FILM REVIEWS:
I WANT YOUR SEX (USA 2026) ***½
Directed by Gregg Araki
It has been 7 years since the last Gregg Araki film. An Araki film is always fucked up, which means that the film can be a lot of fun if one is willing to be daring enough to take their entertainment without borders.
I WANT YOUR SEX can be described as an erotic black comedy-thriller that mixes satire of the contemporary art world with a murder mystery and an exploration of power, desire, and sexual identity.
The murder mystery is initiated right at the film’s start, with a dead floating body in a swimming pool, a nod perhaps to SUNSET BOULEVARD. The police are called as a naked body is reported floating in a swimming pool at the lavish home of celebrated conceptual artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). A shaken Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), Erika's young assistant, is questioned by detectives, and the story unfolds largely through his recollections.
In I WANT YOUR SEX, director Araki satirizes consumerism in the art world, celebrity (Wilde’s Tracy character), and suburban life with her media obsession. The fuckedupness of the film lies in the sexual prowess of Tracy and how she manipulates Elliot with sex, and he becomes her sexual muse. Credit to Wilde for being so daring and cooperative in her role.
As Elliot becomes more deeply involved, he discovers that Erika manipulates nearly everyone around her. Other artists, collectors, lovers, and assistants appear captivated by her charisma yet quietly fear her unpredictability. The glamorous art world gradually reveals itself as a place built on exploitation, ego, and performance.
The tone of Araki’s film shifts from erotic comedy toward psychological thriller as jealousy, obsession, and financial conflicts emerge around Erika's latest exhibition. Elliot begins to suspect that he is merely another disposable participant in one of her performances rather than a genuine romantic partner.
The narrative circles back repeatedly to the mysterious death shown in the opening.
I WANT YOUR SEX is one of Araki’s films with the strongest storyline, though the mystery plot gets lots of distraction, Araki- style.
According to Araki, he had planned I WANT YOUR SEX a kind of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY variation for over ten years. The film was originally a very different story about a female intern and a male boss. As the story morphed and developed — and in the wake of the MeToo movement — he decided that a woman in that submissive role wasn’t an image I wanted to see or propagate, even if it was in a 100% consensual relationship. So he flipped the sex roles, which worked better with a different perspective.
Araki fans should not be disappointed as there is plenty of Araki-style filming and humour. Araki’s regular, James Duvall, also has a camera as a priest at the end of the film. Comedienne Margaret Cho has a small role as a detective, and singer-songwriter CHARLI XCX also has a role in the film as Elliot’s uptight girlfriend.
I WANT YOUR SEX opens in theatres July 31, 2026.
Trailer:
