Sex in Cinema: Where Did It Go? (with Laura Gommans)

After a steamy winter featuring Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, the internet was sent into a frenzy over - a fairly mediocre - erotic murder drama, that had copious amounts of sex. Naturally, Laura Gommans, friend of the podcast, was left questioning what happened to all the sex scenes in cinema today.The 90s marked an era of iconic scenes of intimacy in films like Wild Things, Cruel Intentions, Eyes Wide Shut, Indecent Proposal, Risky Business, Basic Instinct, it was a horny time. In contrast, studios like A24 are currently showcasing some truly jarring sex scenes. How did we get here? And why are blockbuster movies like Avatar deleting their sex scenes?Intrigued by these cinematic shifts, seasoned entertainment editor Laura joins the discussion to unpack the significance of sex in film while getting to the bottom of just exactly why desire on screen has become so contentious.CONFESSION: We had not seen All of Us Strangers OR Poor Things before recording, otherwise this would've featured in our discussion. We never need an excuse to talk about Paul Mescal.TRIGGER WARNING: Please note this episode contains references to explicit sexual content including sexual assault and violence that may be triggering for some.Book ⁠tickets⁠ for LAB111⁠Show Notes & Films Mentioned