It can’t be overstated just how much of an impact classic Hollywood director Billy Wilder had on filmmakers. From laugh riots like Some Like It Hot and The Apartment to the full-blown dramas of Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard – the latter of which is considered one of the first horror films ever made – Wilder’s sheer versatility was his greatest strength. So, when Gregg Araki opens his latest film, I Want Your Sex, with a Sunset Boulevard homage in which Olivia Wilde lies nude, face down in a pool, while Cooper Hoffman runs around in lingerie, I often chuckle at how far we’ve come in cinema.
I Want Your Sex is the latest film from Gregg Araki—an icon in the world of independent cinema, often credited as a pioneer of the New Queer Cinema movement. His films have long shocked and entertained audiences with their typically uncensored, honest portrayals of sexuality and young people. His new feature — the first in 12 years — is a return to form in all of its idiosyncrasies and brutally honest characters.
The film follows Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), an idealistic, if somewhat self-pitying twenty-something whose fantasies come true when he lands an assistant role with renowned sexual artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). When a call to Erika’s office turns into a proposition to become her sexual muse and deviant, Elliot begins to question his ambitions, boundaries, and even his relationship with his girlfriend (Charli xcx—she’s everywhere!) and his inhibited roommate (Chase Sui Wonders).
In true Araki fashion, the walls begin to close in on Elliot as chaos ensues throughout his increasingly upfront relationship with Erika. The sets are awash in pastels from Elliot’s Pee-wee’s Playhouse-esque apartment, complete with a purple ’90s fridge, to the orgasmic ambience of Erika’s art studio in the middle of Los Angeles.
Gregg Araki is 66 years old, yet his films have mostly been centred around young people. Whether it’s because he’s the youngest-looking 66-year-old I’ve ever seen or not, Araki’s ability to resonate with youth continues to be his greatest strength. Recently, in an interview for The Big Picture, the auteur discussed how his personality is very similar to Cooper Hoffman’s character in the film. I find it impressive that somebody from a different generation can resonate with a “zoomer” and create such a nuanced portrayal so effectively.
Although, the real star performance here is Olivia Wilde as Erika Tracy. Wilde is having quite the year, with both I Want Your Sex and The Invite premiering at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, as well as an upcoming Tony Gilroy film called Behemoth!. It’s safe to say she’s bouncing back from the so-called disaster of Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde is having way too much fun as Erika Tracy. She’s operating at an 11 out of 10 in every scene, with a performance that is mean, honest, and especially gaudy. It feels like the yin to her repressed role in The Invite’s yang.
I quickly came to appreciate how each set serves as the perfect backdrop for the ensemble. It’s like when the cold foam on your cold brew hits just right. There’s something to be said about seeing Cooper Hoffman in a Sonic Youth T-shirt, eating Froot Loops while his roommate lurks behind him with a strawberry-frosted doughnut against the backdrop of their achingly colourful kitchen. Another example would be Elliot and his fellow art studio colleagues chewing gum before placing it inside the lines of a portrait of a vagina – a gesture that screams how empty her art is. Erika Tracy isn’t even in the scene, but the off-screen chemistry is communicated so well that everything feels exactly as it should in the moment.
At its core, I Want Your Sex is Gregg Araki’s plea to younger generations – mainly people under 25 – to burst through the seams of their digital age and live life a bit more dangerously. I’d argue the film makes the case that being a total fool for a short period of your life, whether it’s a year or two weeks, can be one of those rites of passage your parents always told you about. It’s more about learning who you are, discovering the limits you can push, and simply figuring out what you want out of all of this.
The director recently spoke before a premiere, saying that he made this film because “we’re living in f–cked up, hellish times, so have a good time!” Simply put, this could count as the core thesis of I Want Your Sex. Araki has meshed with the depraved in the past, but there’s something to be said about his passion for making fun, sexy, and cartoonishly funny movies.
I Want Your Sex is a huge win for the Gen-z for Sex Scenes Coalition. Putting yourself out there can be scary as a young person, Araki pleads, but not as scary as never living the life you’ve always wanted. I’m very charmed to have Araki and his “I need to be high” cartoonish humor back.
