 1 on my list is the classic with the famous line "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?". The Graduate may demonstrate the generation gap that went on during the time it was made between the older and younger generations, but it seems to have the whole package when it comes to dealing with themes of sex. You have a woman who uses sexuality as means of control and dominance; Mrs. Robinson. There is also the character of Ben, who seems to celebrate sexuality as he engages in an affair with Mrs. Robinson even though their isn't much love to be found in their affair together. Yet Ben in conflicted about who he actually has feelings for once Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine, enters the picture. So, because The Graduate has the whole package of sexual themes, it is the best film that deals with sex.

Here are a few honorable mentions that didn't quite make the list:

Black Swan (2010)
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Election (1999)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Antichrist (2009)

So, that is my list of the top 10 best films that deal with themes of sex. If their are any films you think I left off or would like to add, please feel free to write in the comments section. Thanks for reading!