Erotic Movies: 15 Films About Desire, Sex and Relationships

What makes an erotic movie worth watching?

A good erotic movie uses sexuality to reveal something about its characters, not simply to decorate the screen. Desire might expose a hidden fantasy, challenge a relationship, shift a power dynamic or force someone to admit what they actually want.

That is why the films below range from obvious erotic dramas to movies that are more about tension, intimacy or sexual curiosity. Some are romantic, some uncomfortable, some funny and a few are decidedly messy. That is part of the appeal.

You also do not have to want to recreate what happens on screen. A fantasy can be fascinating precisely because it belongs in fantasy. Think of this list as fifteen different ways cinema has asked: what happens when people stop pretending desire is simple?

Which erotic movies explore open relationships and polyamory?

If you are curious about relationships beyond traditional monogamy, these erotic movies offer three very different perspectives. None presents non-monogamy as one simple formula, which is exactly what makes them interesting.

1. The Invite (2026)

A struggling married couple spends an evening with their sexually adventurous neighbours, and what starts as dinner soon pushes them into much less familiar territory. The Invite mixes comedy, attraction and marital tension while asking what happens when another couple openly lives by rules you have never seriously questioned.

Explores: non-monogamy, marriage, jealousy, curiosity and sexual communication.
Conversation starter: Would an open relationship interest you as a fantasy, even if you would never want one in real life?

2. Four Little Adults (2023)

After discovering her husband's affair, Juulia makes an unexpected choice: instead of simply ending the marriage, she begins exploring polyamory. Soon there are four adults trying to build relationships that make emotional sense to everyone involved. The result is thoughtful rather than sensational, with plenty to say about boundaries, jealousy and whether love really becomes easier when the rules change.

Explores: polyamory, infidelity, boundaries and emotional honesty.
Conversation starter: Which would be harder for you to manage, sexual jealousy or emotional jealousy?

3. Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)

This romantic biographical drama imagines the unconventional relationship between psychologist William Moulton Marston, his wife Elizabeth and Olive Byrne. Alongside their three-way relationship, the film connects desire, dominance, submission and the ideas that helped inspire Wonder Woman. It is a glossy dramatization rather than a relationship manual, but it offers plenty to talk about.

Explores: polyamory, dominance, submission and unconventional relationships.
Conversation starter: Can a relationship work well if it looks completely different from what society expects?

Which erotic movies explore BDSM, power and control?

BDSM in cinema can range from tender negotiation to deliberately uncomfortable power games. These four films are interesting because they show that dominance and submission are often as psychological as they are physical.

4. Secretary (2002)

Secretary follows Lee and her demanding employer, Mr Grey, as their unusual working relationship develops into a dominant and submissive dynamic. It is funny, romantic and deliberately strange, although parts of its workplace setup and approach to consent feel dated today.

Explores: BDSM, submission, spanking, shame and self-acceptance.
Conversation starter: Is giving up control appealing when you know you can take it back?

5. The Duke of Burgundy (2014)

Two women repeatedly act out an elaborate mistress and servant fantasy, but underneath the beautiful rituals sits a very familiar relationship problem: what happens when partners want different things? The film is less interested in shock than in negotiation, routine and the effort involved in keeping a shared fantasy satisfying.

Explores: BDSM, roleplay, desire differences and compromise.
Conversation starter: How much should partners compromise when their favourite fantasies do not match?

6. Sanctuary (2022)

Most of Sanctuary takes place between a wealthy client and the dominatrix he hires to play out carefully scripted scenarios. When he decides their arrangement must end, the boundaries between performance, attraction and genuine power become increasingly slippery. It is more verbal chess match than conventional erotic romance, and that is exactly why it works.

Explores: dominance, roleplay, control and emotional power.
Conversation starter: Can pretending to have power over someone create real emotional power?

7. Babygirl (2024)

A successful CEO begins an affair with a younger intern who taps into submissive desires she has not been able to express in her marriage. Babygirl is deliberately messy about power, secrecy and fantasy, and the workplace imbalance makes it something to discuss rather than imitate.

Explores: submission, sexual frustration, age gaps, marriage and hidden fantasies.
Conversation starter: Would it be difficult to tell a long-term partner about a fantasy that changes how they see you?

