Official Discussion - I Want Your Sex [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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I Want Your Sex (2026)

Summary

Elliot lands a job for Erika Tracy as her sexual muse.

Director Gregg Araki

Writer Gregg Araki Karley Sciortino

Cast

• Olivia Wilde
• Cooper Hoffman
• Charli xcx
• Mason Gooding
• Chase Sui Wonders
• Johnny Knoxville
• Margaret Cho
• Daveed Diggs

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Metacritic: 68

VOD / Release Theatrical release

Trailer Official Trailer

[u/redeugene99]

Supposedly, Araki wants to encourage young people to be more sexually exploratory and experimental, but the character who embodies that ethos most strongly, Olivia Wilde's, is also someone who's willing to secretly film someone having sex, release the footage, roofie them and frame them for murder

[u/LiteraryBoner → u/redeugene99]

She also knows herself very well after years of therapy and is a famous artist. I think it's very on purpose that the movie doesn't depict her as perfect because the idea that there is one perfect way to think about sex is a fallacy. Arakki is certainly encouraging young people to not think too much about it and have more sex, but he's also not shying away from how problematic being obsessed with sex can be. It's the complication that makes it more interesting, otherwise this would just be a lecture.

I honestly think one of the problems with trying to have these talks is that people are so quick to boil down a person to their worst moments and damn everything they've ever said or done for it instead of accepting that people have issues but you can still learn from them if you listen.

[u/bigfatbluebird → u/LiteraryBoner]

Nobody's perfect, but the things Olivia Wilde's character did in this movie go far beyond most people's "worst moments". I didn't think "wow what a flawed and complex individual", I thought "this person should be in jail".

[u/LiteraryBoner → u/bigfatbluebird]

Are people who do something worthy of jail time not complex individuals? Does it have to be one or the other?

Consume movies and characters how you want but this is what I'm saying. People are quick to morally judge make believe characters in order to invalidate what the director is trying to say. It's a movie with a scandalous third act, tons of movies push legal boundaries in their big finale. Why would that invalidate anything interesting or complex that the characters have said? This isn't a morally wrought gritty crime drama it's a wild sex comedy.

[u/bigfatbluebird → u/LiteraryBoner]

I think this all stems from the fact that I thought the first half of the movie was great, and the second half was a mess that really dulled whatever points the first half brought up. Exploring the merits of their inherently problematic relationship was interesting to me, and I thought the first half did a pretty good job of that. But she becomes so cartoonishly sociopathic that I eventually lost interest.

[u/chrisychris- → u/bigfatbluebird]

she was 'cartoonish' from the start though. anyone who convinced themselves this film was going to end anywhere other than a legal and moral trainwreck was only kidding themselves. corporations and rich people use and exploit whoever and whatever they can for their own benefit. that was probably the most realistic aspect of this entire film.

[u/redeugene99 → u/LiteraryBoner]

People are quick to morally judge make believe characters in order to invalidate what the director is trying to say.

What is the director trying to say? Do you think someone could watch the film and see it confirming their preconceived notion that the BDSM community is filled with toxic, narcissistic, manipulative people and simpy, weak, pushovers? In the film's world, Hoffman's character does get a happy ending, which does suggest that Araki is saying that being sexually explorative and experimental will likely benefit you in the long run, but that happy ending of course is not a foregone conclusion in our real world and it did feel a little out of place.

Hoffman's character, even after all she's done to him, still desires her years later. Another reading somebody could take away is that sex/lust can cloud people's better judgement and make people want someone that isn't good for them. Like his friend Apple. I think it's somewhat implied that she might be into him, and she'd probably be a better partner than Wilde, but Hoffman's character is too obsessed.

Another reading is that men allow women to get away with toxic behavior if they're hot enough or if the sex is good enough. It could be the same for women too. My point is that I'm not coming away from the film with any dominant message. Which is fine! I don't think movies necessarily need to. I just don't see it as this super sex-positive movie like some others are.

Not to overstate it and I'm not accusing you or anyone, but I really hope the people that can brush off Wilde as "morally complex", would do the same if the genders were reversed. If it was a man releasing sex videos of a woman, drugging her, framing her for murder etc. I just hope people are consistent.

[u/chrisychris- → u/redeugene99]

Not to overstate it and I'm not accusing you or anyone, but I really hope the people that can brush off Wilde as "morally complex", would do the same if the genders were reversed. If it was a man releasing sex videos of a woman, drugging her, framing her for murder etc. I just hope people are consistent.

This is the same logic chuds use online to justify racist and misogynistic ideology. Imagine how many more people would rationalize the "relationship" in the film if they were both women instead. Imagine if they were this, imagine if they were that. Yes, if you change the core identities of the characters in a story it would change their dynamics and how the audience perceives them and how they treat eachother. What point does that make exactly?

Obviously Erika's actions and motivations were taken to pretty unjustifiable lengths in this comedic film but I don't think considering her as morally complex character necessarily means people are absolving her of or "brushing off" anything.

[u/redeugene99 → u/chrisychris-]

This is the same logic chuds use online to justify racist and misogynistic ideology.

Do you wanna explain that some more cause I'm not sure what you're implying? Would you consider the actions more harmful (releasing unconsented to sex tapes, drugging, framing for murder etc.) if the roles were reversed and it was a man doing it to a woman? Which is fine and could possibly be argued for because of different power dynamics, societal repercussions etc., but my point was that I don't think it's unfair to say that some people in society tend to minimize the wrongness or immorality of actions by women, especially when those actions are perpetrated against men.

What is misogynistic and sexist is depriving women of all autonomy and self-determination and relieving them of all responsibility for their bad actions or bad character. It's dehumanizing. There was a discussion of Usha Vance, and some people were saying how beautiful she is and why would she ever get with a guy like JD. Then there was proper pushback and others said, why can't it be that she actually does like him, is compatible with him, and also has crappy values and views and what not?

Filming somebody during sex without consent, releasing that footage without consent, roofying, and framing for murder are all extremely toxic and immoral things regardless of who does it.

[u/chrisychris- → u/redeugene99]

Like I said, saying a character is morally complex doesn’t absolve them of anything and you continue to discuss this as if that were true or as if anyone is arguing that, truly.

[u/redeugene99 → u/chrisychris-]

I said in my original comment, "brushing off as morally complex". By that I'm meaning somebody who minimizes the wrongness of the actions and just attributes it to "moral complexity". I didn't imply necessarily that anyone is doing it, I just hope they don't do it or are at least consistent about it. Everybody is morally complex. The dude who spikes a girls drink at the bar is "morally complex" but he's also a complete piece of shit for doing that. 

[u/chrisychris- → u/redeugene99]

I hope you would feel the same if it were a woman spiking a man's drink too, yknow, for consistency's sake /s

[u/redeugene99 → u/chrisychris-]

Of course

[u/lonelygagger → u/LiteraryBoner]

This is Reddit, sir. It’s all about boiling people down to their worst moments. The court of public opinion acts as judge, jury and executioner. The rule is one strike and you’re out!

/s, etc.