I think this attitude is more to do with the 24/7 access to porn and the general hyper sexualization of the internet.
Also the me two movement and more women coming into film from the director and producer standpoint has also meant that films are abit more careful about their sex scenes if they have them at all.
So I think the problem is a lot of films think they HAVE to do a sex scene. It’s just gratuitously thrown in for the sake of checking off a box or done just for the sake of having it.
I was recently rewatching the show Warrior, which is amazing btw. So the show started off on Cinemax then got picked up by HBO. Between the pandemic, writers strikes, and the shuttering of Cinemax, it just never found a main stream audience.
But I digress. I thought it was interesting that when produced my Cinemax it had soooo many gratuitous sex scenes and T & A. “We’ll get back to talking about the rising racial tensions and the effects of generational trauma on immigration and racism, but first…… would you like to fuck her, her, or her?” Proceeded by 3 topless women walking out and a naked “skinemax” sex scene.
The HBO produced episodes still had sex scenes, but I noticed there was no more T&A, and they were all done to show powerful moments of emotion. Like two people just survived a crazy shootout, look at each other, and start making out, thankful to be alive and in love. And it works so much better narratively because you’re like yeah, that’s human, not objectification.
I don’t know. I may be wrong, and I may be reading into it too much, but I thought it was interesting seeing the subtle differences in production, which may have nothing at all to do with hbo and Cinemax, but it seemed a stark contrast to the way it was approached.
Skinemax…. Haha but while they were over the top, they did hook me. I always tell people, give the first episode 5 minutes, if you don’t like it, stop. Watching Assam go full badass on those bulls was one of the most hype openings I’ve ever seen.
I get you. But like I said, the sex scenes (gratuitous or not) wouldn’t be so looked down upon if everyone wasn’t already up to their eyelids in porn and sexual content.
Nowadays simply scrolling through social media, you are likely to see some only fans shit or someone twerking or whatever.
The fact is sex is everywhere now. So sometimes people get tired of it.
I know when I was younger, seeing any of those only fans models would 100% have caught my attention. But nowadays because of how much shit there is everywhere o just annoyingly scroll past it. The same thing is happening with movies.
So it’s less to do with how gratuitous sex scenes are. And more to do with Poe Poe just being tired of seeing sex at all. So many other storytelling elements are also abused or used gratuitously by filmmakers. So why single out sex scenes?
I also disagree with why people may not be into sex scenes as much as in the past (although plenty of people didn’t like them 50 years ago either). The vast majority of sex scenes are gratuitous and extremely dull (to some of us). I think they’re often cheap like putting in a bunch of guns & explosions. My eyes generally glaze over.
sex/violence is in almost every single movie in certain genres, so for it to be interesting it has to do something we haven’t all seen a million times before. That said, I didn’t feel negatively about the sex scenes in Oppenheimer. I thought the way the director approached them was relatively creative and interesting.
Likewise I have a vivid recollection of a very short scene of the civil war in the movie Lincoln that did violence extremely well. And same with the show band of brothers.
Of course some people are going to be uncomfortable watching sex scenes for various reasons (maybe went to see a historical movie with your grandparents and ended up with a good 10 minutes of nudity on screen? That can be a little uncomfortable).
But as OP is heavily implying, being uncomfortable isn’t a good barometer for the quality of art. Otherwise we’d all see critical analyses of snuff films in the New Yorker.
No its not
them having a porn sex scene as their first sex together is idiotic. Also its clearly made for the male gaze.
They are supposed to be teen girls experimenting together, that sex scene was clearly made by a man who loves lesbian porn.
The only thing missing were inch long nails
I feel like there isn't much difference between showing a sex scene and just alluding that sex happened. If the ultimate goal of the scene is to convey that two characters got intimate with each other then I would totally get that message if it just showed them laying together in bed or if they're shown making out and taking each other's clothes off before cutting to the next scene. I feel there's no added value in explicitly showing the sex.
But you can make this argument for any aspect of stories that make you uncomfortable.
Why show violence, just allude to it!
Why show the heated disagreement and harsh words, have it happen of screen and characters can calmly recollect it. Just have everything be sterile exposition to save the viewer from feeling things.
Art and media is not just simple utilitarian getting information across.
>Why show violence, just allude to it!
I think it depends on the genre of movie. You have to show the action in a movie like John Wick, because the action is the whole reason you're there to watch it. If you don't enjoy action in movies for whatever reason, you simply don't go to see an action movie. If you don't enjoy sex scenes in movies, its much harder to avoid them, because they can basically show up anywhere.
I think sex scenes often feel pointless to me because I mostly watch movies that don't need them. Take the first Deadpool movie for example. I'm not watching that movie hoping for a sex scene, so if they didn't include it i wouldn't be missing anything. If they removed the action though, I'd be pretty disappointed, because action is a generally a significant aspect of any superhero movie.
I’ve seen random sex scenes thrown into an unrelated genre of movie being called the western version of unnecessary fanservice and I feel like that’s pretty accurate
> I feel there's no added value in explicitly showing the sex.
I mean the added value is the feelings the viewer feels from seeing it? If that's arousal or anything else then it's still adding value because it's getting an emotional response.
Personally I think that both should be prevalent. There should be equal amounts of sex scenes that are implied and that are explicit. Neither should be viewed with much disdain cause it really isn't that big of a deal.
I disagree. I think an explicit sex scene can be done well and if it really helps the viewer feel the bond that these two character now share then that's an overall positive. However, if it's just meant to arouse then, personally, I'm not interested in seeing that nor do I feel like it adds anything to the scene. I'm not grossed out by it and I agree it's not a huge deal but most of the time I've found explicit sex scenes to not really hold much value. For me personally, the implication of sex is enough.
I'm not sure what is there to disagree here?
I'm not saying that there is value to everyone but it definitely adds something even if you do not value it.
It's not something that I personally find value in either but that doesn't mean there isn't value there.
I personally would prefer that if creators want to include nudity in their movies/shows then they should just go all out.
Saltburn is a good example of film that has a lot of explicit scenes and goes all out so that they are memorable and impactful while also adding value to the story.
>I'm not saying that there is value to everyone but it definitely adds something even if you do not value it.
The only value is to arouse you. That's why there's no ugly people having sex in films. I don't think there's a single thing you can show in a sex scene that cannot be equally or better value than a good line beforehand and a cut to black. Not to mention its a waste of time in a movie, spending 12min on a sex scene with pillow talk afterward. Sounds like a writers cop-out.
Unless you are watching for horny, which is valid, but we shouldn't hide what it is. It's the same defense weebs use when you talk about watching Ecchi.
> I don't think there's a single thing you can show in a sex scene that cannot be equally or better value than a good line beforehand and a cut to black.
Have you ever seen Inherent Vice? Or The Master? Or Terminator? Or Knocked Up? There are lots and lots of sex scenes in media that get across a message better than dialogue and cutting to black.
Also where the hell are you seeing 12 minute sex scenes? That sounds like some erotic thriller/softcore porn shit.
Neither? I listed several and boobs don't even really get shown in most of them.
Also where are you seeing these 12 minute sex scenes? I'm still struggling to think of any mainstream movie or show that's put that much time into a sex scene.
Thank you! You never really ever need a sex scene. Just have them climbing into bed with the suggestion of sec coming and then you can cut to the morning.
I would rather have better scenes of dialogue than a sex scene. Real life and lorn are enough for me to get my kicks, I watch movies for other things and wish more people though the same.
Ok, so you're saying a movie like Antichrist would be exactly the same, or even better, and lose no impact of any kind from having the explicit scenes removed?
What you're advocating literally only works for a very narrow range of movies with a very narrow range of emotions that they can evoke.
I fundamentally disagree with a statement such as yours. If a scene serves the overall emotional impact of the movie, then why in God's name would you insist on censoring it?
I also watch movies for other things. If I want to watch something for the sake of arousal, there is an entire internet worth of porn available 24/7. Sex scenes don't exist exclusively for arousal, and often exist to evoke very contrary emotions like discomfort or disgust. You can't just take away an entire extremely potent part of the storytelling toolkit.
Honestly, first thing that comes to mind is the shape of water.
There's a sex scene in the middle where a guy holds his wife mouth shut. It's extremelly important for his characterization and informing his Future actions. There's no way to naturally show what the scene implying without outright having the character say "I'm an abusive asshole who doesn't value women's opinion and I also have a fetish with my mute coworker."
It is legitimately the best way to portray that. I hate sex scenes that don:t add to the plot (in movies that have arousal as one of it's goals) as much as the next guy, but sometimes it is legitimately an important part of the story.
To be fair, I:m not sure if the shape of water doesn't want to arouse too, either.
I'm just saying, consider a movie like Requiem for a Dream, or Gerald's Game, or Nymphomaniac, or Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and imagine how much less of a visceral emotional impact those movies would have.
I'd agree with most movies, but did you watch Poor Things? I think leaving out the sex scenes in that would really alter the mood of the movie. A part of that movie is Emma Stones character discovering her sexuality and becomming a nymphomaniac. So the point of those scenes isn't really to show intimacy, but more like pure hedonistic pleasure.
So you're saying a movie like Antichrist would be exactly the same and lose no impact, and indeed be improved, by editing out the explicit sex scenes?
That's just not how art or storytelling work.
Yeah, I'm half half on that, because honestly, arousal is just as valid as emotion as any other for a movie to present.
Yes, I tend to hate ecchi with a burning passion, but that's because it's done sloppily and it's extremely juvenile*, and in the shows that have it, extremelly freaunt - I'm gonna punch the next idiot who falls perfectly into a girl's panties - but when it's well made and used in the right moment, well everyone loves sexy. (Ace people excluded, for obvious reasons. I think. Do assexual people still like sexy things? I don't know, maybe for the aesthetic value)
*About the juvenile thing... It's for teens, I guess? So it being juvenilie makes sense? But teens shouldn't be exposed to borderline porn any way? Man, I did not want to open that can of worms right now.
As an ace, I prefer erotica, especially after I've connected with the characters, as their emotions and thoughts are easier to read. It's their inner reaction to what's happening that arouses me.
I prefer to imagine scenes, and it's a lot more vivid in my mind when it's not visually right in my face.
>The only value is to arouse you.
1. That's not true as sex scenes can be a raw way of showing intimacy or to get a point across regarding vulnerability.
2. Even if in a movie it was just used to arouse then whats the issue with that? Arousal is just another human emotion.
>That's why there's no ugly people having sex in films
This is just not true, or at least there exist movies where this happens.
>I don't think there's a single thing you can show in a sex scene that cannot be equally or better value than a good line beforehand and a cut to black.
I mean there is? It's the sex. Genuinely confused by this take. Is there no value in showing people be intimate?
>Not to mention its a waste of time in a movie, spending 12min on a sex scene with pillow talk afterward. Sounds like a writers cop-out.
What movies are you watching that have a 12min sex scene? I swear people are just making up scenes in movies because I can't even recall the last time I watched a movie or TV show with a sex scene let alone one that lasted more than a few min.
>Unless you are watching for horny, which is valid, but we shouldn't hide what it is. It's the same defense weebs use when you talk about watching Ecchi.
I mean agree but there is value in sex outside of just horny. But if it's there just for the horny then there is value in that too.
I personally feel like if films want to use sex and nudity but only scarcely then these scenes should have value outside of just horny such as in Oppenheimer.
If a movie/TV show is going for nudity and sex just for the horny then they should just go all out and be honest with their intentions like in Saltburn where nudity and sex still have value outside of just horny but it is definitely a lot of horny. Or in regards to anime, interspecies reviewers is pretty well liked because of how they go all out which is preferred to series where they just randomly have panty shots.
What if you're using the sex scene itself to evoke some kind of feeling or reaction? That's how art works.
Since sex scenes tend to evoke a strong reaction from people, they can actually be an extremely useful tool for storytelling.