If films like these make you curious about the difference between screen fantasy and real-life kink, browse BDSM accessories slowly and start with something that feels comfortable for both of you. Our guide to sexual roleplay is also a useful next read if the acting-out-a-fantasy part sounds more exciting than the equipment.

Which erotic movies focus on sexual discovery and experimentation?

Some of the most memorable erotic movies are really stories about learning. These films explore pleasure, bodies and intimacy through people who are discovering something new about themselves.

8. Shortbus (2006)

Set around a New York salon where art, relationships and sexuality collide, Shortbus follows several adults dealing with orgasm, open relationships, loneliness and connection. It is by far one of the most sexually explicit films on this list, but its real interest lies in how vulnerable people can be when sex stops being a performance.

Explores: orgasm, queer sexuality, non-monogamy and intimacy.
Conversation starter: Is talking openly about sex sometimes more intimate than having it?

9. The Sessions (2012)

Based on writer Mark O'Brien's experiences, The Sessions follows a disabled man who works with a professional sex surrogate because he wants to experience partnered sex. Warm, funny and unusually tender, the film treats sexual pleasure as part of adult humanity rather than something reserved for one type of body.

Explores: disability, body confidence, first experiences and sexual communication.
Conversation starter: How much of sexual confidence comes from your body, and how much comes from feeling accepted?

10. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

Nancy is a widowed former teacher who has spent decades feeling disconnected from her own pleasure. Hiring sex worker Leo gives her a space to ask questions, challenge old shame and discover what she actually enjoys. It is refreshingly grown-up about ageing, body image and the fact that sexual discovery does not have an expiry date.

Explores: pleasure, ageing, body confidence and sexual self-discovery.
Conversation starter: Is there something you would like to learn about your own pleasure without worrying about being "good" at it?

If that question gets you thinking, our guide to erogenous zones is a simple way to turn curiosity towards your own body rather than copying somebody else's script.

Which erotic movies explore jealousy, temptation and complicated desire?

Desire becomes especially interesting when it clashes with commitment. These films put jealousy, attraction and temptation under a microscope, sometimes with spectacularly messy results.

11. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Stanley Kubrick's dreamlike drama begins when a married woman admits to a powerful fantasy about another man. Her confession sends her husband spiralling into a strange nocturnal world of jealousy, temptation and sexual secrecy. For all its famous erotic imagery, the most provocative part may simply be a couple admitting that marriage does not switch off attraction to other people.

Explores: fantasy, jealousy, marriage and sexual secrecy.
Conversation starter: Do partners need to know every fantasy the other person has?

12. Challengers (2024)

Tennis is technically the sport in Challengers, but desire is the real game. A former player, her husband and his former best friend are locked into a triangle where attraction, rivalry and ambition have been tangled together for years. It is less about explicit sex than the electricity of wanting, competing and never quite saying everything out loud.

Explores: attraction, rivalry, triangles, bisexual tension and ambition.
Conversation starter: Can jealousy itself ever feel exciting when everyone involved feels secure?

13. Passages (2023)

A filmmaker married to a man begins an affair with a woman and proceeds to create emotional chaos around all three of them. Passages is sexy, selfish and uncomfortable in equal measure. Rather than presenting desire as automatically liberating, it asks what happens when wanting everything becomes an excuse to ignore everyone else's feelings.

Explores: bisexual desire, infidelity, possessiveness and emotional responsibility.
Conversation starter: Where is the line between following your desire and treating another person's feelings carelessly?

Which erotic movies explore queer desire and forbidden attraction?

Queer desire has produced some of cinema's most charged stories, especially when attraction collides with social expectations, secrecy or control. These two films take very different routes to that tension.

14. The Handmaiden (2016)

Park Chan-wook's lavish psychological thriller begins with deception: a young woman is hired as a handmaiden as part of a scheme against a wealthy heiress. Attraction soon complicates everyone's plans. Sensual, twisty and visually gorgeous, the film mixes erotic desire with manipulation and a struggle to escape the men attempting to control both women.

Explores: queer desire, power, deception and sexual liberation.
Conversation starter: Why can secrecy make attraction feel even more intense?

15. Disobedience (2017)

When Ronit returns to the religious community she left behind, she reconnects with Esti, the woman she once loved and who is now married. Their attraction brings questions of sexuality, faith, freedom and responsibility back to the surface. The erotic tension is intimate rather than flashy, making the emotional stakes feel especially close.

