Attention ’90s indie cinephiles: Gregg Araki’s “I Want Your Sex” has a trailer.
Olivia Wilde in latex. Cooper Hoffman as her sexual submissive. Araki’s brightly paletted visuals. How can you not be won over by this? This also marks Araki’s first feature in over a decade, based on an original script he co-wrote with Karley Sciortino (“Slutever,” “Now Apocalypse”).
The film, which premiered at this past January’s Sundance Film Festival, was acquired there by Magnolia Pictures.That said, I’m quite excited for Araki’s return. Although some of the reviews—few of them raves—suggest this may not be Araki at his peak, it’s sadly not a “Mysterious Skin”-level triumph. Then again, I don’t expect Araki to ever top that film. So far, 63 on Metacritic and 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, a new Gregg Araki film, and that’s more than enough reason to watch it.
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.
“I Want Your Sex” hits theaters on July 31, 2026.