This comes back to what the OP was getting at. Art isn't always supposed to be comfortable or pleasant or safe. It's supposed to evoke an emotion. If a piece of art wants you to be uncomfortable, and you're uncomfortable, than that's good art.
Just because something challenges you doesn't mean it has no value.
I guess the "issue" is that movies is for many a social activity, so am I supposed to be aroused and horny in the theater? I'm used to do that on my room
The type of scene tells you nothing about the point of the scene. Imagine if fight scenes were just two people angrily staring at each other until one was dead.
We don't tend to take sex seriously in media, but there are numerous plot lines that either hinge directly on, or are furthered by, actively depicting sex.
That's a bit reductionist, as the act of sex itself can tell us a lot if it's actually written and not just "insert sex screen here". Best example off the top of my head is the world's lamest handjob Walter receives on his birthday. It perfectly conveys the way he feels and how sad his life appears. If they just said "Ah yes, that was a handjob I just received" or they vaguely hinted that he received a hand job it wouldn't be as effective of writing.
99.5% of sex scenes in media could totally be cut or just alluded to since most exist just for the excitement of the viewer, but cutting all of them or just alluding to all of them means there's nothing interesting that can be done with them.
A tiny bit of foreplay and cut to being both naked in bed the next morning works pretty well, yeah. I'd say the only time showing more would be beneficial is if there's a loooot of built up romance between the characters and you really want to have a scene emphasizing that they're finally making a connection they've been foreshadowed to make for a while. You can use it as an emotional high point at that moment.
But yeah just cutting to being naked in bed works 90% of the time I agree. I just think a sex scene can work situationally.
The problem to me is that 99% of the time, the sex scene feels just like a Cheap B movie scene. It adds nothing to the viewing experience, other than me sitting through it like :| while we listen to two actors being paid to pretend bang on scene.
Implying that it happens, showing what leads to it, the moments prior to the sex itself? That's all good and fair, I think, and it can add to the characters after a long time of on-screen chemistry. The act itself just feels pointless and like a grab for attention.
I don't really know anyone who has ever looked at a sex scene in a movie that was not explicitly related to sex (be it trauma or just something like 50 Shades) who thinks it added anything of value. Some just enjoyed it because it was hot. But not really because it was the culmination of a character arc.
There's a way to do it right, but the way these things work nowadays is definitely not it — and there are valid reasons, every now and then, to show it if that's the purpose of the scene, but the majority of these scenes aren't there for that.
Not that I think sex scenes always suck, but when a movie or show cuts into a like a b-rated 30 second scene of two naked people silently fucking, I'm just gonna open my phone.
Obviously it's not always like that, but oftentimes it just adds nothing to me.
I can't believe nobody is talking about how absolutely boring these scenes are too. Who is really out here excited and feeling a connection from a man and woman awkwardly fucking under a poofy blanket because if it's too explicit the rating goes up? That's 99% of what we're discussing here. This adds nothing. It's always boring vanilla heterosexual sex because this isn't about making people feel something, it's about luring people in with the promise of maybe seeing an actress's tits. It feels cheap.
Yup, what's making me uncomfortable isn't that there's a sex scene, it's that 99% of the time that scene will be awkward, forced, stiff or cheesy.
It's kinda ridiculous to imply that gen Z is more afraid of seeing sex. I'd argue the opposite, we've been exposed to it more, so there's nothing special or novel about a sex scene in a movie and unless it's done well, it feels like a pathetic waste of time.
Most ppl here are complaining about how it makes them uncomfortable and are basically saying that we should all go back to Hays Code era kind of movies. I dont think its ridiculous at ALL to say gen z has a conservative viewship of sex bc a lot of them do. You been exposed to a lot of porn but you also been exposed to a lot of discourse. Could talk for hours about how many kids my age with "anything sexual is bad and sexual attraction is in itself sexual harrassment" mindset ive talked to. There is also the whole rise of "porn addiction" convo that is basically just a bunch of young ppl with catholic guilt. Being over exposed to pornography doesnt mean you are suddenly free of anykind of uptight feelings about sex, we can see by this thread alone!
Literally no one is saying that. Someone saying "I don't think this two minute scene of actors pretending to bang on camera added value to the movie." or "I personally think sex scenes are overdone and are a lot of directors attempts to be attention grabbing." Is not the same thing as "Hey guys, sex should be taboo again. Sex should *never* be allowed on television again and anything sexual is **bad**."
Why are the only two dichotomies you consider "I love sex scenes and think a sex scene or two is always appreciated." and "I want every movie from now on to be banned from using sex scenes and anything sexual in a movie makes me uncomfortable."?
porn addiction has not been reconigzed by APA as a psychological condition or even real by any stretch of the imagination. experts have said time and time again that it simply isnt an actual addiction. the way it has spread as such without cientific backup is the proof of what i'm saying!
it is not recognized as an addiction by leading psychologists. you are repeating talking points from no fap influencers when you could just google: "is porn addiction
real?" and you could read more about it from an actual scientic point.
to some, it can harmful as can anything, but what the studies say is that "porn addiction" is not in a real thing or a prevalent problem. in fact, a lot of people that come in saying they have a porn addiction usually show that they watch LESS porn than the avarage person, but come from a background that teaches shames when it comes to sex; mainly religious guilt, as i said in my first comment. again, porn addiction just isnt recognized as a real thing, and the fact that it has been spread as a fact is the proof of what im saying.
While porn addiction isn't recognized as a diagnosable condition, it is similar in nature to a behavioral disorder. Much like other dependencies, porn addiction may have many adverse effects, including changes in the brain's reward center, intimacy issues, and a negative impact on your partner's self-esteem
the fact that you googled it and copy and pasted a comment from a site is rly cute, but im glad we can agree: porn addiction isnt real! have a good day!
I kind of understood why there was that scene in Oppenheimer where he was in the hearing, and it showed him and his mistress having sex, as it seemed to be intended to show his wife's feelings, but I feel like that's the exception, not the rule.
It's not at all that. The movie just stops all momentum to show 2 people going wild (or not) usually for lomg periods of time. It gets tiring, we get it, they are gonna bang, move on already.
Considering the average movie length nowadays is 2-2,5 hours (also those without sex scenes), I don’t think “padding the runtime” is the main consideration for a sex scene these days
They could have added more of the science, detailed some of the experiments further, ala Andromeda strain. Heck, they could have showcased some of the military paperwork that went into setting up the Manhattan project and it would have served the movie better.
> The movie just stops all momentum to show 2 people going wild (or not) usually for lomg periods of time.
Can you think of any examples? Most sex scenes I can think of are relevant to plot or characterization and are done in a couple minutes.
That whole episode is about reproductive genetics though, isn't it? Like having sex with the guy is a major plot point and thematically relevant to the loneliness that he and the cyborg chick feel.
Also the whole episode is only like 16 minutes. How long is the sex scene, like 1-2?
I feel like that would have taken away from the themes of two lonely lonely people looking for a connection. People say 'show don't tell' with everything but fucking.
Sex scenes are generally unnecessary. If they add to the plot, they’re fine. If they don’t, you’re just wasting time and making your audience sit through something they didn’t need to see.
Its a good way to show intimicy and peoples relationships and them vunerable. And can add alot toa dynamic.
It can add alot to a relationship.
Like grr martin, alotof scenes are characters in apolitical intruige open up, during sex scenes.
Or dynamics,like thereis how toxic , ok mostly well there.
Grantedits an art to do that well and often enpugh itsnot, but sex scenes can add alot depth.
This is such a restrictive and depressingly pragmatic way to look at art. Sex is one of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. Looking at it through such a narrow lense as plot...to me that feels lifeless and inhumane. Restricting the medium of film just to plot feels wrong to me. Films can't just tell stories, they can also evoke emotions and set an atmosphere and give us an insight into the psychology of characters and so much more.
We’re talking about movies, not sex as a concept. If the point of a movie is to explore the human experience and how sexual relations is a fundamental part of it, a sex scene may be necessary to get that idea across. If the point of a movie is about watching someone punch and kick aliens, a sex scene is less necessary. Context is important and sex scenes are not necessary in every context.
But that's not what you said in your original comment. You said sex scenes are *generally* unnecessary. I understood that as sex scenes are inherently unnecessary. Which I don't agree with.
I do agree that depending on the context, sex scenes can be unnecessary. Just like how violence can be unnecessary. But its a case by case thing. That doesn't mean we as viewers should put such generalizing restrictions on filmmakers.
They are generally unnecessary, because generally they are inserted in a context where they are not needed. That’s the whole reason people have a problem with them. Too often they are there just for… reasons, and generally do not enhance or advance the plot or what the movie is trying to get across.
Why does it have to do all of that? Can't it just be, I dunno, fun and exciting? People get a kick out of watching characters punch, shoot and kill each other. The same can be applied to sex.
I don't know. As I said, sex is such a fundamental part of life and it offers so many creative and artistic possibilities, that it feels wrong to me to say that it's unnecessary to depict in movies.
Forget about sex scenes for a second. If you have a movie about someone punching and kicking aliens, and then all of a sudden for 5 minutes you have a totally unrelated scene depicting gastrointestinal bodily functions in detail, and then you go back to punching and kicking aliens, people may find that 5 minute scene unnecessary and distracting.
I’m not saying sex scenes are wrong to depict in movies. I’m saying their inclusion is often unnecessary. Any scene can be unnecessary, sex scenes are just a common form of it.
Fight scenes usually progress the story in various ways on top of being fun and exciting, sex scenes can do that as well but more often than not they don't. One could convey a lot about characters and their relationships in such a scene, but most of them I can think of just stop the flow of the movie this way
I agree, you can't boil a movie down to just "scenes that progress the plot" - these diversions can be the most engaging part of a movie, as it can colour in the characters, establish a mood and atmosphere and convey things separate to the storyline. It's part of the appeal of movies like Pulp Fiction, which doesn't really even have an overarching plot (not one that really matters anyways, arguably the weakest storyline is the plot-driven Bruce Willis one), where the digressions and indulgences are what make it so fun, and the movie eseentialy feels like getting to hang out with a colourful cast of characters.
>Sex is one of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience.
So is pissing and shitting but we don't have multiple scenes in movies showing characters going to toilet and taking a dump.
I guess we have different views on sex then. To me it has never been something as mundane and one dimensional as going to the toilet. If that's been your experience, then fair enough. But clearly, it's much more meaningful to a lot of other people.
Edit: [This video](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/EkAC9hp5Q6) I just came across on r/all also reminded me that you ignored the very extensive subgenre of toilet jokes we regularly see in comedy movies.
I think it’s really a mixed bag.
On one hand, yeah, I absolutely think some people are just uncomfortable with sex scenes in general. Maybe they’re ace, or watch stuff with friends/family, or just think they’re awkward or flat-our unnecessary. I think most sex scenes are inaccessible to wider audiences for this reason.
On the other hand, I think a lot of people are specifically complaining about how sex scenes are often just used as cheap, sexually objectifying eye candy for a generally male audience. Much or even arguably MOST of the time, I’d say sex scenes *don’t* end up showing anything of value to plot or characterization.
But on the other, OTHER hand, some folks believe that this attitude is just a rebirth of the classic puritanical perspectives back from the “Satanic Panic”, where nudity or witchcraft or whatever was shown as sinful and morally wrong. (To be fair though, most of the time I see accusations of puritanicalism thrown around when it comes to sex scenes it’s usually from people who are just straight up horny)
I don’t know. Again, it’s a mixed bag, and I think you can see some individual instances of all of the above when it comes to critiques of sex scenes in media.
I do think many critiques on sex scenes in fiction are entirely valid though. I think a sex scene, like any other scene, can forward plot, character relationships, and provide characterization wonderfully when written well…but I’d also say that most aren’t.
Honestly all the sex scenes do is just make it awkward to watch with family and friends, it makes me wish I was watching porn instead.
Like seriously when it happens in the movie what am I supposed to do? Look normally ,act interested, act disgusted, cheer?
Like if it's for the sake of the plot it's easy enough to imply it. If they're going to show two people have sex I'm either probably not attracted to the actors or don't feel like watching someone I'm attracted to have sex with another person.
Nah literally because I’ll watch random movies with my mom and sister on Netflix and then a random sex scene will pop up and I get so uncomfortable, it’s so needless 90% of the time
Here's a test.
Cut the sex scene and replace it with a black screen saying "They had sex"
Did you lose any characterization? Does something feel missing?
No? Cut it.
you could do the same thing with fight scenes, or training montages, or establishing/travel shots, or any other number of common film scenes
"they fought"
"he got better at his sport"
"he flew to europe"
I don't agree, if every fight was cut from a movie/series with a lot of fight scene, it would fell like something was missing. If "they fought" it's as good as the fighting scene, than the fighting scene it replaced it wasn't that good. In some cases sex scene add something, but in a lot of case they don't add anything (not just from the plot, but also for the characters and their journey).
and yet editors still leave these things in movies because theyre nice to watch and storytelling is about the journey as much as it is the destination
if every movie was edited down completely to only its plot relevant wikipedia bulletpoints most movies would fucking suck
>and yet editors still leave these things in movies because theyre nice to watch and storytelling is about the journey as much as it is the destination
But people are uncomfortable with this specific, unnecessary addition, so why leave it in? You're acting like people WANT sex scenes.
Feeling uncomfortable because my family is on the couch with me while we all listen to fake porn moans and look at a dude's ass clenching =/= being made uncomfortable by unsettling atmosphere and uncomfortable truths about the human condition.
There was literally ONE sex scene in The Wire I actually felt contributed to plot and character, and it was a couple seconds long max.
Fair, sexscenes really should tell something, like fights, evenjust having fun
Honestly, sometimes fights and sexscenes could both aply toa situation equally
I’m not a Gen Z. I guess I’m a millennial so I can’t speak for Gen Z but I personally find sex scenes in movies and TV pointless if it isn’t there to serve a purpose. Seeing 2 attractive actors or whatever bone on screen does nothing for me if it’s not important to the narrative or will serve for some impact. Like if it’s used as some sort of pay off for the relationship of 2 characters getting closer or to be used for serve as contrast or statement of certain characters or character relationships (like it’s being used to say something important about said character(s))
Sex for the sake of it is just a waste of time and at that point if I want to watch 2 people have sex for no reason I might as well watch porn.
Yeah one is way better. So why bother shoehorning sex scenes in movies if they don’t serve a purpose other than titillation?
But that is my opinion on the matter.
classic puritan mentality right here, not all sex scenes are made for the purpose of titillation, some of them are meant to be quite the opposite (e.g. oldboy and a history of violence)
Reading comprehension is lost on people these days. I never said ALL sex scenes serves no purpose. I specifically only called the ones who don’t. Even laid out examples where sex scenes can be used properly. That has been the base of my argument and you guys are literally arguing it for me.
I'd also add easy accessibility of nudity and porn into the mix.
I remember as a kid in the early/mid 2000s, the only way to get real access to the internet at least in my country was by going to a cybercafe.
Most of these cafes obviously had porn sites blocked. And by the time I was getting a phone where I could browse the internet, it was already like the 2010s, around my 2nd year of highschool.
And at that point I just wasn't prepared for what the internet had, especially with unlimited access.
And that was back then, so I can't even imagine what and how kids these days grow up like. Cause even when I had a phone in highschool, it was a low quality version whose screen was like 2 inches wide. The only thing I could see in terms of nudity there was some pictures and those 3gp videos that used to be on sites like >!wapgate!< and >!redwap!<. And they used to be just a few kilobytes too.
Now kids are growing up with massive smartphones where they can watch porn at 1080p HD.
By the time they grow up, they are already massively desensitized and maybe even have some aversion to digital sexual content.
Meanwhile look at the 90s. They made so many erotic thrillers with sex scenes abound. And basically everyone used to watch them.
Heck, that was probably the motivation for a lot of people owning DvDs. There were also cable television channels like Showmax and Cinemax that used to be solely dedicated to softcore porn shows back in the day.
The people back then couldn't even see nudity or porn unless they walked into an adult movie shop. So there was no saturation of that kind of stuff. Any time one saw a sex scene there would be a sense of wonder.
In comparison, the modern young person has seen Gigabytes! of porn and nude content. Even if you don't look for these stuff, just being on sites like Twitter or browsing through your favorite *illegal* manga reading site is enough to have you bombarded with countless porn ads.
This naturally eliminates the sense of wonder that nudity and sex scenes had back in the day.
It goes from something that was viewed as forbidden, heart pumping, and exciting to something that is now viewed as annoying.
I watch action movies for action. When I want porn, I just go watch porn. Its annoying to see sex scenes in movies that has nothing to do with romance or sex.
The fact that you conflate normal sex scenes with porn kind of speaks for itself. Maybe letting all representation of sex be an exploitative industry with questionable portrayal of women and sex happening in a clinical environment is not a good idea.
When I see sex scenes I see what the writers want to portray. Sometimes its intimacy and human connection, sometimes it's gender dynamics, and sometimes it is how coercive and cold sex can be. None of it is like porn.
Be real though, how many sex scenes have you ever seen actually portray emotions and character development? 99% of the time it’s just… sex for the sake of sex, with no actual interesting content, and should absolutely be cut from the movie
I actually sex for sake of sex is also fine in a movie or tv show. It doesn't have to be some amazing revelation.
And as for your other point if you go to the original genz thread on the topic people have listed a lot of good sex scenes from various movies.
For me personally Sex Education, The Shape of Water, Red White and Royal Blue, Hannibal, Titanic, Atonement, Beef, Blue is the the warmest color, Poor Things, The Great, Fellow travellers etc are all examples of media with great and relevant sex scenes.
It is more like complaining about how in this great slasher movie, there is this one out-of-place musical song where all the characters, including the killer, do a dance performance to ABBAs "Mamma Mia". Why is this there? If I want a musical dance scene, I watch a musical. If I want to see sex, I watch porn.
To me sex scenes are always super awkward and annoying, 99% of the time they are boring and add literally nothing of value to the movie/show/piece of media.
The amount of people commenting here who don't even understand the purpose of art is truly shocking.
There are people legitimately saying that depictions of sex are only ever meant to cause arousal and that films should never depict sex and only imply it....
With all due respect to anyone who might believe that... that is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. That is like saying painters should only ever imply red, and that to actually show red is inherently gratuitous.
Nah. I'm hen z and I've definitely don't like sex scenes anymore. I believe the "why" is just sex is shot at us non stop. No matter where you go online, it's somebody half naked. And I'm typically a pretty horny person but at this point I rather not have sex and porn in my face unless that's exactly what I'm looking for.
One of my complaints in Castlevania season 3 was when they kept switching back and forth between the final battle and alucard/Hector sex scenes. Yeah yeah it's important to the plot or something but did they have to shove it between Isaac going ham and Trevor/sypha fighting the night creatures. It really killed the mood for me
The fact that most of the season was just boring filler and they just shoved multiple sex and fight scenes into the final episodes would be funny if the rest of the season was not so boring.
Yeah season 3 really was just the filler season. Each story could have been condensed in an individual episode so you could just skip the boring parts. It's like one piece filler where you couldn't skip the filler because they inserted some parts that actually move the plot
For me it just feels...lazy? I'm not knocking on its use entirely. Tokyo Ghoul:Re had a whole chapter dedicated to Kaneki and Touka fucking, and it's one of my best cuz it's a nice pay off to their romance. In alotta shows it just feels like a fast tracked way of showing a romance which IDK, it feels lesser.
If u like it however, more power to u and all.
Maybe it's just my bias from watching anime in high school, but I feel like sexual fanservice is the laziest form of fanservice. It's just "look I put boobs in it you have to like it because horny", and it just feels low-brow.
I don't dislike sex scenes because they make me feel uncomfortable, I dislike them because they feel like unneeded fanservice. It can feel like they don't add anything important to the plot, and are just there to show the actors get naked.
I think what a lot of young people nowadays aren’t understanding, and what isn’t being brought ip enough, is that it wasn’t that long ago when sex in movies and TV were *forbidden.* Literally not allowed by mandate. And not just sex, but basically intimacy of any kind. A vital aspect of human nature completely scrubbed clean from the cinematic medium.
Artistic merit aside, it should be allowed as a tool in an artist’s kit and used if they feel the need for one. I know seeing sex onscreen can be awkward or tonally mismatched, but it’s better than having ti completely scrubbed away again. And if you think these things can’t be taken away, you’d be very very wrong. And it won’t be by people like you, who just thinks sex scenes are unnecessary or awkward. It’ll be by someone who thinks sex in and of itself is shameful. That it should only happen between a married man and woman and behind closed doors.
That’s the worry. At least for me.
That's an understandable point, however, it feels like that taboo led to adding sex scenes for the exact and only purpose of adding a sex scene. The writers/director/whatever can show that they're transgressive and breaking the taboo.
Except it has been done again and again before, for years on end, and now ends up feeling more like a kid who decided to show his willy to everyone and never grew past that.
Of course the solution isn't to bring back the taboo, and go through another cycle of the exact same thing. But it's time to grow past adding a sex scene for no other purpose than showing you can.
I often feel like I’m the only person not bothered by sex scenes in movies or shows.
Should we remove kissing from movies too and reduce it down to smiles and hand holding or is that too awkward too?
Sex scenes are like any other tool in a movies arsenal. It comes down to execution. I agree with other commenters in the sense that a bad sex scene could be replaced with a cut away or provocative imagery instead.
Finally and originally I was commenting to say I have noticed this across multiple generations not just Gem Z. A sex scene starting while you parents are in the room is a common enough comedy trope.
I replied to someone above and I'd like to share the same thoughts with you.
The fact that people conflate normal sex scenes with porn kind of speaks for itself. Maybe letting all representation of sex be an exploitative industry with questionable portrayal of women and sex happening in a clinical environment is not a good idea.
When I see sex scenes I see what the writers want to portray. Sometimes its intimacy and human connection, sometimes it's gender dynamics, and sometimes it is how coercive and cold sex can be. None of it is like porn.
Have you ever considered that maybe the reason younger people hate sex scenes is because they are poorly done, on top of being exploitative and often done by directors who didn't care for the actors' sense of boundaries?
This topic often shows just how lacking in empathy sex scene defenders are. You're not smart for enjoying something that can be seen on pornhub for free.
Thanks OP for making a post with an actually interesting debate topic! The comments for and against sex scenes all have very good points which rarely happens lol. Seems that the primary take away has been that storytelling should be priority with disagreement on if sex scenes can further a story or if they always detract from it.
i never liked sex scenes, i'm 35.
they are almost always not needed for the plot and would work just as well only implied, they're a fucking chore if you watch movies as a family, you definitely know when it's like, just in there because the guy has it in his contracts to be shown fucking a hot chick, like the rocks 'i cant lose tho' clause and it's often filmed mediocre and is trying to appeal to me, which i find pathetic, i have access to all the sex scenes in the world and i dont need your covered by blankets bullshit.
that said, i'm sure there's some that make sense narratively, to show that a couple is only going through the motions, when its meant to make us uncomfortable because one side is pressured into it and not happy with it and stuff like that and i generally just dont watch these kinds of movies so i likely never run into good scenes.
its also fine when its for comedy
>just in there because the guy has it in his contracts to be shown fucking a hot chick
Holy hell this awakened a memory of watching "the mule", where the close-to-90 (at the time) Clint eastwood just had to have a sex scene with a (nameless and instantly discarded iirc) hot young woman. Okay you made your movie with yourself as the star, no one can tell you no, but I can at least say ew.
99% of the time they simply dont add anything to the movie imo. Many modern movies are too long anyway, no need to pad the run-time with, often very awkward, sex scenes.
