Archive

The AfterEllen Huddle: On-screen sexy

Filmmakers are constantly pushing the boundaries on what can be shown in theater, especially when it comes to lovemaking scenes. So many movies with lesbian content and themes are memorable because of the sex the characters are having. (Seriously, would so many people have seen Wild Things if it weren’t for Denise Richards and Neve Campbell‘s pool party?)

But sometimes you don’t even need nudity or blatant depictions of sex to have a successful scene. (OK, and sometimes you do.) To each their own, right? Which is why this week’s Huddle topic is the best sex scene you’ve ever seen. And go!

The Linster: I tried to come up with something unexpected this week, but my mind kept going back to a classic: Bound. And really, why would my mind go anywhere else?

I don’t know about you, but the first time I watched Bound, I had no clue what was, um, coming. I mean, I always enjoy a woman with a swagger, so Gina Gershon‘s Corky was a reason to watch. But when Jennifer Tilly‘s Violet looked Corky in the eye as she licked her fingers and then, well, you know … Gah. Drummerdeeds: My vote is for the sex scene that was the talk of the town over the last year (and extremely deserving of that attention) – Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman in Black Swan. Despite the rumors that the two actresses were under the influence of tequila and slimy comments from oglers near and far, the ecstasy-induced scene was creepy, trippy and oh-so-sexy. Everything from the pink ballerina bedroom to Mila Kunis taking the reigns, to Natalie Portman seeing her own face instead of Mila’s, and bizarre tattoos taking life, it was one of the most memorable and incredible sex scenes. Did it actually happen? Was it a figment of Nina’s imagination? Regardless, that scene will forever remain imprinted in my mind, and I challenge any director to top it.

Dorothy Snarker: When Night is Falling. Make sure your copy has the full director’s cut, not the shortened American edit. And then just lean back and enjoy the sumptuous visual feast. Could it spark a weird trapeze fetish? Sure. But so worth it; so very worth it. Heather Hogan: Fingersmith is one of those books/movies you read and you’re like, “If I’d read/watched that when I was 13, it would have changed the shape of my whole world.” Or maybe that’s just me, growing up as I did in a small, north Georgia town with a puritanical bent that could have rivaled Victorian England on its most prudish day. There was a lot of “practicing” for “husbands” around these parts, the same kind of “practicing” Maude and Sue do the first time they have sex. Only most of the girls I knew who “practiced” for their “husbands” really ended up with husbands. Unlike Maude and Sue, who ended up realizing that sex with girls is the best sex of all the sex. And they lived a happy, husband-less ever after.

Bridget McManus: OK, not to be a prude, but this week’s huddle is essentially asking the staff, “Which movies turn you on?” I have a feeling the HR department is going to be busy today. [Editor’s note: Prude!]

My first picks (Bound, Black Swan) have already been snatched up, so the bronze medal goes to If These Walls Could Talk 2. Chloe Sevigny and Michelle Williams have some serious chemistry. And Sevigny makes one sexy butch. Emily Hartl: I will second Bridget’s If These Walls Could Talk scene and I will raise her with the first ever Shane/Carmen sex scene in the DJ booth. Trish Bendix: Chantal Akerman‘s Je, Tu, Il, Elle featured one of the first ever lesbian sex scenes on film. In 1974, she starred alongside Claire Wauthion in a close to 20 minute shot of the two naked on a bed. They wrestle, they kiss, they (without getting too graphic) are able to make love without being pornographic for the sake of it. It’s black and white and the only sounds are the ones that escape their mouths from heavy breathing. It’s passion, wanting, madness. Karman Kregloe: When posed this question, my mind immediately went to Anne Heche and Joan Chen in Wild Side (1995). I wrote a review of the film for this site a few years ago, and so have already waxed poetic about the sex scenes between the two women in it. Say what you will (and you probably will) about Heche, but she has always struck me as a fearless performer, and that’s a divine quality for an actor to possess when it comes to shooting a successful sex scene. Chen radiates gorgeousness and effortless appeal, and seems more than willing to play along. Yes, a lot of movies with lesbian sex scenes have been released in the 16 years since Wild Side first came out, but this one is still one of the most memorable. (That said, if Sarah Shahi had stuck around a bit longer on The L Word, my answer might have been different!) Courtney Gillette: I’ve been racking my brain on this one (really, who needs an excuse to ponder all the good sex scenes you’ve ever witnessed?), but I gotta say, Trish’s post this week on But I’m A Cheerleader got me all nostalgic for that flick. So I’ll go with the scene where Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall finally, finally, finally get at each other in the doll house (dog house? Actually, what was that thing?). Cue the sappy violin heavy breathy-voiced soundtrack and unbutton those blouses. I think my teenage self wanted every Sapphic love making experience to look just like that one. Please don’t tell her it actually would involve more PBR and crappy twin bed mattresses. Let’s see Hollywood take on that reality.

Sound off: What’s your favorite on-screen sex scene?

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button