23 Best Non-Porn Films Rated NC-17
Challengers , a bisexual tennis film directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Zendaya, may not be too explicit in its sex scenes, but it follows in the footsteps of other recent films such as Saltburn , Anyone But You and “Poor Guys” are films that put sex first. It’s promising that adult films are taking over the box office that was once dominated by sexless superhero films, no matter what you think of the merits of any particular film. Plus, all of these films managed to avoid the NC-17 rating in favor of a more theatrical R. Have we become more relaxed about sex? Remains to be seen.
It’s true that an NC-17 rating can prevent a film from making money at the box office; major chains often don’t even sell them, considering them to be equivalent to the X-rated product that was introduced instead. Although it seems like less of an issue in the streaming age, NC-17 still carries a stigma .
The point is that NC-17 (and the X rating before it) was never intended to indicate that a film is inherently pornographic, but that it is entirely adult in content; Classic examples include A Clockwork Orange , Midnight Cowboy , Introducing Nicolas Roeg and Lindsay Anderson’s If…, all of which were initially rated X but were critically acclaimed ( Midnight Cowboy even won an Academy Award for best film). Unfortunately, eventually someone in the porn industry decided that “X” was a good marketing gimmick, and self-ratings became common practice for porn films (the meaningless “XXX: soon entered the lexicon”) and the rating became associated exclusively with naughty films.
The MPAA eventually introduced the NC-17 label as a way to reset the system, and Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin’s 1990 docudrama Henry & June became the first to receive the new stamp. A brief renaissance in adult films followed, as for a time the NC-17 rating removed some of the stigma associated with films clearly not intended for children, and even became an art-house badge of honor. Of course, NC-17 is no guarantee of quality, but the following films deserve both their critical reputations and their restrictive ratings. (Note: Some of these films predate the NC-17 rating and were originally rated X, but their official rating has since been updated.)
Blonde (2022)
This biographical film about Marilyn Monroe is directed by Andrew Dominik and based on the fictional novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The film, produced by Netflix, was rated NC-17, which reportedly caused some consternation among Netflix executives , who were apparently expecting a straightforward biopic from the same feature director who turned the story of Jesse James into a slow, elegiac tone poem. (but with Brad Pitt!). While many, including myself, were not thrilled with the film’s rather unusual focus on Marilyn as a victim of her own sexuality, many (including Oates) were delighted with it, and there is no doubt that Ana de Armas gives a stellar performance, even received several nominations for Best Actress, including at the Oscars.
Where to watch: Netflix
Bent (1997)
While the film certainly gets a high maturity rating due to several relatively tame sex scenes and moments of shocking violence (much of the film takes place in the Dachau concentration camp), NC-17 is hard to imagine – until we take into account that the queer content traditionally assessed by censors and ratings commissions much more strictly than straight material. The film’s key love scene involves two men who can’t touch themselves or each other, making the film a compelling example of film ratings madness.
Where to watch: Peacock, Tubi, Pluto TV
Matador (1986)
Pedro Almodóvar, to whom we’ll return, considers Matador one of his weakest films, but I’m giving the director’s worst film over most of the others’ best—by comparison, the film still has a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes “ . NC-17 (which replaced the original X in 2005, nearly two decades after the film’s release) is probably not entirely unreasonable here: the erotic thriller features rape, bondage porn and snuff videos, and opens with a non-simulated sex scene. . It’s also a pretty brilliant satire on the dangers of sexual repression.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
The indelible image here is Harvey Keitel’s naked, crying, penis-swinging dance, so powerful that the image features prominently in much of the film’s promotional art – although additional shadows were of course cast for modesty. Director Abel Ferrera’s neo-noir style (and background in hardcore pornography) briefly made him one of the big names during the erotica boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Examples include films such as this, The Chinese Girl and Dangerous Game . proper exploitation, turning meanness into something like art. If this is not his masterpiece (it is “Dangerous Game “), then it is certainly his most famous. The original NC-17 rating was attributed to “sexual violence, strong sexual situations and dialogue, depictions of drug use”… this last point is unique in that drug use itself is not typically a criterion for NC-17 ratings. The R-rated version was hastily put together for Blockbuster, so if you’re looking for the uncut film (with the bonus of Harvey Keitel masturbating!), you’ll want to look for the 96-minute version.