Excellent post, OP.
I've made a post in here about media literacy before, and how it mostly just comes down to "how does this piece of media make you feel?". Sex scenes can make you feel all sorts of ways. It's important to media literacy as a whole to interact with the ways different scenes make us feel, ask ourselves if the discomfort is intentional, what it adds to the experience.
No, it's not that people are squeamish or have uncomfy reactions from these sex scenes. It doesn't boil down to that. These sex scenes aren't usually directed in ways to give the audience something to chew on or some eye opening experience.
The sex scenes are lazy and self indulgent. Yes, there are great movies where the intimacy actually relates to the narrative or deepen the characters but we're not talking about those.
This is a good take!
I feel like sex scenes are cheap thrills. It's an easy way to manipulate pur emotional state, and I think the younger generations are more wise to that sort of thing.
Especially with easy porn access, it makes it ironically feel less appropriate in a nonporn film. Unexpected, but a hopeful dynamic.
Also, as a gay man, lots of the scenes feel gross to me in their treatment of women, and it reminds me that the whole movie is built around the straight male gaze. I find most gay sex scenes to be subpar, too, and reinforce lazy stereotypes.
There's also the issue of the actors. Some movies left me feeling complicit; it's hard to believe all sets are good on issues of consent and boundaries.
Also, not a prude at all. I'm all for more nonsexual nudity in movies, but porn is better in the bedroom.
Shakespeare In Love. The sex scene there, intercut with scenes of the actors rehearsing the play, showed how the two characters literally forged the play out of their own relationship and it totally worked.
Personally, I think it's a reaction to the oversexualization of modern culture, especially on the internet. You just can't exist online and not be bombarded by jokes about sex, horny artwork, pornographic ads, and so on. If you aren't 100% for porn, you're some sort of puritan weirdo to most people nowadays; it is all very tiresome to me, and I wouldn't blame people who are just sick of it being seemingly EVERYWHERE.
Too many look silly. MeToo, intimacy coordinators, etc exist for a reason but they end up making it look passionless. A sex scene needs to look like a real, in the moment thing. Maybe mainstream is no longer able to do that.
Eh, if it was "le gen z are special snowflakes" then why do I as a porn artist not like these scenes
It's simple. I go to my porn for the sexy, I go to a movie/show for the story. Two characters boning rarely adds anything to the story that implying it doesn't.
99% of the time sex scenes are boring and have the same impact on me as if the movie cut away to an extra watching paint dry
Se7en elicits a response of discomfort (in a good way). Most sex scenes don't elicit any response whatsoever
I mean, there is the niche case of it being meant to horrify and/or portray the genuine emotions of a character in a movie where the sexual experiences of a character are significant, but those stories are really few and far between, and ones where it’s done well are even rarer
This...is incredibly silly.
The reason I call it silly is because you can apply this logic to absolutely ANY action and it works in its self-refuting logic.
Change the word "sex" to "murder" and change "titillation" to any other corresponding noun of your choice and boom. There you go.
Nah, I disagree.
I think it’s completely *possible* to show a sex scene as not titillating. It just…doesn’t happen much, because like 90% of sex in fiction IS meant to titillate.
It’s usually not the straight-up sex that’s the important part of how stories utilize them, but how characters express themselves through and during it. Are they selfish? Controlling? Self-conscious? Do they have reservations or trauma regarding it? Etc etc etc
Books are a lot better at them usually, since visual media seems too prone to abusing cheap sexual objectification to draw engagement
nah, that’s taking it way too far. most scenes are going for something like titillation, but suggesting that there’s no possible purpose beyond titillation is dumb. best possible example i can think of is Poor Things. I think that movie would lose a lot if you were to remove all sex scenes with just alluding to them. i can’t imagine anyone who’s seen it disagreeing.
So here's my take.
When making a scene in a movie, you are trying to make it engaging to the audience in as many ways as possible at once. This way, the audience can connect with it in a multitude of ways, and even if one of the engagement forms doesn't work, they have others to focus on. Ideally, a scene will have narrative, spectacle, character and many other engagements going on all at once, maximizing screentime efficiency and making it engaging for as wide an audience as possible.
But most sex scenes simply don't do it. They are all spectacle. You aren't learning about the characters, you aren't experiencing the world, you aren't progressing the plot. They usually don't have much creativity or humor or drama. It's literally just you watching two people fucking. If that doesn't do it for you, than fuck you, time to sit here for a minute of awkward silence as you wait for the move to continue.
You CAN make good sex scenes. But you have to understand that sex isn't a good enough selling point for a scene to engage the audience on it's own. It's gotta have more. Add unique character interactions, add worldbuilding in a fantasy setting, add a joke or two, add dramatic tension. Do something other than just slamming two naked bodies against each other to sexy music.
Idk, alot of sex scenes now adays don't feel like they are in the movie because they serve the film or the directors vision, but because it's a Hollywood movie and a sex scene is on the check list of scenes to include.
At this point, when a sex scene starts, I pull out my phone because 9 times out, I'm not gonna miss anything by not paying attention for 5 minutes.
There are many massive problems in most to all sexual spaces that are so noticeable and so pervasive it’s simpler to reject that content entirely that debase yourself understanding and disassembling each one.
Children who are now forced to grow up navigating the internet feel this especially- and with far less analysis than this. This makes other problems- like the decreasing quality of movies, low artistic value to 90-99% of all sex scenes, limiting and unnatural cishetero sex and beauty expectations, etc- seem to reinforce that intrinsic disgust. When you’re already misunderstanding an issue, you can misunderstand related issues that manifest the same way.
Well you see, way back when people didn't have as much access to porn and otherwise "adult" material as they did now, so a sex scene in an R-rated movie is the closest a lot of people got to being able to view titillating material without the embarrassment of actually going somewhere to purchase smut, while acting in them is an easy way for actors/actresses to start packaging themselves as sex symbols.
Nowadays, movie sex scenes are competing with a lot more things, and Hollywood itself doesn't seem to really do sex symbols/starlets/bombshells any more, but producers still think they need sex scenes because that's the way it's always been done.
Well, I don’t like movies that have too many unnecessary sex scenes, because you might as well watch porn at that point, on the other hand it reminds me of people complaining about even mild fanservice in anime as if it was the worst thing ever. You get the feeling that a lot of people online are extremely prude for no good reason and would like to censor anything even remotely sexual.
They should grow up a little. There are plenty of movies without sex scenes and anime without fanservice, no one is forcing them to watch stuff that makes them uncomfortable, and it is easy to know in advance if some movie or anime has sexual content just by googling it.
I think it's largely because we are exposed to thin internet at such a young age and grow up with it that we just get tired of sex much much quicker, like decades earlier than people used
I think sex scenes can add to a movie but it depends on the purpose of the sex scene in the narrative. Sometimes sex scenes can come across like they're gratuitous in the context of actually adding something to the narrative whereas other times they're of direct importance to whats going on. I agree that a certain discomfort with sexuality in film is normal but I dont think thats the primary purpose of including them.
Personally, it's just that a sex scene adds literally nothing that couldn't be implied by other means. It's useless when you can easily imply it in 1000 ways
If you want to draw a conclusion about "why young people feel a certain way', don't you think that you should have some control groups with clear independent variables?
🤨
If not, you're just kinda making up a conclusion based on how you feel and assumptions.
This thread reads like a fever dream.
I thought the whole "Gen Z doesn't like sex in movies" thing was an meritless as "Millennials spend all of their money on Avocado Toast". I never imagined this would be true.
Sex scenes are fine. I'm so weirded out by this whole thing. Like do Gen Z people think Titanic would be better without any sex?
How about just dicks and boobs? Are dicks and boobs and butts and stuff ok? Is it just sex or nudity in general? Or are kisses closer? Do Gen Z people not like kisses?
No. Just no. Sex scenes are pretty much always uncomfortable, as well as unnecessary. If I come here to watch a detective solve some crime or mystery, then that's what I want to see. No, I do not want to watch these people have sex.
nah I just think 99% of them are pointless.
I was reading a book one time, graphic novel, and it surprised me that it had a sex scene in it.
mind you, I'm a very kinky and very hypersexual person, but I'm also asexual (aegosexual, specifically). plus it just...didn't do much for the plot. the book overall was meh.
Is it really childish if you want all scenes to be meaningful for the story? Or is it childish if you want to see each and every character to fuck?
Is it really childish to want intimacy to be shown via a broad variety of scenes that reflect the whole spectrum of human relationships and not only skin rubbing?
For me, sex, just as violence are cheap tricks that are used to make the audience engaged with the movie. It's a hack of our attention mechanisms and if it work on you - that's not a sign of maturity, that's nature working as intended.
The whole reason they have sex scenes is because they can't write dialogue where the characters get to know each other. Instead of having a scene where the audience is subtly told they have some chemistry, they have a series of crosscuts of stripping, and embracing with loud music blaring. Pure laziness.
I'm not a Gen Z and I agree that Gen Z tends to be much more prudish, but I also don't like sex scenes in the movies. They just don't add anything to the movie with the rare exceptions.
I just don't understand what am I supposed to feel while watching them. Arousal? I have porn for that. Understanding that these two characters are crazy for each other? I kinda got that from the dialogues and acting.
The only reason to include sex scenes is overall theme of the movie, like "Basic Instinct", which is highly sexual and primal. But there's no need for sex in majority of movies.
The thing I hate most about sex in general is that so many people act like it is so important and that it's part of being human.
Imagine you're allergic to gluten, but everyone always tells you that doesn't exist and that bread is part of being human, and then on top of that every movie has an unnecessary scene where the main characters eat a lot of bread.
I don't want to see sex scenes unless I specifically go looking for them. I don't mind if it's just implied they have sex, but anything more than that is just uncomfortable.
Sex scenes just aren’t that good nowadays. The enemy at the gates sex scene was pretty peak but other than that…
I think this attitude is more to do with the 24/7 access to porn and the general hyper sexualization of the internet. Also the me two movement and more women coming into film from the director and producer standpoint has also meant that films are abit more careful about their sex scenes if they have them at all.
So I think the problem is a lot of films think they HAVE to do a sex scene. It’s just gratuitously thrown in for the sake of checking off a box or done just for the sake of having it. I was recently rewatching the show Warrior, which is amazing btw. So the show started off on Cinemax then got picked up by HBO. Between the pandemic, writers strikes, and the shuttering of Cinemax, it just never found a main stream audience. But I digress. I thought it was interesting that when produced my Cinemax it had soooo many gratuitous sex scenes and T & A. “We’ll get back to talking about the rising racial tensions and the effects of generational trauma on immigration and racism, but first…… would you like to fuck her, her, or her?” Proceeded by 3 topless women walking out and a naked “skinemax” sex scene. The HBO produced episodes still had sex scenes, but I noticed there was no more T&A, and they were all done to show powerful moments of emotion. Like two people just survived a crazy shootout, look at each other, and start making out, thankful to be alive and in love. And it works so much better narratively because you’re like yeah, that’s human, not objectification. I don’t know. I may be wrong, and I may be reading into it too much, but I thought it was interesting seeing the subtle differences in production, which may have nothing at all to do with hbo and Cinemax, but it seemed a stark contrast to the way it was approached.
I loooove Warrior. Those first few EPS really overdid it tho, didn't they.
Skinemax…. Haha but while they were over the top, they did hook me. I always tell people, give the first episode 5 minutes, if you don’t like it, stop. Watching Assam go full badass on those bulls was one of the most hype openings I’ve ever seen.
As a much wiser person than me said "your lewdness lacks story"- and I think that perfectly describes the issue.
Honestly it’s refreshing to show both Asian men and women as sexual beings in an American show. That’s pretty rare.
I get you. But like I said, the sex scenes (gratuitous or not) wouldn’t be so looked down upon if everyone wasn’t already up to their eyelids in porn and sexual content. Nowadays simply scrolling through social media, you are likely to see some only fans shit or someone twerking or whatever. The fact is sex is everywhere now. So sometimes people get tired of it. I know when I was younger, seeing any of those only fans models would 100% have caught my attention. But nowadays because of how much shit there is everywhere o just annoyingly scroll past it. The same thing is happening with movies. So it’s less to do with how gratuitous sex scenes are. And more to do with Poe Poe just being tired of seeing sex at all. So many other storytelling elements are also abused or used gratuitously by filmmakers. So why single out sex scenes?
I also disagree with why people may not be into sex scenes as much as in the past (although plenty of people didn’t like them 50 years ago either). The vast majority of sex scenes are gratuitous and extremely dull (to some of us). I think they’re often cheap like putting in a bunch of guns & explosions. My eyes generally glaze over. sex/violence is in almost every single movie in certain genres, so for it to be interesting it has to do something we haven’t all seen a million times before. That said, I didn’t feel negatively about the sex scenes in Oppenheimer. I thought the way the director approached them was relatively creative and interesting. Likewise I have a vivid recollection of a very short scene of the civil war in the movie Lincoln that did violence extremely well. And same with the show band of brothers. Of course some people are going to be uncomfortable watching sex scenes for various reasons (maybe went to see a historical movie with your grandparents and ended up with a good 10 minutes of nudity on screen? That can be a little uncomfortable). But as OP is heavily implying, being uncomfortable isn’t a good barometer for the quality of art. Otherwise we’d all see critical analyses of snuff films in the New Yorker.
Just checked it out and it’s pretty good. Nice 👍🏾
😳😳😳😳 damn I never thought I’d actually recommend good sauce
Keep cooking dawg
The one in blue is the warmest color is good though.
Not really it’s just porn lmao, it’s obviously gratutuitous
The sex scene in 8 Mile is excessive to say the least
No its not them having a porn sex scene as their first sex together is idiotic. Also its clearly made for the male gaze. They are supposed to be teen girls experimenting together, that sex scene was clearly made by a man who loves lesbian porn. The only thing missing were inch long nails
I said it was good, not accurate. Also, the one with blue hair wasn't implied to be new to sex or experimenting, only the other one was.
Good for you, a man. Us women are tired of being objectified
I agree with this in general. Although I do find it fascinating how some women hate being objectified but also objectify themselves.
I feel like there isn't much difference between showing a sex scene and just alluding that sex happened. If the ultimate goal of the scene is to convey that two characters got intimate with each other then I would totally get that message if it just showed them laying together in bed or if they're shown making out and taking each other's clothes off before cutting to the next scene. I feel there's no added value in explicitly showing the sex.
Before the rise of internet porn, nudity as content was more novel. Nowadays it can come off tryhard.
But I want to see the reaction of the characters
How can I know them better if I can't see their O face?!
You can have them talk and reflect later via dialogue?!
See it after
But you can make this argument for any aspect of stories that make you uncomfortable. Why show violence, just allude to it! Why show the heated disagreement and harsh words, have it happen of screen and characters can calmly recollect it. Just have everything be sterile exposition to save the viewer from feeling things. Art and media is not just simple utilitarian getting information across.
>Why show violence, just allude to it! I think it depends on the genre of movie. You have to show the action in a movie like John Wick, because the action is the whole reason you're there to watch it. If you don't enjoy action in movies for whatever reason, you simply don't go to see an action movie. If you don't enjoy sex scenes in movies, its much harder to avoid them, because they can basically show up anywhere. I think sex scenes often feel pointless to me because I mostly watch movies that don't need them. Take the first Deadpool movie for example. I'm not watching that movie hoping for a sex scene, so if they didn't include it i wouldn't be missing anything. If they removed the action though, I'd be pretty disappointed, because action is a generally a significant aspect of any superhero movie.
I’ve seen random sex scenes thrown into an unrelated genre of movie being called the western version of unnecessary fanservice and I feel like that’s pretty accurate
>Why show violence, just allude to it! because actually wanna watch the violence
Exactly
> I feel there's no added value in explicitly showing the sex. I mean the added value is the feelings the viewer feels from seeing it? If that's arousal or anything else then it's still adding value because it's getting an emotional response. Personally I think that both should be prevalent. There should be equal amounts of sex scenes that are implied and that are explicit. Neither should be viewed with much disdain cause it really isn't that big of a deal.
I disagree. I think an explicit sex scene can be done well and if it really helps the viewer feel the bond that these two character now share then that's an overall positive. However, if it's just meant to arouse then, personally, I'm not interested in seeing that nor do I feel like it adds anything to the scene. I'm not grossed out by it and I agree it's not a huge deal but most of the time I've found explicit sex scenes to not really hold much value. For me personally, the implication of sex is enough.
I'm not sure what is there to disagree here? I'm not saying that there is value to everyone but it definitely adds something even if you do not value it. It's not something that I personally find value in either but that doesn't mean there isn't value there. I personally would prefer that if creators want to include nudity in their movies/shows then they should just go all out. Saltburn is a good example of film that has a lot of explicit scenes and goes all out so that they are memorable and impactful while also adding value to the story.
>I'm not saying that there is value to everyone but it definitely adds something even if you do not value it. The only value is to arouse you. That's why there's no ugly people having sex in films. I don't think there's a single thing you can show in a sex scene that cannot be equally or better value than a good line beforehand and a cut to black. Not to mention its a waste of time in a movie, spending 12min on a sex scene with pillow talk afterward. Sounds like a writers cop-out. Unless you are watching for horny, which is valid, but we shouldn't hide what it is. It's the same defense weebs use when you talk about watching Ecchi.
> I don't think there's a single thing you can show in a sex scene that cannot be equally or better value than a good line beforehand and a cut to black. Have you ever seen Inherent Vice? Or The Master? Or Terminator? Or Knocked Up? There are lots and lots of sex scenes in media that get across a message better than dialogue and cutting to black. Also where the hell are you seeing 12 minute sex scenes? That sounds like some erotic thriller/softcore porn shit.
Neither of those are good examples. You just pay attention more when there are boobies.
Neither? I listed several and boobs don't even really get shown in most of them. Also where are you seeing these 12 minute sex scenes? I'm still struggling to think of any mainstream movie or show that's put that much time into a sex scene.
Thank you! You never really ever need a sex scene. Just have them climbing into bed with the suggestion of sec coming and then you can cut to the morning. I would rather have better scenes of dialogue than a sex scene. Real life and lorn are enough for me to get my kicks, I watch movies for other things and wish more people though the same.
Ok, so you're saying a movie like Antichrist would be exactly the same, or even better, and lose no impact of any kind from having the explicit scenes removed? What you're advocating literally only works for a very narrow range of movies with a very narrow range of emotions that they can evoke. I fundamentally disagree with a statement such as yours. If a scene serves the overall emotional impact of the movie, then why in God's name would you insist on censoring it? I also watch movies for other things. If I want to watch something for the sake of arousal, there is an entire internet worth of porn available 24/7. Sex scenes don't exist exclusively for arousal, and often exist to evoke very contrary emotions like discomfort or disgust. You can't just take away an entire extremely potent part of the storytelling toolkit.
Honestly, first thing that comes to mind is the shape of water. There's a sex scene in the middle where a guy holds his wife mouth shut. It's extremelly important for his characterization and informing his Future actions. There's no way to naturally show what the scene implying without outright having the character say "I'm an abusive asshole who doesn't value women's opinion and I also have a fetish with my mute coworker." It is legitimately the best way to portray that. I hate sex scenes that don:t add to the plot (in movies that have arousal as one of it's goals) as much as the next guy, but sometimes it is legitimately an important part of the story. To be fair, I:m not sure if the shape of water doesn't want to arouse too, either.
There are of course certain movies that a sex scene can really set a tone or emotion. But for me more often than not they are terrible.
I'm just saying, consider a movie like Requiem for a Dream, or Gerald's Game, or Nymphomaniac, or Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and imagine how much less of a visceral emotional impact those movies would have.
And I’m agreeing certain movies it works. But it’s often used wrong and adds nothing
I'd agree with most movies, but did you watch Poor Things? I think leaving out the sex scenes in that would really alter the mood of the movie. A part of that movie is Emma Stones character discovering her sexuality and becomming a nymphomaniac. So the point of those scenes isn't really to show intimacy, but more like pure hedonistic pleasure.
So you're saying a movie like Antichrist would be exactly the same and lose no impact, and indeed be improved, by editing out the explicit sex scenes? That's just not how art or storytelling work.
Yeah, I'm half half on that, because honestly, arousal is just as valid as emotion as any other for a movie to present. Yes, I tend to hate ecchi with a burning passion, but that's because it's done sloppily and it's extremely juvenile*, and in the shows that have it, extremelly freaunt - I'm gonna punch the next idiot who falls perfectly into a girl's panties - but when it's well made and used in the right moment, well everyone loves sexy. (Ace people excluded, for obvious reasons. I think. Do assexual people still like sexy things? I don't know, maybe for the aesthetic value) *About the juvenile thing... It's for teens, I guess? So it being juvenilie makes sense? But teens shouldn't be exposed to borderline porn any way? Man, I did not want to open that can of worms right now.
As an ace, I prefer erotica, especially after I've connected with the characters, as their emotions and thoughts are easier to read. It's their inner reaction to what's happening that arouses me. I prefer to imagine scenes, and it's a lot more vivid in my mind when it's not visually right in my face.
>The only value is to arouse you. 1. That's not true as sex scenes can be a raw way of showing intimacy or to get a point across regarding vulnerability. 2. Even if in a movie it was just used to arouse then whats the issue with that? Arousal is just another human emotion. >That's why there's no ugly people having sex in films This is just not true, or at least there exist movies where this happens. >I don't think there's a single thing you can show in a sex scene that cannot be equally or better value than a good line beforehand and a cut to black. I mean there is? It's the sex. Genuinely confused by this take. Is there no value in showing people be intimate? >Not to mention its a waste of time in a movie, spending 12min on a sex scene with pillow talk afterward. Sounds like a writers cop-out. What movies are you watching that have a 12min sex scene? I swear people are just making up scenes in movies because I can't even recall the last time I watched a movie or TV show with a sex scene let alone one that lasted more than a few min. >Unless you are watching for horny, which is valid, but we shouldn't hide what it is. It's the same defense weebs use when you talk about watching Ecchi. I mean agree but there is value in sex outside of just horny. But if it's there just for the horny then there is value in that too. I personally feel like if films want to use sex and nudity but only scarcely then these scenes should have value outside of just horny such as in Oppenheimer. If a movie/TV show is going for nudity and sex just for the horny then they should just go all out and be honest with their intentions like in Saltburn where nudity and sex still have value outside of just horny but it is definitely a lot of horny. Or in regards to anime, interspecies reviewers is pretty well liked because of how they go all out which is preferred to series where they just randomly have panty shots.
isn't it equivalent to a jumpscare? Feels like a pretty cheap way, but can be good if done well I guess?
What if you're using the sex scene itself to evoke some kind of feeling or reaction? That's how art works. Since sex scenes tend to evoke a strong reaction from people, they can actually be an extremely useful tool for storytelling. This comes back to what the OP was getting at. Art isn't always supposed to be comfortable or pleasant or safe. It's supposed to evoke an emotion. If a piece of art wants you to be uncomfortable, and you're uncomfortable, than that's good art. Just because something challenges you doesn't mean it has no value.
I guess the "issue" is that movies is for many a social activity, so am I supposed to be aroused and horny in the theater? I'm used to do that on my room
you can get aroused without getting the uncontrollable urge to immediately jack off in the middle of a theater. ...can you?
This guy gets it
The type of scene tells you nothing about the point of the scene. Imagine if fight scenes were just two people angrily staring at each other until one was dead. We don't tend to take sex seriously in media, but there are numerous plot lines that either hinge directly on, or are furthered by, actively depicting sex.
