You Are Not Ready for "I Want Your Sex"

[the following review is spoiler-free]

At film festivals, I tend to go into screenings completely blind, and this year's Sundance Film Festival is no different. That was not the case this afternoon when I entered my screening of Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex, my personally most anticipated film of 2026. As a major fan of Araki's previous work, I have been keeping track of this film's development for the past year, desperate to lay my eyes on it. But despite the sheer anticipation and high expectations, I had no idea what I Want Your Sex had in store...

I Want Your Sex is famed writer/director, Gregg Araki's first feature since 2014's White Bird in a Blizzard. Most well known for his involvement in the New Queer Cinema movement of the 90's, Araki has never been afraid of a daring script that shocks audiences as well as entertains them. Most of his films have some element of sexuality in them like 2004's Mysterious Skin or 1997's Nowhere, but his latest feature turns that up to eleven.

I Want Your Sex is part of a genre that has long since died out: the erotic thriller. It follows Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), a fresh-faced 23 year old who gets a job working for famed contemporary artist, Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), 14 years his senior. Soon after landing the job, Erika grooms Elliot into being her submissive and the two begin an intense sexual relationship. But as chaos soon follows, Elliot learns that he is in way over his head.

Led by Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde, the film also employs the talents of Daveed Diggs, Chase Sui Wonders, Mason Gooding, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, and Charli XCX.

Everything about this film is maximalist and unafraid to take risks. The vibrant production design by Angelique Clark is something to behold, an absolute feast for the eyes. Color is used extremely intentionally in this film, something that even layman viewers will notice. I can't help but appreciate the boldness, even though some risky editing and story choices will be hit-or-miss for some viewers. Simply put, I Want Your Sex is Gregg Araki: elevated.

Not to mention unexpectedly hilarious. I was not expecting any comedy whatsoever from this film but there were over a dozen moments that had my theater roaring with laughter. Special props are due to Mason Gooding and Chase Sui Wonders who deliver most of the movie's comedic lines with impeccable timing. This film understands the inherent ridiculousness of sex as a subject and never takes itself too seriously. In the words of star, Chase Sui Wonders: "sex is funny, sex is memeable," Gregg Araki and company are simply embracing that. It is a far cry from the director's most famous project: Mysterious Skin. Overall, this ended up being a much less intimidating watch than I expected.

Let me not mince words, I Want Your Sex has the most incredible costumes I have seen at Sundance. The combined work of the wardrobe, makeup, and hairstyling teams make Olivia Wilde impossible to take your eyes off of. Audiences will be waiting with baited breath until the next time they can catch a glimpse of her on screen.

The brilliance of I Want Your Sex would not be possible without Cooper Hoffman's performance as Elliot. Son of legendary actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, this new actor has been finding his footing in the industry for the past few years, making his debut in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza back in 2021. Most recently he gave a spellbinding performance in Francis Lawrence's The Long Walk but I Want Your Sex gives audiences a new look at the young actor like we've never seen him before. Elliot is an incredibly intimidating role, with as much nudity, vulnerability, and BDSM scenes are expected of him, it would be a challenge for even the most seasoned of actors but Hoffman fully commits. I honestly can't help but respect him for it. As a pair, him and Wilde have great on-screen chemistry, it's clear there's a real respect between the two when the cameras are off. Olivia Wilde shows similar commitment to the role of Erika, playing her with this domineering fearless attitude that has not been able to leave my mind.

Going into I Want Your Sex, I was expecting a mere gender-bent version of Steven Shainberg's Secretary, but there is far more originality than that. As a screenplay, I Want Your Sex has strong themes of obsession, power dynamics, generational differences, and of course, sex. In his first film in twelve years, Gregg Araki is practically shaking Gen Z viewers by the shoulders, begging them to overcome their sexual repression and stop taking intimacy so seriously. It's actually quite impressive how a 66 year old director was able to capture Gen Zers with a perfectly blend of respect and condescension. I can't help but feel like the cast and crew had an absolute blast making this movie.

I Want Your Sex is an undeniably risky film that won't be for everyone but fans of the irreverent and edgy will eat it up with a spoon, I know I did. Details are scarce on when it will get a wide theatrical release date but I implore you to see it on the biggest screen possible, with your inhibitions left at the cinema door. Just don't watch it with your mom...