Whether a movie is steamy or not is subjective. For some, the gothic and horrific obsession of Nosferatu may qualify; for others, the charming quirk of 2002’s Secretary is more appropriate. For everyone else, there’s a different and nuanced interpretation that hits the right spot between “sexy” and “off-putting.”
While there’s never a bad time to enjoy a steamy film, there’s no better time than Valentine’s Day. Whether sitting down to enjoy some on-screen romance with a partner, getting comfortable for a “Galentine’s Day” night in, or enjoying the single life and making use of your Netflix account, movies always have your back. This list will discuss some of the best 21st-century steamy movies to watch this Valentine’s Day.
10
‘Poor Things’ (2023)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥
In Victorian London, mad scientist Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) finds the body of a woman who has died after jumping from a bridge. After a brain transplant, he resurrects the woman and names her Bella, played by Emma Stone in an Oscar-winning role. He gradually works to teach her how to walk and talk, and her curiosity about the world leads her to yearn for adventure and independence.
Poor Things is steamy and erotic in a very clinical sense. The film from Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos analyzes sex, sexuality, and gender roles through the lens of someone new to the world and its ways. Whether the film succeeds at portraying these themes favorably is a decision that will depend on the viewer. Poor Things does succeed at laying a lot of ideas on the table and is perfect for those looking to have an intellectual discussion about what sexuality is and what it means to embody it as a woman.
9
‘Nosferatu’ (2024)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Newlywed Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) has been haunted by dark dreams since she pledged herself to a demon in her youth. The presence of her husband, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), quells her anxieties. However, when Thomas must leave her to travel for work, the darkness overcomes her, and she fears the demon is coming to make good on their deal.
For viewers who like their erotic films to be a bit on the dark and macabre side, Robert Eggers‘ moody and sexually charged Nosferatu is just the ticket. The 2024 reimagining of the classic vampire tale is proof that two seemingly contrary things can be true at once. On the one hand, Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok is ominous, threatening, and repulsive. On the other hand, the performances of Skarsgård and Depp are absolutely brimming with yearning and all-consuming desire.
8
‘Call Me By Your Name’ (2017)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Elio (Timothée Chalamet) is 17 and spending the summer of 1983 in the countryside of Northern Italy. Elio’s father (Michael Stuhlbarg) works as an archaeologist in the area and has invited an archaeological graduate student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), to stay with them for the summer. As Elio shows Oliver around and the pair spend more time together, a romance develops.
While other coming-of-age stories are coy and saccharine, Luca Guadagnino‘s Call Me By Your Name is raw, moving, and very intimate. The 2017 film captures much more than a fling; instead, it focuses on the seemingly all-consuming and near-uncontrollable nature of first love. The setting, the culture, and the heat of the Italian summer all contribute to an experience that is more than the sum of its parts.
7
‘The Beguiled’ (2017)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥
During the height of the Civil War, Martha’s (Nicole Kidman) school for girls in Virginia was almost empty. Only one teacher, Edwina (Kirsten Dunst), and a handful of students remain. While out in the woods foraging, one of the young students finds a wounded Union corporal (Colin Farrell). The women decide to care for him until he is well enough to be turned over as a prisoner to the Confederacy. While he heals, the corporal begins playing the women against each other and preying on their loneliness.
Taboo stacks upon taboo in Sofia Coppola‘s The Beguiled. Based upon the book of the same name rather than acting as a direct remake of the Clint Eastwood original, the film yanks sexual tension from every corner of its setting. Gender roles of the time, rules of good taste, and the division between the Union and the Confederacy all crank up the heat and raise the stakes. While the film is lustful and sultry, be warned, The Beguiled is a thriller first and a romance second.
6
‘Secretary’ (2002)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is socially awkward and looking for some stability after a stint in the psych ward. After learning to type, she gets a job as a secretary to overbearing lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader). While she was told the job would be dull, her new boss’s attitude is anything but.
