Gregg Araki Opens 'I Want Your Sex' on 700 US Screens as He Pushes Queer Joy
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 1
Gregg Araki Opens 'I Want Your Sex' on 700 US Screens as He Pushes Queer Joy
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 1
Summary
700 US screens give Gregg Araki his widest release yet with "I Want Your Sex," an independent film he says is meant to inject "queer joy and positivity" into a repressive political moment.
The film follows a 23-year-old assistant drawn into a female-dominant BDSM relationship with an artist played by Olivia Wilde, as Araki recasts an older script to fit post-#MeToo sensibilities.
66-year-old Araki said he flipped the original gender dynamic after funding delays and later tied the story to concerns that Gen Z is having less sex and avoiding uncomfortable experiences.
The release arrives as Araki argues US culture has grown more puritanical and anti-trans, even while younger cinephiles and festival audiences still show strong appetite for queer cinema.