THE SINS OF CHLOE SEVIGNY
Polygamy, Oral, Lesbianism + Orgasms on Film
Chloë Sevigny is no stranger to courting controversy. She made her feature film debut in Larry Clark’s 1995 coming-of-age film Kids. The film follows a group of hedonistic New York City teenagers engaging in sexual acts and using illicit substances. The MPAA gave Kids an NC-17 rating for its explicit sexuality, including graphic discussions of sex and sexually transmitted infections and diseases. The movie received mixed reviews from critics, and its artistic merit is still a topic of debate today. Nevertheless, it grossed $20.5 million at the box office and cost just $1.5 million to produce. It also launched the careers of Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, the late Justin Pierce, and Rosario Dawson.
After the release of Kids, Sevigny continued to accept provocative roles rather than shy away from them. For example, she played the love interest opposite Hilary Swank in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry. While certain aspects of the dramatic biopic no longer hold up, like casting a cis-gender woman (Swank) as a transgender man, positive depictions of trans individuals — where they were not depicted as predators or the butt of a joke — were exceedingly rare in the 1990s.
Perhaps even more controversial than her role in Kids was her part in Vincent Gallo’s The Brown Bunny, and not just because famous film critic Roger Ebert walked out of the film’s screening at Cannes and described it as “the worst film in the history of the festival.” However, Ebert revised his take on the movie when it was re-edited and shortened. No, what makes this 2003 movie so notable is the scene where Sevigny performs oral sex on Gallo’s character. Yes, we’ve all seen many a fellatio scene on the big screen, but what sets this one apart is that unlike in most films where the sex is simulated, Sevigny actually gave Gallo a blow jo,a nd thus, Gallo’s resulting ejaculation was very real. It’s certainly a scene that will get you talking.
Not all her provocative roles have been in indie and arthouse films; she also starred in the HBO drama Big Love as one of the several wives of Bill Paxton’s fundamentalist Mormon patriarch. The series ran from 2006 to 2011, and went on to win a spate of awards, including a Golden Globe for Sevigny’s performance. In addition, Sevigny continues to take on roles in steamy projects, like portraying presumed ax murderer Lizzie Borden in Lizzie, which also added a lesbian romance plot between her character and Kristen Stewart’s Bridget.
We are glad that Sevigny is still pushing boundaries and keeping things interesting. Who doesn’t love a movie that gets them talking?