The oddness of the love story, the BDSM focus, and the perfect casting of the leads are just a few of the reasons that Secretary is among the best of the early 2000s wave of “quirky” indie films. Despite the raciness of the subject matter, Secretary is actually one of the sweeter films on the list. It captures a charming earnestness in the relationship between two strange people who manage to fit together in just the right way.
5
‘Challengers’ (2024)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) and Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) are a tennis power couple riding high on Art’s success and the pair’s many lucrative sponsorships. Art is one US Open title away from a Career Grand Slam, but Tashi isn’t confident he has what it takes to secure the achievement. To boost his confidence, she signs him up for a regional challenger match, where one of his competitors is the talented but undisciplined Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor), Art’s former friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend.
The thesis of Challengers is that tennis isn’t a game but a relationship. Luca Guadagnino’s 2024 film embodies that thesis in every scene. In Challengers, sex and romance function like a power play. Meanwhile, tennis matches function like an intimate courting ritual full of intensity and dripping sweat. Add incredible chemistry and performances to the mix, and Challengers becomes a romance for the ages.
4
‘Benedetta’ (2021)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
In 17th-century Italy, nun Benedetta (Virginie Efira) is charged with caring for Bartolomea (Daphné Patakia), a young woman who has fled to the convent seeking protection. Benedetta begins experiencing violent and erotic visions of Christ. While other nuns at the convent debate whether Benedetta is a prophet or a liar, the chemistry between Benedetta and Bartolomea grows.
Nothing is steamier than taboo on screen, especially when it’s based on a true story. The norms of the 17th century, the rules of the Catholic Church, and the social consequences of queerness all collide to make Benedetta a taboo cocktail. Audiences may be surprised to learn that Benedetta director Paul Verhoeven is also behind satirical action classics like Robocop and Starship Troopers. But upon deeper inspection, the ultra-controversial Benedetta is right at home in Verhoeven’s catalog.
3
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ (2024)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Reclusive Lou (Kristen Stewart) manages a rural New Mexico gym in the late 1980s. One evening, Lou spots Jackie (Katy O’Brian) working out in the gym, training for an upcoming bodybuilding competition in Las Vegas. The pair instantly hit it off, but Jackie’s steroid use and Lou’s troubled family life quickly throw things into chaos.
The erotic thriller is back with Love Lies Bleeding, a brilliant crime thriller with a twist. Director Rose Glass takes the female gaze and applies it to the beauty of women, the exploration of strength, and the way love will always triumph over good sense. The chemistry between the two leads is off the charts, and in addition to being extremely steamy, Love Lies Bleeding is also an interesting dissection of the lengths people will go to for love.
2
‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) is recruited by a conman to pose as the new handmaiden for Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee). Hideko lives on an estate with her overbearing uncle (Cho Jin-woong) and is the heiress to a fortune. Once Sook-hee takes her place in the home and gets to know Hideko, her plans begin to change.
Anyone who has seen Oldboy or Stoker will be unsurprised that director Park Chan-wook has made a romance as dark as The Handmaiden. For everyone else, the multilayered story of power dynamics and betrayal is very on-brand for the legendary South Korean filmmaker. In addition to the taboo and quite steamy nature of The Handmaiden‘s romantic and erotic plot points, the film is also enjoyable as one of the best thrillers of the 21st century.
1
‘Sanctuary’ (2022)
Steaminess rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
After the death of his father, Hal (Christopher Abbott) is preparing to take over the family hotel business that has been promised to him for his entire life. To prepare for his new role, Hal decides it’s time to wrap up the ongoing arrangement he has with his dominatrix, Rebecca (Margaret Qualley). However, Rebecca has other ideas.
Some romances leave things unsaid, some dip their toes into intimate areas, and others go all in on the nitty-gritty details of the birds and the bees. Sanctuary does all of the above in stylish fashion. Exploring ideas of identity, self-discovery, and the impacts of domination, Sanctuary is an excellent showcase for Qualley and Abbott. This two-hander is an excellent and romantically charged film perfect for Valentine’s Day viewing.
Sanctuary
- Release Date
-
May 19, 2023
- Runtime
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96 Minutes
