Don Jon
The Man Behind Don Jon: When Fantasy Meets Reality When Don Jon was released in in 2013, audiences didn’t quite know what to expect from Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut. Gordon-Levitt, having been the focus in 500 Days of Summer, Looper, and Inception, was about to step behind the camera to create something reflective of the […]
Shortbus
A Compassionate Interrogation of Love, Sex, and Affinity John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus (2006) is, and is still, the only film like it. Most certainly, it is the only film like it made in the mid-2000s. It is a innovative risk that is still expected in parts of the industry. It was made with the intention of trying […]
Disclosure
Power, Desire, and the Dark Side of the Corporate World Very few 1990s thrillers so boldly combined sexual tension, corporate ambition, and moral ambiguity as Disclosure (1994). Not only does the film, directed by Barry Levinson and based on a novel by Michael Crichton, provide suspense, but it also captures corporate culture, interpersonal relations, and […]
Raven’s Touch
Where Pain Meets Possibility In 2015, when Raven’s Touch entered the indie film scene, there were no expectations for it to linger. Directed by Marina Rise Bader and Dreya Weber, it is not a loud declarative, but rather a whisper, a whisper of healing, a soft cinematic exhale for those who have ever carried invisible […]
Little Children
The Beauty and Brutality of Ordinary Lives Little Children (2006) is one of the few films that highlights the quiet storm underneath the surface of suburbia seamlessly. Todd Field directed the film based on one of Tom Perrotta’s novels. It is a rare kind of drama; one that does not simply show people breaking the […]
Below Her Mouth
When Sparks Turn Into Flames Below Her Mouth begins in Toronto, where Jasmine (Natalie Krill), a successful fashion editor, lives a seemingly stable life with her fiancé, Rile. Her world is orderly — a picture of success and control. On the other side of the city, Dallas (Erika Linder), a roofer with an independent spirit, […]
Through My Window 3: Looking at You
When Passion Meets Maturity Netflix’s Through My Window 3: Looking at You isn’t just another teen romance—it’s the emotional full stop in a turbulent love story that began with obsession and grew into something far more complicated. Adapted from Ariana Godoy’s popular Wattpad series, this third and final film closes the chapter on Raquel and […]
Monamour
Tinto Brass’s Monamour: Exploring the Relationship between Love and Lust Tinto Brass’s Monamour (2006) is one of the few films to closely examine the relationship between love and lust. After all, he is the one who turned this aspect of film into an art. Brass, who is known for pushing the limits of eroticism in […]
Two Moon Junction
The Forbidden Passion That Defined Late-80s Eroticism The arrival of Two Moon Junction in 1988 was like a whisper that turned into a storm. Directed by Zalman King — the same visionary who would later shape Wild Orchid and Red Shoe Diaries — this film wasn’t just an erotic drama. It was a fever dream […]
Burning Betrayal
Love, Lies, and the Taste of Revenge Burning Betrayal (Carga Máxima de Desejo in Portuguese) was first released on Netflix in 2023. It has gained audience attention not only on account of its intimate scenes, but also due to the emotional turmoil which underlines the content. This film is the first adaptation of Sue Hecker’s […]