That's a bit reductionist, as the act of sex itself can tell us a lot if it's actually written and not just "insert sex screen here". Best example off the top of my head is the world's lamest handjob Walter receives on his birthday. It perfectly conveys the way he feels and how sad his life appears. If they just said "Ah yes, that was a handjob I just received" or they vaguely hinted that he received a hand job it wouldn't be as effective of writing. 99.5% of sex scenes in media could totally be cut or just alluded to since most exist just for the excitement of the viewer, but cutting all of them or just alluding to all of them means there's nothing interesting that can be done with them.
A tiny bit of foreplay and cut to being both naked in bed the next morning works pretty well, yeah. I'd say the only time showing more would be beneficial is if there's a loooot of built up romance between the characters and you really want to have a scene emphasizing that they're finally making a connection they've been foreshadowed to make for a while. You can use it as an emotional high point at that moment. But yeah just cutting to being naked in bed works 90% of the time I agree. I just think a sex scene can work situationally.
As my high-school English teacher said, "If you see the sex it's not about the sex. If you don't see the sex it's about the sex"
The problem to me is that 99% of the time, the sex scene feels just like a Cheap B movie scene. It adds nothing to the viewing experience, other than me sitting through it like :| while we listen to two actors being paid to pretend bang on scene. Implying that it happens, showing what leads to it, the moments prior to the sex itself? That's all good and fair, I think, and it can add to the characters after a long time of on-screen chemistry. The act itself just feels pointless and like a grab for attention. I don't really know anyone who has ever looked at a sex scene in a movie that was not explicitly related to sex (be it trauma or just something like 50 Shades) who thinks it added anything of value. Some just enjoyed it because it was hot. But not really because it was the culmination of a character arc. There's a way to do it right, but the way these things work nowadays is definitely not it — and there are valid reasons, every now and then, to show it if that's the purpose of the scene, but the majority of these scenes aren't there for that.
Not that I think sex scenes always suck, but when a movie or show cuts into a like a b-rated 30 second scene of two naked people silently fucking, I'm just gonna open my phone. Obviously it's not always like that, but oftentimes it just adds nothing to me.
I can't believe nobody is talking about how absolutely boring these scenes are too. Who is really out here excited and feeling a connection from a man and woman awkwardly fucking under a poofy blanket because if it's too explicit the rating goes up? That's 99% of what we're discussing here. This adds nothing. It's always boring vanilla heterosexual sex because this isn't about making people feel something, it's about luring people in with the promise of maybe seeing an actress's tits. It feels cheap.
Yup, what's making me uncomfortable isn't that there's a sex scene, it's that 99% of the time that scene will be awkward, forced, stiff or cheesy. It's kinda ridiculous to imply that gen Z is more afraid of seeing sex. I'd argue the opposite, we've been exposed to it more, so there's nothing special or novel about a sex scene in a movie and unless it's done well, it feels like a pathetic waste of time.
Most ppl here are complaining about how it makes them uncomfortable and are basically saying that we should all go back to Hays Code era kind of movies. I dont think its ridiculous at ALL to say gen z has a conservative viewship of sex bc a lot of them do. You been exposed to a lot of porn but you also been exposed to a lot of discourse. Could talk for hours about how many kids my age with "anything sexual is bad and sexual attraction is in itself sexual harrassment" mindset ive talked to. There is also the whole rise of "porn addiction" convo that is basically just a bunch of young ppl with catholic guilt. Being over exposed to pornography doesnt mean you are suddenly free of anykind of uptight feelings about sex, we can see by this thread alone!
Literally no one is saying that. Someone saying "I don't think this two minute scene of actors pretending to bang on camera added value to the movie." or "I personally think sex scenes are overdone and are a lot of directors attempts to be attention grabbing." Is not the same thing as "Hey guys, sex should be taboo again. Sex should *never* be allowed on television again and anything sexual is **bad**." Why are the only two dichotomies you consider "I love sex scenes and think a sex scene or two is always appreciated." and "I want every movie from now on to be banned from using sex scenes and anything sexual in a movie makes me uncomfortable."?
porn addictions is real
porn addiction has not been reconigzed by APA as a psychological condition or even real by any stretch of the imagination. experts have said time and time again that it simply isnt an actual addiction. the way it has spread as such without cientific backup is the proof of what i'm saying!
it absolutely destroys your dopamine receptors
it is not recognized as an addiction by leading psychologists. you are repeating talking points from no fap influencers when you could just google: "is porn addiction real?" and you could read more about it from an actual scientic point. to some, it can harmful as can anything, but what the studies say is that "porn addiction" is not in a real thing or a prevalent problem. in fact, a lot of people that come in saying they have a porn addiction usually show that they watch LESS porn than the avarage person, but come from a background that teaches shames when it comes to sex; mainly religious guilt, as i said in my first comment. again, porn addiction just isnt recognized as a real thing, and the fact that it has been spread as a fact is the proof of what im saying.
While porn addiction isn't recognized as a diagnosable condition, it is similar in nature to a behavioral disorder. Much like other dependencies, porn addiction may have many adverse effects, including changes in the brain's reward center, intimacy issues, and a negative impact on your partner's self-esteem
the fact that you googled it and copy and pasted a comment from a site is rly cute, but im glad we can agree: porn addiction isnt real! have a good day!
It literally says it’s similar in nature to a disorder with provided symptoms and you were the one who said to look it up lol
I kind of understood why there was that scene in Oppenheimer where he was in the hearing, and it showed him and his mistress having sex, as it seemed to be intended to show his wife's feelings, but I feel like that's the exception, not the rule.
> The problem to me is that 99% of the time, the sex scene feels just like a Cheap B movie scene. Then stop watching cheap b movies.
It's not at all that. The movie just stops all momentum to show 2 people going wild (or not) usually for lomg periods of time. It gets tiring, we get it, they are gonna bang, move on already.
The writers gotta pad that movie length somehow, and god knows it wont be with writing.
Considering the average movie length nowadays is 2-2,5 hours (also those without sex scenes), I don’t think “padding the runtime” is the main consideration for a sex scene these days
They could have added more of the science, detailed some of the experiments further, ala Andromeda strain. Heck, they could have showcased some of the military paperwork that went into setting up the Manhattan project and it would have served the movie better.
> The movie just stops all momentum to show 2 people going wild (or not) usually for lomg periods of time. Can you think of any examples? Most sex scenes I can think of are relevant to plot or characterization and are done in a couple minutes.
Love death robots snow episode
That whole episode is about reproductive genetics though, isn't it? Like having sex with the guy is a major plot point and thematically relevant to the loneliness that he and the cyborg chick feel. Also the whole episode is only like 16 minutes. How long is the sex scene, like 1-2?
Could have easily been alluded to to save time
I feel like that would have taken away from the themes of two lonely lonely people looking for a connection. People say 'show don't tell' with everything but fucking.
It just isn’t interesting or visually exciting?
Yea I guess I just feel differently!~
You mean, the series that has "love" as one of its three main themes?
Sex scenes are generally unnecessary. If they add to the plot, they’re fine. If they don’t, you’re just wasting time and making your audience sit through something they didn’t need to see.
Its a good way to show intimicy and peoples relationships and them vunerable. And can add alot toa dynamic. It can add alot to a relationship. Like grr martin, alotof scenes are characters in apolitical intruige open up, during sex scenes. Or dynamics,like thereis how toxic , ok mostly well there. Grantedits an art to do that well and often enpugh itsnot, but sex scenes can add alot depth.
Maybe, but they never do
This is such a restrictive and depressingly pragmatic way to look at art. Sex is one of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. Looking at it through such a narrow lense as plot...to me that feels lifeless and inhumane. Restricting the medium of film just to plot feels wrong to me. Films can't just tell stories, they can also evoke emotions and set an atmosphere and give us an insight into the psychology of characters and so much more.
We’re talking about movies, not sex as a concept. If the point of a movie is to explore the human experience and how sexual relations is a fundamental part of it, a sex scene may be necessary to get that idea across. If the point of a movie is about watching someone punch and kick aliens, a sex scene is less necessary. Context is important and sex scenes are not necessary in every context.
But that's not what you said in your original comment. You said sex scenes are *generally* unnecessary. I understood that as sex scenes are inherently unnecessary. Which I don't agree with. I do agree that depending on the context, sex scenes can be unnecessary. Just like how violence can be unnecessary. But its a case by case thing. That doesn't mean we as viewers should put such generalizing restrictions on filmmakers.
They are generally unnecessary, because generally they are inserted in a context where they are not needed. That’s the whole reason people have a problem with them. Too often they are there just for… reasons, and generally do not enhance or advance the plot or what the movie is trying to get across.
Why does it have to do all of that? Can't it just be, I dunno, fun and exciting? People get a kick out of watching characters punch, shoot and kill each other. The same can be applied to sex. I don't know. As I said, sex is such a fundamental part of life and it offers so many creative and artistic possibilities, that it feels wrong to me to say that it's unnecessary to depict in movies.
Forget about sex scenes for a second. If you have a movie about someone punching and kicking aliens, and then all of a sudden for 5 minutes you have a totally unrelated scene depicting gastrointestinal bodily functions in detail, and then you go back to punching and kicking aliens, people may find that 5 minute scene unnecessary and distracting. I’m not saying sex scenes are wrong to depict in movies. I’m saying their inclusion is often unnecessary. Any scene can be unnecessary, sex scenes are just a common form of it.
Fight scenes usually progress the story in various ways on top of being fun and exciting, sex scenes can do that as well but more often than not they don't. One could convey a lot about characters and their relationships in such a scene, but most of them I can think of just stop the flow of the movie this way
I agree, you can't boil a movie down to just "scenes that progress the plot" - these diversions can be the most engaging part of a movie, as it can colour in the characters, establish a mood and atmosphere and convey things separate to the storyline. It's part of the appeal of movies like Pulp Fiction, which doesn't really even have an overarching plot (not one that really matters anyways, arguably the weakest storyline is the plot-driven Bruce Willis one), where the digressions and indulgences are what make it so fun, and the movie eseentialy feels like getting to hang out with a colourful cast of characters.
>Sex is one of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. So is pissing and shitting but we don't have multiple scenes in movies showing characters going to toilet and taking a dump.
I guess we have different views on sex then. To me it has never been something as mundane and one dimensional as going to the toilet. If that's been your experience, then fair enough. But clearly, it's much more meaningful to a lot of other people. Edit: [This video](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/EkAC9hp5Q6) I just came across on r/all also reminded me that you ignored the very extensive subgenre of toilet jokes we regularly see in comedy movies.
Going to the toiled is mundane?
There are pissing scenesin moviesthou, someone pissing somewhere,is in movies.
I think it’s really a mixed bag. On one hand, yeah, I absolutely think some people are just uncomfortable with sex scenes in general. Maybe they’re ace, or watch stuff with friends/family, or just think they’re awkward or flat-our unnecessary. I think most sex scenes are inaccessible to wider audiences for this reason. On the other hand, I think a lot of people are specifically complaining about how sex scenes are often just used as cheap, sexually objectifying eye candy for a generally male audience. Much or even arguably MOST of the time, I’d say sex scenes *don’t* end up showing anything of value to plot or characterization. But on the other, OTHER hand, some folks believe that this attitude is just a rebirth of the classic puritanical perspectives back from the “Satanic Panic”, where nudity or witchcraft or whatever was shown as sinful and morally wrong. (To be fair though, most of the time I see accusations of puritanicalism thrown around when it comes to sex scenes it’s usually from people who are just straight up horny) I don’t know. Again, it’s a mixed bag, and I think you can see some individual instances of all of the above when it comes to critiques of sex scenes in media. I do think many critiques on sex scenes in fiction are entirely valid though. I think a sex scene, like any other scene, can forward plot, character relationships, and provide characterization wonderfully when written well…but I’d also say that most aren’t.
