Sex Recession Cinema: Two Films Offer Contrasting Visions of Desire
An article in New Yorker delves into two films that tackle the issue of the "sex recession." This phenomenon has seen the percentage of adults aged 18-64 engaging in weekly sexual activity drop from 55% in 1990 to 37% in 2024. Additionally, the proportion of young individuals (18-29) reporting no sexual encounters has surged from 12% to 24% between 2010 and 2024. Emerald Fennell's adaptation of "Wuthering Heights" features scenes absent from the original text, while Will Gluck's "One Night Only" presents a bleak America where sex is prohibited for singles, starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro. Meanwhile, Gregg Araki's "I Want Your Sex" explores themes of domination and includes explicit content, featuring Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde. The piece critiques both films and urges resistance against sex-regulating authoritarianism.
Key facts
- Sex recession: weekly sex among adults 18-64 dropped from 55% in 1990 to 37% in 2024.
- Young people (18-29) reporting no sex in past year doubled from 12% to 24% between 2010 and 2024.
- Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' features explicit sex scenes not in the novel.
- Will Gluck's 'One Night Only' is set in a world where sex is outlawed for unmarried people, with microchips monitoring marital status.
- Gluck told Variety his decision to keep sex offscreen was influenced by studies on youth squeamishness.
- Gregg Araki's 'I Want Your Sex' is his first film in a decade and explicitly inspired by the sex recession.
- Araki's film stars Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde, with a scene involving a threesome that the critic says isn't fully confronted.
- The article critiques both films for their handling of pleasure and violation.
Entities
Artists
- Emerald Fennell
- Jacob Elordi
- Margot Robbie
- Will Gluck
- Callum Turner
- Monica Barbaro
- Maya Hawke
- Gregg Araki
- Cooper Hoffman
- Olivia Wilde
- Chase Sui Wonders
- Charli XCX
- Emily Brontë
- Heathcliff
- Cathy
- Meg Ryan
- Billy Crystal
- Harry Styles
- Frank-N-Furter
- Brad
- Janet
Institutions
- Variety
- New Yorker
Locations
- Brooklyn
- United States