Attention ’90s indie cinephiles: Gregg Araki’s “I Want Your Sex” does exist, and will be released, eventually.
In the film, Cooper Hoffman stars as Olivia Wilde’s “sexual muse.” It’s already shot, edited, and ready for the world—so why hasn’t it premiered at a fall festival?
“I Want Your Sex” was passed over by both Cannes and Venice. That doesn’t mean the film is bad, just that it didn’t fit the programmers’ criteria. Sources suggest it’s more likely to make its debut at Sundance next January.
This marks Araki’s first feature in over a decade, based on an original script co-written with Karley Sciortino (“Slutever,” “Now Apocalypse”). Here’s the synopsis:
When fresh-faced Elliot lands a dream job with renowned artist, icon, and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), he is tapped to become her sexual muse. But as Erika leads him deeper into her world, Elliot finds himself navigating a realm of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder far beyond anything he imagined.
Araki hasn’t released a feature since 2014’s underrated “White Bird in a Blizzard.” Since then, he’s mostly worked in TV, directing on “13 Reasons Why,” “Dahmer,” and creating his own series, “Now Apocalypse.”
The director says “I Want Your Sex” is “cut from the same cloth” as his Teen Apocalypse Trilogy—”Totally F***ed Up,” “The Doom Generation,” and “Nowhere.” Yet, many still consider his most enduring work to be “Mysterious Skin,” released nearly a decade after that trilogy.