Where to watch: Prime Video, The Criterion Channel, Tubi.
Bad Education (2004)
As mentioned, Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education was not the first of his films to receive an NC-17 rating, but rather the last. This probably says more about the standards of the certification board than it does about Almodóvar’s films, which often deal with sex but rarely contain anything particularly pornographic (though I suppose that depends on your point of view). Given that movies tend to be overtly kinky and sex-positive (at least when the sex is consensual and not abusive), ratings have more to do with attitude and orientation than actual content. This highly stylized murder mystery, which depicts substance abuse and sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests, is among the director’s darkest films, but it is also one of his best films.
Where to stream: Max
Evil Dead (1981)
Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and company made The Evil Dead with absolutely no concern for ratings or censorship, and probably without much expectation that the film would gain such distribution that either of those things would matter. The ensuing decades saw a remake-sequel, a direct sequel, a reboot, a TV series, a musical, several games, endless comic books and, of course, a porn parody called Evil Head, so everything turned out well. for the Lovecraft franchise that started here. Rated X for bloody, frantic violence (and reclassified NC-17 in 1994), the film actually did fairly well in the US, but found more trouble in the UK, where crusades against “video nastiness” were raging. The film’s 2013 reboot was originally intended to have a similar rating before a few smart changes put it at a more film-friendly R rating.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Woman’s Problem (1974)
Pink Flamingos is what everyone is talking about, but in my opinion, Women’s Trouble is peak John Waters. Divine stars as middle-aged juvenile delinquent Dawn Davenport, whose innocent desire for a pair of cha-cha heels sets her on a course for a life of crime as well as beauty (ditto). This is John Waters, so the film’s X rating is mostly fair (anything less would probably be offensive), and an early sex scene in a garbage dump leaves little room for doubt. It was officially re-rated NC-17 in 1999, but has since been restored in 4K and released on Criterion, proving that one era’s cinematic trash is another’s treasure.
Where to watch: digital rental.
In the kingdom of feelings (1976)
An entirely unique piece of filmmaking, Nagisa Oshima’s provocative psychosexual tale combines eroticism (which, in this case, includes a fair amount of non-simulated sex) with undertones of horror in its tale of love and murder, based on the true story of a geisha, sex, and sex. blue-collar and unlikely folk hero Sada Abe (flawlessly played by Eiko Matsuda). Unfolding like a tone poem, it’s a beautifully hypnotic and appropriately titled film that culminates in a truly shocking act of violence. The filmmakers got around Japanese filming restrictions by identifying the film as a French production and sending the footage to that country for processing and development. The X rating was updated to NC-17 in 1991.
Where to watch: Criterion Channel.
Santa Sangre (1989)
Santa Sangre is the best film from cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky, a director as beloved as he is (justifiably) controversial. There’s not much point in describing the plot of this surreal horror outing, although it does feature Phoenix (played by Jodorowsky’s son Axel) recalling his childhood in a seedy Mexican circus, as well as the murder/suicide that killed his father and throwing knives. The mother of a cult leader without a gun. Phoenix currently serves as his mother’s hand, helping with various tasks, including murder. There’s a lot here that’s hard to digest, but hidden within are some interesting and thoughtful ideas about the joy of escaping the past. An edited alternate version was created to ensure an R rating, but the film never received a proper release in the United States.
