Single or in a relationship, Valentine’s Day is about celebrating the most magical thing we have in this world – love.
These ten films all explore a sensitive and intimate kind of eroticism, showing love and attraction in its most vulnerable, breathtaking forms.
Enjoy with a lover, or just as good, in the special intimacy of your own company.
Moonlight (2016)
Bathed in deep blues and whispered longing, this coming-of-age masterpiece explores queer intimacy with a delicate touch, revealing how love lingers across time and memory.
Moonlight tells the story of a young Black man coming to terms with his sexuality and identity while navigating the challenges of life in a rough neighbourhood.
Whilst this film isn’t overtly erotic like some of the others on this list, its intimacy is quietly breathtaking. As a coming-of-age story, it lingers in the quiet moments—tender, unspoken, and deeply felt.
The film’s use of bodies to say what words cannot makes every glance, every small moment passed between the two men, Black and Kevin, more sensual than most cinematic sex scenes out there.
Love (2015)
A hypnotic exploration of love, sex, and obsession, Love follows a tumultuous relationship between a young couple, unraveling their emotional and physical entanglement.
Love is raw, indulgent, and unapologetically explicit—but beneath its neon-lit sensuality lies something deeply melancholic. Gaspar Noé doesn’t just depict sex; he dissects it, unraveling the way passion and nostalgia intertwine.
The way bodies intertwine, lost in pleasure and pain, makes the film an aching tribute to love as something both euphoric and ruinous.
The Piano (1993)
Desire speaks through music and silence in this hauntingly erotic period drama in which a mute woman’s passionate affair with a man in 19th-century New Zealand challenges societal norms.
Few films capture desire with as much raw intensity as The Piano. Calloused fingers on smooth keys, a hand grazing bare skin- touch is big in this film and carries heavy unspoken hunger.
Carol (2015)
If you’re gay and haven’t seen Carol, what are you doing? If you’re anyone and haven’t seen Carol, what are you doing?
Set in 1950s New York, Carol follows the forbidden romance between Therese and Carol, two women who must navigate love in an oppressive society. It’s a story about the slow unfolding of desire, both tender and exhilarating.
The film’s beauty lies in its delicate handling of emotion-every interaction between Therese and Carol carries the weight of every desire held in check.
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
Seen Call Me by Your Name and looking for something a little sexier and darker? In this film, at a secluded French lakeside, a man becomes entangled in a dangerous love affair with a stranger, where passion and secrecy collide with dark consequences.
The eroticism of Stranger by the Lake is frank and uninhibited, and this is what makes it so exciting, and the interplay between sex and danger only adds to this.
Betty Blue (1986)
In Betty Blue, a feverish, all-consuming romance unfolds between a man and a free-spirited, unpredictable woman and eventually spirals into obsession, madness, and tragedy as both struggle with love and personal demons.
The film’s eroticism is in its sexual intensity- Betty’s unrestrained sexuality and the couple’s obsessive physical connection push boundaries, making their overwhelming love as thrilling as it is destructive.
In the Mood for Love (2000)
People have often praised Wong Kar-wei’s In the Mood for Love for being the sexiest film that involves no sex scenes.
Set in 1960s Hong Kong, two neighbours discover their spouses’ infidelity and form a quiet, yet profound bond as they struggle with their growing feelings for each other.
The film’s atmosphere is charged with longing. The intimacy is in the smallest gestures- the sound of footsteps, the way two bodies align in a room. It is, in essence, a sensual ballet, and one that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.
Room in Rome (2010)
Looking for another heart-wrenching lesbian love story after Blue Is the Warmest Colour?
Two women, one night in a hotel room: Room in Rome explores the intimacy and vulnerability of a fleeting encounter. The film’s eroticism comes from the unfolding rawness of the moment- a deeply personal, almost therapeutic exchange where the two women’s bodies and stories intertwine.
Room in Rome captures not just passion but the revelation of self, seen through the lens of a single night.
Weekend (2011)
A raw and tender exploration of a weekend romance between two men, Weekend is a short but powerful study of intimacy, vulnerability, and connection in the midst of fleeting moments.
What makes Weekend so special is its honesty and naturalism. Every conversation, every touch, every laugh exchanged is filled with the kind of intimacy that is usually reserved for long-term relationships.
This is a film about how connection happens in the smallest of moments, making the chemistry between the two men feel profound and intimate in a way that transcends time.
The Pillow Book (1996)
Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book involves a woman’s search for love and self-expression, intertwined with the art of tattooing and the written word.
The film explores the fetish of body writing – with characters engaging in an art of seduction and self-expression through tattoos, ink, and the written word. Visually and emotionally, this is a uniquely graceful and sensual story.
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Read: In the realm of erotic art: 5 films about female desire.
Iso
Iso is a writer and filmmaker based in East London. She is passionate about all things erotic and leads a sexy, shame-free life in hope that she can inspire others to do the same. Originally from a Northern seaside town, she is naturally drawn to the best things in life: candyfloss, trashy karaoke bars and heart-shaped sunglasses.
