It’s one thing to create a compelling story. It’s quite another to find a theme, plot, and characters in everyday life that will keep people glued to the screen. Sex is perhaps one such theme.
Documentaries explore it from a biological perspective and as a cultural one, examining it from a historical and geographical perspective. There are documentaries that teach sex (Kama Sutra: 21st Century: Modern Love). Many films have been made about people involved in the porn industry (Life After Porn, Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy) and successful projects in the industry (Kink.com, about the famous porn website; Deep Throat, about the acclaimed film).
We offer a small selection of five documentaries about sex. Each one offers a chance to look at this part of our lives from a new perspective, one you might not have considered.
Discovery: A True Story of Sex and Love with Terry Jones
The Surprising History of Sex and Love With Terry Jones, 2002
Terry Jones is not only a renowned comedian but also a qualified historian. He’s shared everything from the history of Rome and Egypt, ancient inventions, love, and sex with fans of Discovery Channel’s popular science series.
The latest study was particularly fascinating. Perhaps only Terry could, with such humor and such a captivating voice, explain the place sex has played in people’s lives throughout history, how it has been viewed, and how it has been used. And it has been used! By priests for cult purposes, by rulers to control their citizens. And now, marketers are using it to foist unnecessary products on us.
The film is rated 16+ and is suitable for sex education classes in high school.
Sex 24 frames per second
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second, 2003
This film is a bit hotter. It’s also about the history of sex, but not in global culture, but in Hollywood films. How did sex appear in feature films? Why did it catch on? How is it filmed? Directors and actors who have filmed intimate scenes discuss these topics and share juicy facts.
A selection of explicit scenes from famous films is, of course, included. You can see rare footage that was cut by censors at the time. It’s interesting to compare erotic scenes in feature films from the 1920s with those in modern films—after all, 100 years have passed!
Hot girls wanted
Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On, 2015
This is a serious social film that addresses important contemporary issues. It’s about young women involved in the porn industry—webcam models and porn actresses recruited from Instagram.
It seemed like everything was as it had been. Porn has always been a destination for girls who wanted to feel like stars, experience the high life, and escape the boredom and routine they were doomed to in their small American towns. But something has changed. Live communication has “moved” online, where morality no longer holds such sway, and young people are increasingly asking, “Why not?”
Venus
Venus: Let’s Talk About Sex, 2016
This film is an exploration of female sensuality. It was shot during a casting call. Young women come to the studio, sit in front of the camera, and answer questions about their first sexual experiences, their fantasies and taboos, what they call their own genitals… Their reactions are natural. Some are very shy, others are more uninhibited. Technicians appear in the frame every now and then. Everything tells us that this is not a scripted film, and it is a must-see: for women, to better understand themselves, for men, to learn at least something about women.
Conversations about love
Love Meetings/Comizi d’amore, 1965
A similar sociological study was conducted back in 1965 by the legendary Paolo Pasolini. He created an interview film in which he asked questions about virginity, sexuality, homosexuality, prostitution, and other similar topics. However, the questions weren’t addressed exclusively to women, but to Italians of both sexes, of all ages, and living in different regions of the country. At the time, Europeans believed that morality was changing, even breaking down. But you’d be surprised how similar the film’s characters are to us…
Unfortunately, “Venus” and “Conversations about Love” were not dubbed into Russian. But if you’re comfortable with English subtitles, watch this documentary about sex—it will reveal something new within you.
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