Where to watch: Shudder, Tubi, Free
Shame (2011)
While calling the film’s NC-17 label a “badge of honor,” distributor Fox Searchlight made no effort to challenge the rating, although I’m not sure it’s entirely deserved. The story of the rather dark life of sex addict Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) naturally includes a fair amount of sexuality, but it’s not filmed to be particularly attractive (there are both honest looks and explicit looks in the film). . on addictive behavior and a rather prudish view of sexuality in general). However, the performances of Fassbender and Carey Mulligan make it worth watching.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Dirty Shame (2004)
John Waters’ latest film is hardly one of his best, but it’s a lot of fun thanks to a great cast led by Tracey Ullman that includes Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaac and, of course, Mink Stole. There’s a fair amount of nudity in this tale of war between the puritanical denizens of Hartford Road and the region’s various gleeful sexual deviants, but NC-17 probably has just as much to do with language, with a surprisingly emotional moment centered around the confession: “I’m a cunnilingus bottom.” Given that it’s all in good fun, NC-17 seems over the top and even a little shocking, unless you’re one of the prudes the film is aimed at. The unnecessary rating also sunk the film at the box office, and Waters has found it difficult to make anything since then.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Killer Joe (2011)
After a decade or two of disappointment, the great William Friedkin finished strong with Killer Joe , his penultimate film, which preceded the equally great but posthumous Court-Martial for the Kane Mutiny . The film stars Matthew McConaughey as a master hitman who is disturbingly in love with Dottie (Juno Temple), the younger sister of a drug dealer. NC-17 was intended primarily for violence, namely “graphic disturbing content involving violence and sexuality, as well as scenes of gore”, a rare case where sex was not at the forefront when it came to such a rating. The film did fairly poorly at the box office, and the NC-17 rating certainly didn’t help.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)
Adapting Jean Rhys’s feminist, anti-colonial take on Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre , Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of the novel’s “madwoman in the attic”, in this case a Creole West Indian heiress who enters into an extremely unhappy marriage with Mr. Rochester. and in the process she found herself isolated and alone in England, even more adrift than in Jamaica, where she was born. The film is sexy as hell, earning it an NC-17 rating, although not everyone agreed that it achieved its lofty ambitions (the Washington Post called it “coffee table pornography with sound effects”).
Where to watch: digital rental.
Arabian Nights (1974)
Several of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s films received an X rating when first released in America, although his most famous work , Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, skipped the rating procedure entirely, as if there was not a rating sufficient to do justice to the film’s imagery. . It may be his most famous work, but it is far from his best work as a director; his typically excited but less characteristically joyful “Arabian Nights” is more of a contender for the top spot. The film’s 16 sequences build on the hidden (and not-so-hidden) eroticism of the source material while adding plenty of slapstick humor. While there was very mild controversy in some places about the film’s “raunchiness”, for the most part audiences were ready to have fun. In 1990, X became NC-17.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi, MGM+.
Last Tango in Paris (1972)
Last Tango in Paris sparked intense controversy upon its release in 1973 and remains equally controversial to this day, albeit for very different reasons. Here is the legendary Marlon Brando, just months after the release of The Godfather , starring in a film that drew a literal crowd denouncing the filmmakers as perverts, while many (but not all) feminist critics saw something deeply retrograde in the central relationship between ’19 and ’19. year-old Maria Schneider and almost 50-year-old Brando. In subsequent years, Schneider described feelings of humiliation and rage at her treatment on set (a drama series about the production of Tango was reportedly in the works ), making already intense sex scenes more difficult to watch. However, as the highest-grossing import of its time, it represents an incredibly important moment in both American acceptance of foreign films and the depiction of explicit sexuality. Despite their difficult legacies, both Schneider and Brando deliver career-defining performances. Its X rating was officially changed to NC-17 in 1997.
Where to stream: MGM+
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)
Blue has lost some of its luster in the years since its release, as the elements that made it particularly unique and memorable (and earned it an NC-17 rating) have also made it controversial. The film’s working conditions under director Abdellatif Kechiche were the subject of controversy, and the explicit sex scenes were received differently by different audiences. For some, his overt sexuality is one of his greatest strengths; an essential element of taboo-busting lesbian romance. Others see the director’s very masculine perspective on two women whose sexuality takes on a darker tone. However, the performances from Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos are outstanding, and if the sexuality in the film is a bit overdone, I suppose it just brings some parity with the long history of films featuring heterosexual sex of dubious necessity.
