LOVE: Arthouse Meets Pornhouse: Previous Explicit Art Films

In anticipation for Gaspar Noé's 3D film Love, which follows the encounters of a man, a woman and another woman, it only seemed appropriate to look back at some of our other favourite steamy art films.

Shame (2011) 

Directed by Academy award winner Steve McQueen, Shame follows Brandon (played by Michael Fassbender), a man in the depths of his sexual addiction while living alone in the city. When his confused young sister (Carey Mulligan) arrives for an indefinite stay, he is forced to address his issues.

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

Is there anything more notorious than the butter scene in Last Tango in Paris? Bertolucci's infamous film follows a young Parisian woman and an American businessman and their relationship based purely on sex. Last Tango is still talked about decades later by critics who often seem totally divided, but it still remains as one of the most referenced and debated films ever.

In the Realm of the Senses (1976) 

Realm is a re-telling of the circumstances involving Sada Abe, containing unsimulated sex scenes between many of the actors. Sada Abe works as a maid in a hotel, where she is violated by the owner. The two begin an affair that is rife with sexual experimentation, which ends in drastic violence.

Stranger by the Lake (2014)

Where to begin with the very provocative Stranger by the Lake? Following the affairs of Michel and Franck two men who frequent a cruising spot for young men, and featuring several scenes of unsimulated oral sex, this movie will make anybody blush.

LOVE screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 8:45 PM RYERSON
Thurs, Sept 17, 6:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX