BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Like Adrian Lyne and Gaspar Noé, some directors are known exclusively for erotic films, while others have a more varied body of work. In this list, we are looking at the most erotic movies of 10 famous directors who work across multiple genres. That is not to say that these directors only have one erotic film, but not all of their oeuvre is erotic.

Bernardo Bertolucci: The Dreamers

Set against the backdrop of the 1968 student riots in Paris, an American university student, Matthew (Michael Pitt), is taken in by twins Théo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green). The trio soon finds themselves in a strange, ménage à trois, with Matthew seducing both brother and sister.

 

Park Chan-wook: The Handmaiden

Set in Japanese-occupied Korea, a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) is hired by a conman (Ha Jung-woo) to pose as a maid for a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee), so he can defraud her. But, when the pickpocket and the heiress find themselves drawn to each other, they decide to hatch their own plot.

 

Alfonso Cuarón: Y Tu Mamá También

In this sexy road trip movie, best friends Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) hit the road with sexy, but terminally ill, older woman Luisa (Maribel Verdú). As the summer wears on, the boys discover love and sexuality. Of course, no one could ever forget that threesome.

 

Luca Guadagnino: Call Me By Your Name

It’s summer 1984 and 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) spends his days at his parent’s Italian villa. When grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) comes to spend the summer with them, Elio finds himself developing feelings for the older man. And, do we even need to mention the peach scene?

 

Mary Harron: American Psycho

Yes, this movie is about yuppie Wall Street worker-by-day, brutal serial killer-by-night Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Still, you cannot deny that this movie is also highly eroticized. As Bateman goes about his murderous spree, pay attention to how the camera frames him. Can anyone say scopophilia?

 

Stanley Kubrick: Eyes Wide Shut

This erotic drama follows Dr. Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman). After Alice admits to fantasizing about another man, Bill becomes obsessed with the idea of a sexual dalliance. He embarks on a night of debauchery at an underground sex club to find himself in over his head.

 

Ang Lee: Lust, Caution

During World War II, a Chinese secret agent (Tang Wei) is hired to seduce and murder a Japanese puppet government official in Shanghai (Tony Leung Chiu Wai). As she finds herself falling in love with her mark, she realizes she cannot go through with the assassination.

 

David Lynch: Blue Velvet

After discovering a severed ear in a deserted field, college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) finds himself thrown into a twisted mystery. At the heart of the caper is seductive lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini). Jeffrey has to figure out if she’s a villain or another victim, but he also finds himself falling for the older woman.

 

George Miller: The Witches of Eastwick

Three women, Alexandra (Cher), Jane (Susan Sarandon) and Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer) live in a small conservative town. They find themselves developing magical powers after they all embark on a sexual relationship with a new, mysterious neighbor, Daryl (Jack Nicholson). Oh yeah, Daryl may also be the devil.

 

Céline Sciamma: Portrait of a Lady on Fire

In the late-18th century, painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) poses as a companion to Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) to paint her portrait secretly so she can be married off. As the two women grow closer, they find themselves falling in love and they embark on a passionate love affair.