Where to stream: AMC+, Mubi
Inside Deep Throat (2005)
Thanks in part to the release of Andy Warhol’s Blue Movie in 1969 (fortunate timing), explicit sex became a real moment in world cinema , and porn films began to be taken seriously, at least in certain circles. The sexual revolution and the feminist movement paved the way for a somewhat broader approach to the genre, even if the films themselves were not always particularly good porn or good cinema and were often exploitative in nature. This documentary, narrated by Dennis Hopper, explores much of this but focuses on the making of the 1972 film that entered the zeitgeist in surprising ways; Hopper, who was himself a member of the counterculture and moved to the other end of that spectrum in later life, is a smart choice for a film about the rise and fall of the legal sex film. “Inside Deep Throat” earns its rating largely by presenting historical footage, but a more sanctimonious approach would have felt compromised.
Where to watch: AMC+, The Roku Channel, Mubi.
Showgirls (1995)
There are many approaches to watching Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls , and they are all correct. For some, it’s a very ’90s nostalgic piece that places Saved by the Bell’s Elizabeth Berkley in an era-appropriate erotic drama; for others it’s so bad it’s a good feeling of guilt; for others, it’s a sly (if problematic) satire in the style of All About Eve . Whether out of genuine love or simple fame, Showgirls remains one of the highest-grossing NC-17 releases in history and a cult classic par excellence.
Where to watch: The Criterion Channel, Tubi, MGM+.
Lust, Caution (2007)
The sexuality in Lust, Caution is in no way accidental. The story takes place in Hong Kong and later Shanghai during the Japanese occupation of China. It tells the story of Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei), who is recruited to infiltrate the circle of Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), a recruiter for the Chinese army. puppet government; she will seduce him and lead to possible murder. Lee tried his best to keep the film’s eroticism intact, feeling that it was all important to the story. The result was also one of the highest-grossing NC-17 dramas in American box office history.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Crash (1994)
Not Paul Haggis’ 2004 Oscar winner. In David Cronenberg’s 1996 film, James Spader and Holly Hunter played a couple whose lives become intertwined after a car accident, and they both develop a unique cinematic fetish. Combining sex and our cultural love of cars, Crash explores the intersection of sex and violence that is present in many other American films, but rarely in such an explicit, twisted style. At every stage of his life he attracted controversy; Cannes audiences reportedly stormed out and the film was banned from cinemas in many parts of the world. It’s currently not streaming anywhere and was hard to find even on DVD until the venerable Criterion Collection released its definitive version in late 2020. Considering I can’t say the same about films like The Human Centipede , I’d call it an injustice.
Where to watch: Currently nowhere – an unfortunately common occurrence among NC-17 films, even decades later.
Tie me down! Tie me up! (1989)
If I may, another one from Pedro Almodóvar. I guess it took a while for moviegoers to warm to the writer/director, and this comedy/horror film divided audiences at the time of its release, which was just before the transition from X to NC-17, and became part of that debate. . The story of a mental hospital patient who kidnaps an actress in hopes of romance is as unusual and strangely funny as you’d expect. The rating is mainly due to the extended sex scene, but also because the film shows people peeing in a toilet, which is apparently a shockingly aberrant act. The film was planned to be released unrated under its original X classification, but was instead adopted NC-17 when it became possible.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
Man Bites Dog (1992)
One of the first examples of what we later came to call “found footage” is the Belgian mockumentary Man Bites Dog, in which a film crew follows a serial killer, documenting his crimes and atrocities. Initially trying to maintain an atmosphere of impartial observation, the crew inevitably becomes drawn into the darkness surrounding the subject. The violent content remains shocking and effective, but the film also manages to explore more broadly our willingness to disassociate ourselves from the violence that constantly surrounds us, both in cinema and in our everyday lives.
Where to watch: Max, The Criterion Channel
Transitions (2023)
One of the latest films to receive an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America is also a good example of the politics surrounding NC-17: distributor Mubi decided it was better to release the film unrated than NC-17. 17 is considered fatal in all but a few cases. The film follows a love triangle between Thomas (Franz Rogowski), Martin (Ben Whishaw) and Agatha (Adele Exarchapoulos) that enters the lives of an established couple and turns everything upside down. Director Ira Sachs has emphatically stated that the film’s sex scenes are far from gratuitous, while reminding us that queer content almost always results in harsher reviews than the same type of scenes involving straight people. He’s not wrong!
Where to stream: Mubi