From ‘Babygirl’ to ‘Queer’ and ‘Emmanuelle,’ Erotic Movies are Back

This year’s Venice Film Festival lineup was not only the starriest in recent history, it was also the steamiest. Literally and figuratively. Aside from the brutal heatwave that plagued festivalgoers, the roster was filled with sexually charged movies, ranging from “Babygirl,” starring Nicole Kidman, to Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” with Daniel Craig. Elsewhere in the festival circuit, Audrey Diwan’s “Emmanuelle” is kicking off San Sebastian, while Alain Guiraudie’s “Misericordia,” which opened at Cannes, is playing at virtually every major fest this fall.

But like Kidman’s character in “Babygirl” who only gets triggered when something is at stake, erotic movies in 2024 aren’t created as mere entertainment as they once were; they exist to push boundaries and break down clichés revolving mainly around female and gay protagonists.

“Babygirl,” directed by Dutch helmer Halina Reijn (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”), tackles the complexity of female sexuality and the issue of consent which resonates in this post #Metoo era; while “Queer,” starring Craig and Drew Starkey, challenges preconceived notions around homosexuality, masculinity and self-acceptance.

Kidman, who previously delivered memorable performances in sexually charged movies such as ”Eyes Wide Shut” and “The Paperboy,” said at the film’s Venice press conference that Reijn’s “female gaze” guided her to tell a story that is “liberating for women,” as touches on many topics, including “marriage, truth, power, consent.”

In “Babygirl,” she plays a high-powered CEO who puts her job and picture-perfect family on the line when she engages into a torrid affair with an intern (Harry Dickinson), who taps into her darkest fantasies.

“It’s told by a woman, through her gaze — Halina [Reijn] wrote it and she directed it — and that’s to me what made it so unique because suddenly I was going to be in the hands of…