Shubhabrata Dutta
Some movies make you think, some have you on the edge of your seat biting your nails, some make you want to look away, and others make you reach for a glass of cold water when things get too hot on-screen. There are films for every mood, and HBO Max has one of the vaster repertoires among streaming platforms. In Max’s library of adult films, these are the ones bound to hit the spot for you, taking on an exploration of human emotions at their most raw and vulnerable.
17. Working Girls (1986)
A brilliant indie by Lizzie Borden, ‘Working Girls’ is one of the best films out there that explores the world of sex workers and their culture, which is underscored by politics. The film follows Molly (Louise Smith), a New York college graduate working at a Manhattan brothel to support herself and Diane (Deborah Banks), her girlfriend. ‘Working Girls’ takes a deep dive into the world of prostitution and offers both a microcosmic and macrocosmic view, setting a new standard for its depiction in mainstream cinema. The film co-stars Ellen McElduff, Amanda Goodwin, and Liz Caldwell. You can watch it here.
16. Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ is the third and final installment in the trilogy starring Channing Tatum as Mike Lane. The story starts with Mike losing his business during the COVID-19 pandemic and working as a bartender. While he has no intention of going back to dancing, he receives an offer he cannot refuse from a wealthy woman named Max Mendoza. This takes Mike on a journey that changes his life forever. For the fans of the original, this movie is a return to form, especially with Soderbergh taking back the reins as the director. You can watch ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ here.
15. Killing Me Softly (2003)
‘Killing Me Softly’ is adapted from Nicci French’s 1999 novel of the same name. The film centers on Alice (Heather Graham), who enters a wild and hardcore affair with the enigmatic Adam (Joseph Fiennes) after leaving her boyfriend. As these two explore each other valleys and crevices, even tying the nuptial knot, Alice starts receiving calls and letters from women warning her of Adam. A shocking truth about Adam’s sister, Deborah (Natascha McElhone), turns Alice’s love life upside down. Directed by Chen Kaige, ‘Killing Me Softly’ can be streamed here.
14. American Honey (2016)
Directed by Andrea Arnold, ‘American Honey’ stars Sasha Lane (‘The Crowded Room’), Shia LaBeouf, and Riley Keough. Lane plays the role of a young woman named Star, who runs away from the abusive and depressive environment of her home and joins a traveling sales crew selling door-to-door magazine subscriptions. What starts as an adventure and the hopes of turning her life around soon becomes a more complicated journey where Star experiences many things that make her wiser about the world. You can watch the film here.
13. There Is No I in Threesome (2021)
‘There Is No I in Threesome’ is inarguably the most unconventional film on this list. It might appear as a documentary to some because of how the narrative unfolds, but it is ultimately a feature film, even though it started as a documentary. Jan Oliver Lucks, the director and the central star, was making a documentary with his fiancée for several years on their open relationship. When the fiancée decided to leave him for another man and call off their engagement, she also quit the documentary and took half of it with her. Lucks eventually hired an actress to portray his fiancée and developed a feature film by filming the missing half. The result is a complex and deeply retrospective piece of unrelentingly personal cinema. You can see the movie here.
12. Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian, ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ is a gory and steamy queer thriller that explores the romantic relationship between gym manager Lou (Stewart) and ambitious bodybuilder Jackie (O’Brian). While their relationship picks up steam pretty quickly, Lou’s criminal family poses a huge obstacle and inadvertently pulls the two lovers into a web of unexpected events, even putting their lives at risk. A rather slick, binge-worthy, sexy movie that smartly balances sex and violence, ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ is directed by Rose Glass. It can be streamed here.
11. Disobedience (2017)
Sebastián Lelio’s ‘Disobedience’ ups the ante of lesbian romance with its lead co-stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams. Based on Naomi Alderman’s 2006 novel, the film follows Ronit (Rachel Weisz), whose return to her childhood Jewish community brings back her locked-away desire for Esti (McAdams), who is now married. Their love was the reason Ronit was banished from her community. Is the love still alive in Esti? Is the flame still burning? Poignant, gripping, and steamy, ‘Disobedience’ is a poised romance that is bound to turn you on, not just physically but emotionally too. You can watch it here.
10. Hemingway and Gellhorn (2012)
Directed by Philip Kaufman, ‘Hemingway and Gellhorn’ is a romance drama movie that recounts an iconic love story born out of war. The film follows literary giant Ernest Hemingway during one of the tensest years of the 20th century as he meets and eventually falls in love with the war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. The Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen-starrer offers an insight into Hemingway’s life during World War II and gives viewers a chance to experience the love story of the literary genius from a unique perspective. You can watch the movie here.
9. Looking: The Movie (2016)
Originally an HBO series, ‘Looking’ was canceled only after two seasons despite garnering some fans. ‘Looking: The Movie’ is supposed to bring a sense of closure to them. Set a year after the show’s events, the film depicts its narcissistic protagonist, Patrick (Jonathan Groff), trying to deal with the fact that everyone around him is settling down. Patrick tends to sabotage his relationships, which predictably hasn’t worked out for him. When a friend asks him if he is alright, he doesn’t know how to answer. Patrick returns to San Francisco from Denver for the upcoming wedding between Agustin (Frankie J. Alvarez) and Eddie (Daniel Franzese). Throughout the film, he encounters several people he left behind in San Francisco, including former romantic interests. You can watch the film here.
