I Want Your Sex: Star studded film looking at sexual power dynamics, and the porn industry, has more style than substance

3 Stars

‘There’s things that you guess, And things that you know, There’s boys you can trust, And girls that you don’t.’ These lyrics kick off George Michael’s seductive 80s pop track ‘I Want Your Sex,’ a track that loans its title to Gregg Araki’s newest feature. Starring Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy), Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), and Charli XCX (UglyDolls), Araki’s film certainly also illustrates that there are boys you can trust and girls that you don’t. 

When Elliot (Hoffman) lands himself a surprising position in an art gallery, he’s immediately blown away by his ultra-confident employer Erika (Wilde), who couldn’t be more different from his ambivalent scientist girlfriend Minerva (XCX). Erika waits a mere week before bringing Elliot into her office to find out how far the young twentysomething is willing to go to accommodate her needs. Without so much as a thought for Minerva, Elliot dives in to test the waters and is soon willing to be at Erika’s every seductive beck and call. With hilarious and sometimes sinister consequences, this fresh-faced boy who initially takes it all at face value soon realises that he is out of his depth. Elliot could easily be a slightly older version of Hoffman’s Licorice Pizza character Gary Valentine: they shed the same confidence and are equally swayed by the prowess of an older woman.

From the director of Mysterious Skin comes this new stylised sex comedy which explores generational differences, queer identity, and sexual politics. For fans of films like Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, the film’s superficial look gets the audience questioning the porn industry, while the plot covers power, betrayal, and possible murder. XCX’s scenes raise the most laughter from the audience; after Elliot suggests they take a break so he can spend more time with Erika, Minerva is quite frankly more cheerful for having an excuse to end it with Elliot.

Playful, provocative, and elevated by the starring trio’s performances (Wilde’s being particularly notable), at best I Want Your Sex is an explorative film looking at sexual power dynamics and the porn industry, although it could be accused of having more style than substance. At worst it’s an entertaining sex comedy that sees the naïve boy from across the street make every possible bad decision he can – either way it’s worth the 90 minutes.

I Want Your Sex received its UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival, with a remaining screening on Wednesday 19th August and a wide UK release from Friday 28th August.

I Want Your Sex