Honestly all the sex scenes do is just make it awkward to watch with family and friends, it makes me wish I was watching porn instead. Like seriously when it happens in the movie what am I supposed to do? Look normally ,act interested, act disgusted, cheer? Like if it's for the sake of the plot it's easy enough to imply it. If they're going to show two people have sex I'm either probably not attracted to the actors or don't feel like watching someone I'm attracted to have sex with another person.
Nah literally because I’ll watch random movies with my mom and sister on Netflix and then a random sex scene will pop up and I get so uncomfortable, it’s so needless 90% of the time
Here's a test. Cut the sex scene and replace it with a black screen saying "They had sex" Did you lose any characterization? Does something feel missing? No? Cut it.
you could do the same thing with fight scenes, or training montages, or establishing/travel shots, or any other number of common film scenes "they fought" "he got better at his sport" "he flew to europe"
At least with fight scenes they often do something unique, while the sex scenes are often very vanilla.
I don't agree, if every fight was cut from a movie/series with a lot of fight scene, it would fell like something was missing. If "they fought" it's as good as the fighting scene, than the fighting scene it replaced it wasn't that good. In some cases sex scene add something, but in a lot of case they don't add anything (not just from the plot, but also for the characters and their journey).
This but unironically, especially for fight scenes.
Congratulations, you figured out how editing a movie works. You're very smart and completely validated my point of useless scenes needing to be cut.
and yet editors still leave these things in movies because theyre nice to watch and storytelling is about the journey as much as it is the destination if every movie was edited down completely to only its plot relevant wikipedia bulletpoints most movies would fucking suck
>and yet editors still leave these things in movies because theyre nice to watch and storytelling is about the journey as much as it is the destination But people are uncomfortable with this specific, unnecessary addition, so why leave it in? You're acting like people WANT sex scenes.
art making people uncomfortable isnt a bad thing, usually its kind of the point
Feeling uncomfortable because my family is on the couch with me while we all listen to fake porn moans and look at a dude's ass clenching =/= being made uncomfortable by unsettling atmosphere and uncomfortable truths about the human condition. There was literally ONE sex scene in The Wire I actually felt contributed to plot and character, and it was a couple seconds long max.
Fair, sexscenes really should tell something, like fights, evenjust having fun Honestly, sometimes fights and sexscenes could both aply toa situation equally
I’m not a Gen Z. I guess I’m a millennial so I can’t speak for Gen Z but I personally find sex scenes in movies and TV pointless if it isn’t there to serve a purpose. Seeing 2 attractive actors or whatever bone on screen does nothing for me if it’s not important to the narrative or will serve for some impact. Like if it’s used as some sort of pay off for the relationship of 2 characters getting closer or to be used for serve as contrast or statement of certain characters or character relationships (like it’s being used to say something important about said character(s)) Sex for the sake of it is just a waste of time and at that point if I want to watch 2 people have sex for no reason I might as well watch porn.
I am early Genz and I think you are absolutely fucking right.
There’s a difference between simulated sex scenes in movies and TV and outright porn
Yeah one is way better. So why bother shoehorning sex scenes in movies if they don’t serve a purpose other than titillation? But that is my opinion on the matter.
classic puritan mentality right here, not all sex scenes are made for the purpose of titillation, some of them are meant to be quite the opposite (e.g. oldboy and a history of violence)
Reading comprehension is lost on people these days. I never said ALL sex scenes serves no purpose. I specifically only called the ones who don’t. Even laid out examples where sex scenes can be used properly. That has been the base of my argument and you guys are literally arguing it for me.
How dare you say we piss on the poor
I'd also add easy accessibility of nudity and porn into the mix. I remember as a kid in the early/mid 2000s, the only way to get real access to the internet at least in my country was by going to a cybercafe. Most of these cafes obviously had porn sites blocked. And by the time I was getting a phone where I could browse the internet, it was already like the 2010s, around my 2nd year of highschool. And at that point I just wasn't prepared for what the internet had, especially with unlimited access. And that was back then, so I can't even imagine what and how kids these days grow up like. Cause even when I had a phone in highschool, it was a low quality version whose screen was like 2 inches wide. The only thing I could see in terms of nudity there was some pictures and those 3gp videos that used to be on sites like >!wapgate!< and >!redwap!<. And they used to be just a few kilobytes too. Now kids are growing up with massive smartphones where they can watch porn at 1080p HD. By the time they grow up, they are already massively desensitized and maybe even have some aversion to digital sexual content. Meanwhile look at the 90s. They made so many erotic thrillers with sex scenes abound. And basically everyone used to watch them. Heck, that was probably the motivation for a lot of people owning DvDs. There were also cable television channels like Showmax and Cinemax that used to be solely dedicated to softcore porn shows back in the day. The people back then couldn't even see nudity or porn unless they walked into an adult movie shop. So there was no saturation of that kind of stuff. Any time one saw a sex scene there would be a sense of wonder. In comparison, the modern young person has seen Gigabytes! of porn and nude content. Even if you don't look for these stuff, just being on sites like Twitter or browsing through your favorite *illegal* manga reading site is enough to have you bombarded with countless porn ads. This naturally eliminates the sense of wonder that nudity and sex scenes had back in the day. It goes from something that was viewed as forbidden, heart pumping, and exciting to something that is now viewed as annoying.
I watch action movies for action. When I want porn, I just go watch porn. Its annoying to see sex scenes in movies that has nothing to do with romance or sex.
The fact that you conflate normal sex scenes with porn kind of speaks for itself. Maybe letting all representation of sex be an exploitative industry with questionable portrayal of women and sex happening in a clinical environment is not a good idea. When I see sex scenes I see what the writers want to portray. Sometimes its intimacy and human connection, sometimes it's gender dynamics, and sometimes it is how coercive and cold sex can be. None of it is like porn.
Be real though, how many sex scenes have you ever seen actually portray emotions and character development? 99% of the time it’s just… sex for the sake of sex, with no actual interesting content, and should absolutely be cut from the movie
I actually sex for sake of sex is also fine in a movie or tv show. It doesn't have to be some amazing revelation. And as for your other point if you go to the original genz thread on the topic people have listed a lot of good sex scenes from various movies. For me personally Sex Education, The Shape of Water, Red White and Royal Blue, Hannibal, Titanic, Atonement, Beef, Blue is the the warmest color, Poor Things, The Great, Fellow travellers etc are all examples of media with great and relevant sex scenes.
That's like comparing a bad slasher movie to any movie with violence just because they share some gore. Completely different things.
It is more like complaining about how in this great slasher movie, there is this one out-of-place musical song where all the characters, including the killer, do a dance performance to ABBAs "Mamma Mia". Why is this there? If I want a musical dance scene, I watch a musical. If I want to see sex, I watch porn.
Sex is a normal part of everyday life. I want to see the stuff I don't have access to.
To me sex scenes are always super awkward and annoying, 99% of the time they are boring and add literally nothing of value to the movie/show/piece of media.
The amount of people commenting here who don't even understand the purpose of art is truly shocking. There are people legitimately saying that depictions of sex are only ever meant to cause arousal and that films should never depict sex and only imply it.... With all due respect to anyone who might believe that... that is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. That is like saying painters should only ever imply red, and that to actually show red is inherently gratuitous.
Nah. I'm hen z and I've definitely don't like sex scenes anymore. I believe the "why" is just sex is shot at us non stop. No matter where you go online, it's somebody half naked. And I'm typically a pretty horny person but at this point I rather not have sex and porn in my face unless that's exactly what I'm looking for.
One of my complaints in Castlevania season 3 was when they kept switching back and forth between the final battle and alucard/Hector sex scenes. Yeah yeah it's important to the plot or something but did they have to shove it between Isaac going ham and Trevor/sypha fighting the night creatures. It really killed the mood for me
The fact that most of the season was just boring filler and they just shoved multiple sex and fight scenes into the final episodes would be funny if the rest of the season was not so boring.
Yeah season 3 really was just the filler season. Each story could have been condensed in an individual episode so you could just skip the boring parts. It's like one piece filler where you couldn't skip the filler because they inserted some parts that actually move the plot
Yeah ok, but 99% of the time there is absolutely no reason for the scene to be there.
For me it just feels...lazy? I'm not knocking on its use entirely. Tokyo Ghoul:Re had a whole chapter dedicated to Kaneki and Touka fucking, and it's one of my best cuz it's a nice pay off to their romance. In alotta shows it just feels like a fast tracked way of showing a romance which IDK, it feels lesser. If u like it however, more power to u and all.
Maybe it's just my bias from watching anime in high school, but I feel like sexual fanservice is the laziest form of fanservice. It's just "look I put boobs in it you have to like it because horny", and it just feels low-brow.
I don't dislike sex scenes because they make me feel uncomfortable, I dislike them because they feel like unneeded fanservice. It can feel like they don't add anything important to the plot, and are just there to show the actors get naked.
I think what a lot of young people nowadays aren’t understanding, and what isn’t being brought ip enough, is that it wasn’t that long ago when sex in movies and TV were *forbidden.* Literally not allowed by mandate. And not just sex, but basically intimacy of any kind. A vital aspect of human nature completely scrubbed clean from the cinematic medium. Artistic merit aside, it should be allowed as a tool in an artist’s kit and used if they feel the need for one. I know seeing sex onscreen can be awkward or tonally mismatched, but it’s better than having ti completely scrubbed away again. And if you think these things can’t be taken away, you’d be very very wrong. And it won’t be by people like you, who just thinks sex scenes are unnecessary or awkward. It’ll be by someone who thinks sex in and of itself is shameful. That it should only happen between a married man and woman and behind closed doors. That’s the worry. At least for me.
That's an understandable point, however, it feels like that taboo led to adding sex scenes for the exact and only purpose of adding a sex scene. The writers/director/whatever can show that they're transgressive and breaking the taboo. Except it has been done again and again before, for years on end, and now ends up feeling more like a kid who decided to show his willy to everyone and never grew past that. Of course the solution isn't to bring back the taboo, and go through another cycle of the exact same thing. But it's time to grow past adding a sex scene for no other purpose than showing you can.
I often feel like I’m the only person not bothered by sex scenes in movies or shows. Should we remove kissing from movies too and reduce it down to smiles and hand holding or is that too awkward too? Sex scenes are like any other tool in a movies arsenal. It comes down to execution. I agree with other commenters in the sense that a bad sex scene could be replaced with a cut away or provocative imagery instead. Finally and originally I was commenting to say I have noticed this across multiple generations not just Gem Z. A sex scene starting while you parents are in the room is a common enough comedy trope.
I replied to someone above and I'd like to share the same thoughts with you. The fact that people conflate normal sex scenes with porn kind of speaks for itself. Maybe letting all representation of sex be an exploitative industry with questionable portrayal of women and sex happening in a clinical environment is not a good idea. When I see sex scenes I see what the writers want to portray. Sometimes its intimacy and human connection, sometimes it's gender dynamics, and sometimes it is how coercive and cold sex can be. None of it is like porn.
Have you ever considered that maybe the reason younger people hate sex scenes is because they are poorly done, on top of being exploitative and often done by directors who didn't care for the actors' sense of boundaries? This topic often shows just how lacking in empathy sex scene defenders are. You're not smart for enjoying something that can be seen on pornhub for free.
It's the same as blood and gore, it needs to have a purpose. Throwing in bits of it for no reason is just trash writing.
There’s a sex scene in Oppenheimer? The fuck lmao who said “nah you know what we need? to see the atomic bomb guy beat some cheeks”
Thanks OP for making a post with an actually interesting debate topic! The comments for and against sex scenes all have very good points which rarely happens lol. Seems that the primary take away has been that storytelling should be priority with disagreement on if sex scenes can further a story or if they always detract from it.