8. Je Tu Il Elle (1975)
Directed by Chantal Akerman, who also plays the lead, ‘Je Tu Il Elle’ follows a young woman who comes out of a self-imposed exile and sets out on an exploration of intimacy underscored by passions of the flesh and the psychological aspects of it. The film shows two sexual encounters, one that she has with a truck driver (Niels Arestrup) and another that she has with another girl who is her ex-lover (Claire Wauthion). Featuring what is technically the first full-fledged lesbian sex scene in mainstream cinema, ‘Je Tu Il Elle’ is a formidable addition to this list. You can stream it here.
7. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Based on John O’Brien’s semi-autobiographical 1990 novel, ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ is an Oscar and Golden-Globe-winning drama directed by Mike Figgis. The film is known for its noir and raw take on addiction and love, as well as their similarities and differences. Set in Los Angeles, it’s a heart-wrenching drama that showcases Nicolas Cage’s Oscar-winning performance as Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who makes up his mind to drink himself to death. However, he soon develops a rapport with Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a kind-hearted sex worker who starts caring for him. Unfortunately, Ben is beyond care and saving, or is he? ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ depiction of the complexity of the human psyche in as few words as possible makes it one of the best adult dramas of all time. You can watch it here.
6. Don Jon (2013)
Written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, ‘Don Jon’ centers on a guy named Jon Martello (Levitt) who is a porn addict and remains so no matter how many times he has sex with how many women. His addiction is also what has prevented him from falling in love, but it gets “hard”-tested when he meets the gorgeous Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson). Barbara is not easy to please, especially when approached sexually, and Jon might have to change his approach if he wants to be with her. Can he overcome his addiction and do that?
Johansson is at her hottest and most sultry in the film as Barbara, upping the temperature for Jon and the viewers from the moment she comes into view. The intimate scenes are equally sexy and are bound to get you to bite your lips. If you want to experience it, you can watch ‘Don Jon’ here.
5. Gia (1998)
The film follows Gia Carangi, who travels to New York City and nurtures dreams of being a fashion model. Soon after arriving, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper, a high-powered agent who is wise in the ways of the world. The woman takes Gia under her wing. With Cooper’s help and her instinct, Gia begins to shoot for the stars. As she reaches the pinnacle of the modeling world, Cooper passes away, wrecking Gia’s life. She spirals out of control and turns to drugs, about to lose everything she worked so hard to achieve. Why’s this seemingly dramatic movie hot? Angelina Jolie plays Gia and has plenty of steamy encounters with a woman named Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell). The film is streaming here.
4. Behind the Candelabra (2013)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, ‘Behind the Candelabra’ tells the story of the last decade of the life of the legendary pianist Liberace (Michael Douglas), during which he started a romantic relationship with the young animal trainer Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). Hollywood producer Bob Black introduces Scott to Liberace, and the latter immediately takes a liking to them and invites him and Bob to his palatial home. ‘Behind the Candelabra,’ based on Scott’s memoir, depicts what happens afterward. In time, Scott becomes a resident at Liberace’s home and his lover. But things start to become uncomfortable for Scott when it becomes apparent that Liberace is trying to change him into a younger version of himself, a realization that plays a pivotal role in Scott’s addiction issues. You can watch ‘Behind the Candelabra’ on HBO Max here.
3. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)
‘Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!’ is a dark romantic comedy film that recounts a story of obsession. The movie follows Ricky, a disturbed man who kidnaps B-movie actress Marina after getting released from a mental institution. Unfortunately, Marina no longer remembers the fling the two had when she used to be a drug addict a long time ago, but Ricky is determined to make her fall in love with him. Will the forced relationship ever work out? The Pedro Almodóvar directorial features several semi-nude sex scenes and is a captivating watch for viewers who love dark romantic comedy films. You can see the movie here.
2. Belle de Jour (1967)
This erotic psychological drama is based on the 1928 novel of the same name by Joseph Kessel, and is considered one of the greatest erotic films of all time. ‘Belle de Jour’ stars Catherine Deneuve as Séverine Serizy, whose sexual urges, left unattended by her husband, bring her to a brothel run by her friend, where she starts working, unbeknownst to her husband. While it does make her sex life with her husband better, she earns a young criminal as a lover, something that can be harmful. It is up to Serizy to choose the life she wants, as living two seems to be more than she thought she could handle. Co-starring Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Pierre Clémenti, and Geneviève Page, ‘Belle de Jour’ won the Golden Lion and the Pasinetti Award for Best Film at the 1967 Venice Film Festival. You can watch it here.
1. The Piano Teacher (2001)
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, ‘The Piano Teacher’ stars Isabelle Huppert as the titular character whose relationship with her student takes a dark turn. Their relationship is marked by sadomasochism, primarily due to her sexually repressive life. The film takes many twists and turns while delving into the protagonist’s relationship with her mother and pupil, which gets more convoluted with every passing minute, delivering a twisted tale of a woman’s psyche. You can watch the film here.
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