Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Director Gregg Araki is back with his most accessible work to date.

I Want Your Sex follows Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), a Gen Z-er in desperate need of a job. To his luck, he lands a job working for the celebrated and provocative artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). Before his first week is complete, Erika proposes an enticing, yet unethical, offer to Elliot: that he become her submissive. This unprofessional relationship alters Elliot’s mundane life into one of intense sexual awakening.

With a title like I Want Your Sex, you better believe it lives up to its name. This is a hyper-sexualized world where employees chew innumerable pieces of gum until their jaws ache, stick each wet glob to a canvas until it looks like a vulva. Why? Because that’s Art in Erika’s world. When Elliot and Erika begin this Dom-sub relationship, Araki doesn’t hold back. He’s asking a lot from his actors, particularly Hoffman. It’s a complex role that Hoffman steers with the maturity of a seasoned actor. Wilde is captivating as the calculating Erika. She relishes her character’s power and varying degrees of cruelty. These are performances that give themselves wholly: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We currently live in a time where society heavily views things in black and white. I Want Your Sex forces us to sit in the grey area…at least for a while. When it comes to unethical workplace relationships, films tend to place the male character in the position of power. In these films, our immediate thought goes to corruption of power. Here, Araki and Co-Writer Karley Sciortino make the boss a female and the young doe-eyed employee a horny boy in his early 20s. The storyline of the relationship is edited against detectives interrogating Elliot about his arrangement with Erika. We see the toxic aspects of the relationship juxtaposed with Elliot vehemently denying that he was manipulated, but rather loved the relationship.

While the core storyline is well-developed, we felt some others needed more depth. There’s one with Elliot’s girlfriend Minerva (Charli XCX) that feels more like a device than a storyline. It’s there to give a reason why Elliot would want to try out this sexual relationship. However, the reason would remain the same without him being in a relationship. Additionally, there’s a storyline with Elliot’s close friend Apple (an amazing Chase Sui Wonders) that should’ve had more screentime. Their friendship was a strong contrast to the sexualized nature of the central relationship, and Wonders is absolutely breathtaking in the role.

I Want Your Sex wants you to have fun while making you think about the morality of its central relationship. So buckle up and enjoy this enticing ride.

Elevation Pictures release I WANT YOUR SEX on Friday, July 31, 2026.