Gregg Araki, a foundational director in the New Queer Cinema movement, has returned to filmmaking with a new comedy, “I Want Your Sex,” and a question for the younger generation: “Like, why don’t you have sex? What’s going on?”
Speaking at the opening night of OutfestNEXT in Los Angeles, Araki addressed recent reports suggesting Gen Z is less sexually active than previous generations. “Sex is a huge part of my life. My journey as a person, as an artist — it’s all tied to sex, sexual experiences, relationships,” he explained. “I can’t comprehend life without it.”
His new film, which stars Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, directly confronts this cultural shift. The story follows an ambitious artist, Erika (Wilde), who engages in a BDSM relationship with her young assistant, Elliot (Hoffman). Araki describes Wilde's character as his “mouthpiece” in the film, championing a philosophy of embracing life's messy, formative experiences.
“Will you regret not taking a chance, venturing out of your house, risking getting hurt, getting confused, getting your heart broken?” Araki said, channeling the film's message. “Go out on a bad date, have that bad relationship... Be in love with the wrong person. That’s fucking life! That’s growing up! That’s how you learn about yourself.”
In contrast, Hoffman’s 23-year-old character is written to represent a more cautious Gen Z perspective, shaped by the pandemic and a life lived online. “Social interaction makes them uncomfortable,” Araki observed. “And also, they’re being filmed and videotaped constantly. If I thought somebody was going to film me going into that gay bar back when I was a teenager, would I have done it? Probably not.”
A New Era of Filming Sex
“I Want Your Sex” marks the first time Araki has worked with an intimacy coordinator, a role that has become standard on sets in the decade since his last feature, 2014’s “White Bird in a Blizzard.” He stated that the decision rests with the actors and what makes them most comfortable.
“I’ve heard horror stories of people who are bad intimacy coordinators and make it more awkward and uncomfortable,” he noted, adding that his own extensive experience with such scenes often provides actors with a sense of security. He explained that while Wilde had more experience with nude scenes, Hoffman was initially “terrified.”
“He’s never done a nude scene, never done a sex scene, but Cooper was very like, ‘This scares the shit out of me. But that’s why I want to do it!’” Araki recalled. “That’s why Cooper’s a fucking movie star.”
The State of Queer Cinema
Araki, whose ‘90s “Teen Apocalypse Trilogy” helped define a generation of queer filmmaking, also commented on the current state of the independent film industry. He sees an opportunity in the shifting tastes of younger, “Letterboxd generation” audiences who are tired of old Hollywood formulas.
“It’s a really exciting time because the rules are kind of thrown out the window,” he said. “But it is [still] hard to get a movie made, hard to get a movie distributed. So, I’m just grateful that we got this made and that it’s going to be out in theaters!”
The film’s premiere at OutfestNEXT is a homecoming for the director, who received the festival's achievement award in 2005. “My movies have always been by, for and about queer people. So, it’s my people,” Araki said. “It’s L.A., it’s queer. It’s coming home!”
“I Want Your Sex” secured distribution from Magnolia Pictures after a bidding war at the Sundance Film Festival and is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 31.