Explores: queer sexuality, forbidden desire, identity and personal freedom.
Conversation starter: How much of our sexual identity is shaped by what we genuinely want, and how much by what we were taught to want?

How can couples use erotic movies as conversation starters?

Erotic movies can make talking about sex easier because you do not have to begin by talking directly about yourself. You can start with the characters, the situation or even a single scene and see where the conversation naturally goes.

Try questions such as:

• "Did anything in that film turn you on?"
• "Was there anything you definitely would not enjoy in real life?"
• "Which part worked better as fantasy than reality?"
• "Did any relationship dynamic surprise you?"
• "Is there something there you would like to adapt in our own way?"

You do not need a dramatic revelation at the end. Sometimes discovering that you both liked the same bit of tension is enough. If you want to carry that playful mood into the evening, sexual board games can keep the conversation going, while couples' vibrators are an option if you both feel like making the evening a little less cinematic and a little more hands-on.

What should you remember when an erotic movie inspires a fantasy?

The hottest thing on screen is not automatically a good blueprint for real sex. Films compress conversations, skip practical preparation and often turn questionable decisions into drama because, well, two people calmly discussing boundaries for twenty minutes rarely gets the trailer treatment.

If a scene inspires you, borrow the idea rather than copying it exactly. Ask what part actually appeals to you: the power exchange, being watched, dressing up, trying something with another person, surrendering control, taking control or simply doing something unfamiliar together.

Then talk about boundaries, consent, protection, comfort and how either person can stop. If you are adding a toy, choose something appropriate for the intended use and start gently. Curiosity works best when nobody feels pressured to perform.

If a film leaves you curious about trying something new together, you do not need to jump straight into the deep end. Our sex toys for beginners are a good place to start with simple, approachable options that can make experimenting together feel more relaxed.

What do people most often ask about erotic movies?

People looking for erotic movies are often searching for very different things, from a genuinely good relationship drama to something sexy enough for date night. These quick answers should help you narrow it down.

Are erotic movies the same as pornography?

No. Erotic movies are narrative films in which desire, sexuality or sensuality plays an important role in the story. Some contain explicit scenes, while others rely mainly on tension and suggestion. Pornography is primarily created to sexually arouse the viewer rather than tell a conventional dramatic story.

What is a good erotic movie for couples?

The Invite is an easy conversation starter for couples curious about relationship boundaries, while Eyes Wide Shut digs deeper into fantasy and jealousy. For something warmer and less emotionally explosive, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande offers a thoughtful look at pleasure and sexual confidence.

What erotic movies explore open relationships?

Four Little Adults, The Invite, Newness and Shortbus all explore forms of non-monogamy, although in very different ways. Some focus on polyamory, others on sexual openness, jealousy or experimentation. They are useful reminders that "open relationship" can describe many different arrangements.

What erotic movies explore BDSM?

Secretary, The Duke of Burgundy, Sanctuary and Babygirl all explore dominance or submission. Their relationships are intentionally dramatic and sometimes unhealthy, so treat them as stories about power and desire rather than practical examples of how consensual BDSM should work.

Can watching erotic movies help couples talk about fantasies?

Yes. Discussing fictional characters can create a low-pressure way to talk about attraction, boundaries and fantasies. Instead of asking your partner to reveal something immediately, start with "What did you think of that?" and let the conversation move naturally towards what each of you might enjoy.

Is it normal to enjoy a fantasy you would never try in real life?

Absolutely. Fantasy does not have to be a wishlist. People can find situations exciting in fiction while having no desire to experience them themselves. What turns you on in imagination and what makes you feel safe, comfortable and fulfilled in real life can be completely different things.

Which erotic movie should you watch first?

The best erotic movie to start with depends on what fascinates you. Try The Invite for modern relationship curiosity, Secretary or The Duke of Burgundy for power dynamics, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande for sexual self-discovery, or Eyes Wide Shut if you want desire served with a generous side of psychological chaos.

More importantly, notice what gets you talking afterwards. The most interesting erotic movies rarely give neat answers about sex and relationships. They give you better questions.

And if movie night leaves you both in an experimental mood, you can keep things playful with our sexual board games for couples. No elaborate screenplay required.

Explore sexual board games