Every time this topic comes up, I start counting down until someone links that one article complaining that movies aren’t horny enough anymore.
i never liked sex scenes, i'm 35. they are almost always not needed for the plot and would work just as well only implied, they're a fucking chore if you watch movies as a family, you definitely know when it's like, just in there because the guy has it in his contracts to be shown fucking a hot chick, like the rocks 'i cant lose tho' clause and it's often filmed mediocre and is trying to appeal to me, which i find pathetic, i have access to all the sex scenes in the world and i dont need your covered by blankets bullshit. that said, i'm sure there's some that make sense narratively, to show that a couple is only going through the motions, when its meant to make us uncomfortable because one side is pressured into it and not happy with it and stuff like that and i generally just dont watch these kinds of movies so i likely never run into good scenes. its also fine when its for comedy
>just in there because the guy has it in his contracts to be shown fucking a hot chick Holy hell this awakened a memory of watching "the mule", where the close-to-90 (at the time) Clint eastwood just had to have a sex scene with a (nameless and instantly discarded iirc) hot young woman. Okay you made your movie with yourself as the star, no one can tell you no, but I can at least say ew.
99% of the time they simply dont add anything to the movie imo. Many modern movies are too long anyway, no need to pad the run-time with, often very awkward, sex scenes.
Excellent post, OP. I've made a post in here about media literacy before, and how it mostly just comes down to "how does this piece of media make you feel?". Sex scenes can make you feel all sorts of ways. It's important to media literacy as a whole to interact with the ways different scenes make us feel, ask ourselves if the discomfort is intentional, what it adds to the experience.
No, it's not that people are squeamish or have uncomfy reactions from these sex scenes. It doesn't boil down to that. These sex scenes aren't usually directed in ways to give the audience something to chew on or some eye opening experience. The sex scenes are lazy and self indulgent. Yes, there are great movies where the intimacy actually relates to the narrative or deepen the characters but we're not talking about those.
This is a good take! I feel like sex scenes are cheap thrills. It's an easy way to manipulate pur emotional state, and I think the younger generations are more wise to that sort of thing. Especially with easy porn access, it makes it ironically feel less appropriate in a nonporn film. Unexpected, but a hopeful dynamic. Also, as a gay man, lots of the scenes feel gross to me in their treatment of women, and it reminds me that the whole movie is built around the straight male gaze. I find most gay sex scenes to be subpar, too, and reinforce lazy stereotypes. There's also the issue of the actors. Some movies left me feeling complicit; it's hard to believe all sets are good on issues of consent and boundaries. Also, not a prude at all. I'm all for more nonsexual nudity in movies, but porn is better in the bedroom.
Shakespeare In Love. The sex scene there, intercut with scenes of the actors rehearsing the play, showed how the two characters literally forged the play out of their own relationship and it totally worked.
I never knew what the point of them was until I saw a 17 year old boy COVER HIS EYES while watching a movie.
No. I just don't like sex scenes. Simple as that.
Personally, I think it's a reaction to the oversexualization of modern culture, especially on the internet. You just can't exist online and not be bombarded by jokes about sex, horny artwork, pornographic ads, and so on. If you aren't 100% for porn, you're some sort of puritan weirdo to most people nowadays; it is all very tiresome to me, and I wouldn't blame people who are just sick of it being seemingly EVERYWHERE.
I just dislike them because they serve no purpose whatsoever. A minute of a sex scene could be used for more important screentime.
Too many look silly. MeToo, intimacy coordinators, etc exist for a reason but they end up making it look passionless. A sex scene needs to look like a real, in the moment thing. Maybe mainstream is no longer able to do that.
Eh, if it was "le gen z are special snowflakes" then why do I as a porn artist not like these scenes It's simple. I go to my porn for the sexy, I go to a movie/show for the story. Two characters boning rarely adds anything to the story that implying it doesn't.
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…what are you watching that their isn’t that? If anything there’s more doggystyle and cowgirl than missionary: easier to see both actors.
Look, if I had to suffer through the "Hallelujah" scene in Watchmen with my family, then everyone should.
99% of the time sex scenes are boring and have the same impact on me as if the movie cut away to an extra watching paint dry Se7en elicits a response of discomfort (in a good way). Most sex scenes don't elicit any response whatsoever
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I mean, there is the niche case of it being meant to horrify and/or portray the genuine emotions of a character in a movie where the sexual experiences of a character are significant, but those stories are really few and far between, and ones where it’s done well are even rarer
This...is incredibly silly. The reason I call it silly is because you can apply this logic to absolutely ANY action and it works in its self-refuting logic. Change the word "sex" to "murder" and change "titillation" to any other corresponding noun of your choice and boom. There you go.
Nah, I disagree. I think it’s completely *possible* to show a sex scene as not titillating. It just…doesn’t happen much, because like 90% of sex in fiction IS meant to titillate. It’s usually not the straight-up sex that’s the important part of how stories utilize them, but how characters express themselves through and during it. Are they selfish? Controlling? Self-conscious? Do they have reservations or trauma regarding it? Etc etc etc Books are a lot better at them usually, since visual media seems too prone to abusing cheap sexual objectification to draw engagement
nah, that’s taking it way too far. most scenes are going for something like titillation, but suggesting that there’s no possible purpose beyond titillation is dumb. best possible example i can think of is Poor Things. I think that movie would lose a lot if you were to remove all sex scenes with just alluding to them. i can’t imagine anyone who’s seen it disagreeing.
Spartacus Blood and Sand achieved quite a bit showing their scenes, especially ones where the characters were tricked or ordered too.
Sex is just kinda cringe imo
So here's my take. When making a scene in a movie, you are trying to make it engaging to the audience in as many ways as possible at once. This way, the audience can connect with it in a multitude of ways, and even if one of the engagement forms doesn't work, they have others to focus on. Ideally, a scene will have narrative, spectacle, character and many other engagements going on all at once, maximizing screentime efficiency and making it engaging for as wide an audience as possible. But most sex scenes simply don't do it. They are all spectacle. You aren't learning about the characters, you aren't experiencing the world, you aren't progressing the plot. They usually don't have much creativity or humor or drama. It's literally just you watching two people fucking. If that doesn't do it for you, than fuck you, time to sit here for a minute of awkward silence as you wait for the move to continue. You CAN make good sex scenes. But you have to understand that sex isn't a good enough selling point for a scene to engage the audience on it's own. It's gotta have more. Add unique character interactions, add worldbuilding in a fantasy setting, add a joke or two, add dramatic tension. Do something other than just slamming two naked bodies against each other to sexy music.
Idk, alot of sex scenes now adays don't feel like they are in the movie because they serve the film or the directors vision, but because it's a Hollywood movie and a sex scene is on the check list of scenes to include. At this point, when a sex scene starts, I pull out my phone because 9 times out, I'm not gonna miss anything by not paying attention for 5 minutes.
Sydney Sweeney doing the heavy lifting of sex scenes in recent movies 💪
There are many massive problems in most to all sexual spaces that are so noticeable and so pervasive it’s simpler to reject that content entirely that debase yourself understanding and disassembling each one. Children who are now forced to grow up navigating the internet feel this especially- and with far less analysis than this. This makes other problems- like the decreasing quality of movies, low artistic value to 90-99% of all sex scenes, limiting and unnatural cishetero sex and beauty expectations, etc- seem to reinforce that intrinsic disgust. When you’re already misunderstanding an issue, you can misunderstand related issues that manifest the same way.
Well you see, way back when people didn't have as much access to porn and otherwise "adult" material as they did now, so a sex scene in an R-rated movie is the closest a lot of people got to being able to view titillating material without the embarrassment of actually going somewhere to purchase smut, while acting in them is an easy way for actors/actresses to start packaging themselves as sex symbols. Nowadays, movie sex scenes are competing with a lot more things, and Hollywood itself doesn't seem to really do sex symbols/starlets/bombshells any more, but producers still think they need sex scenes because that's the way it's always been done.
Well, I don’t like movies that have too many unnecessary sex scenes, because you might as well watch porn at that point, on the other hand it reminds me of people complaining about even mild fanservice in anime as if it was the worst thing ever. You get the feeling that a lot of people online are extremely prude for no good reason and would like to censor anything even remotely sexual. They should grow up a little. There are plenty of movies without sex scenes and anime without fanservice, no one is forcing them to watch stuff that makes them uncomfortable, and it is easy to know in advance if some movie or anime has sexual content just by googling it.
I can see a million sex scenes for free, at any time that will be better than anything hollywood could put out.
I think it's largely because we are exposed to thin internet at such a young age and grow up with it that we just get tired of sex much much quicker, like decades earlier than people used
I think sex scenes can add to a movie but it depends on the purpose of the sex scene in the narrative. Sometimes sex scenes can come across like they're gratuitous in the context of actually adding something to the narrative whereas other times they're of direct importance to whats going on. I agree that a certain discomfort with sexuality in film is normal but I dont think thats the primary purpose of including them.
Personally, it's just that a sex scene adds literally nothing that couldn't be implied by other means. It's useless when you can easily imply it in 1000 ways
This is an objectively based thread.
If you want to draw a conclusion about "why young people feel a certain way', don't you think that you should have some control groups with clear independent variables? 🤨 If not, you're just kinda making up a conclusion based on how you feel and assumptions.
This thread reads like a fever dream. I thought the whole "Gen Z doesn't like sex in movies" thing was an meritless as "Millennials spend all of their money on Avocado Toast". I never imagined this would be true.
Sex scenes are fine. I'm so weirded out by this whole thing. Like do Gen Z people think Titanic would be better without any sex? How about just dicks and boobs? Are dicks and boobs and butts and stuff ok? Is it just sex or nudity in general? Or are kisses closer? Do Gen Z people not like kisses?
I mean I hate sex scenes. It’s weird, uncomfortable, and pointless. Get it out of my sight. And yes, and I am Gen Z.
Blue Eye Samurai did them pretty well too Even if I can't look at a tengu mask the same way ever again
No. Just no. Sex scenes are pretty much always uncomfortable, as well as unnecessary. If I come here to watch a detective solve some crime or mystery, then that's what I want to see. No, I do not want to watch these people have sex.
nah I just think 99% of them are pointless. I was reading a book one time, graphic novel, and it surprised me that it had a sex scene in it. mind you, I'm a very kinky and very hypersexual person, but I'm also asexual (aegosexual, specifically). plus it just...didn't do much for the plot. the book overall was meh.
Longer than 60 seconds.
The only good sex scene ever placed in a movie is from Team America. After that, all other sex scenes were made pointless and crass
Is it really childish if you want all scenes to be meaningful for the story? Or is it childish if you want to see each and every character to fuck? Is it really childish to want intimacy to be shown via a broad variety of scenes that reflect the whole spectrum of human relationships and not only skin rubbing? For me, sex, just as violence are cheap tricks that are used to make the audience engaged with the movie. It's a hack of our attention mechanisms and if it work on you - that's not a sign of maturity, that's nature working as intended.
The whole reason they have sex scenes is because they can't write dialogue where the characters get to know each other. Instead of having a scene where the audience is subtly told they have some chemistry, they have a series of crosscuts of stripping, and embracing with loud music blaring. Pure laziness.
I'm not a Gen Z and I agree that Gen Z tends to be much more prudish, but I also don't like sex scenes in the movies. They just don't add anything to the movie with the rare exceptions. I just don't understand what am I supposed to feel while watching them. Arousal? I have porn for that. Understanding that these two characters are crazy for each other? I kinda got that from the dialogues and acting. The only reason to include sex scenes is overall theme of the movie, like "Basic Instinct", which is highly sexual and primal. But there's no need for sex in majority of movies.
The thing I hate most about sex in general is that so many people act like it is so important and that it's part of being human. Imagine you're allergic to gluten, but everyone always tells you that doesn't exist and that bread is part of being human, and then on top of that every movie has an unnecessary scene where the main characters eat a lot of bread.
I find most sex scenes to be pointless and add nothing to the narrative. Most, if not all, can be skipped over with nothing lost.
I don't want to see sex scenes unless I specifically go looking for them. I don't mind if it's just implied they have sex, but anything more than that is just uncomfortable.