New research suggests thatintimate and sexual scenes are far less frequentin modern cinema, compared to previous years. Long gone are the days of films being overly censored and banned for featuring scenes of nudity. Especially in the age of streaming, filmmakers and creatives are offered more freedom than ever to tell intimate stories on screen. But, despite this freedom, it appears that modern cinema is veering away from sexual content… kind of.
A new study by data analyst,Stephen Follows, published inThe Economist, tracked depictions of sex and nudity in major live-action movies. Each example was then assigned an explicit level - ranging from “none” to “severe”. The study’s results showed that the quantity in modern movieshas fallen by almost 40%.The study also found nearly50% of modern movies featured no sex at all.
Henry Cavill Is Not a Fan of Sex Scenes: ‘I Don’t Understand Them’
Henry Cavill, who has done sex scenes in The Tudors & The Witcher, believes most of them are overused and it should be up to the viewer’s imagination.
However, this doesn’t mean it’s time to book tickets for a family screening ofPoor Things. While the quantity has drastically decreased in cinema, the study did note that the severity of depictions had increased, and has far exceeded what was once permissable in theage of extreme Hollywood censorship. The study cited several examples, including “instances of oral sex on a menstruating female character” (SaltburnandFair Play), “frequent sex in brothels” (Poor Things), and “overt shots of erect penises” (May/December).
This is far from the only study looking at the quantity of explicit content on screens. In 2023, awriter for Playboyconducted a casual study, which suggested that instances of sex are as low in modern (2010 and beyond) movies as they were in the 1960s - a time whenPsychobroke ground for featuring the first flushing toilet on screen.
Intimate Scenes Have Dropped, But Violence Is Sky High
Stephen Follows' study also measured the amount of violence, swearing, and drugs in modern movies. While it is surprising that instances of sexual content have dropped in recent years (considering even biopics likeOppenheimerhad intimate scenes in 2023), it is not surprising that violence is as prevalent in movies as it ever was. Swearing and drugs have dropped somewhat, with the results showing that 2014 began the decline in the amount of drugs and profanity shown in movies. However, the drop is not significant, and the quantity of both is still near previous highs.
In 2023, several movies depicting intimate scenes were criticized.Scenes between Robert J. Oppenheimer(Cillian Murphy) and Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) in Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimerwere criticized by audiences, who deemed them to be unnecessary. However, Cillian Murphy defended these scenes, during an interview withThe New York Times, saying:
“If you’re familiar with the story, it was his relationship with Jean Tatlock which was the thing that really made him lose his security clearance and ultimately kind of cost his career. I think it was vital to highlight the intimacy and closeness of their relationship.”
12 Movies and Shows That Have Been Edited, Changed or Censored for Streaming Services
Streaming can be a great thing for film and television, but the censoring of content for streaming services like Disney+ can be divisive.
The aforementionedPoor Thingsalso received heaps of criticism from audiences followingits copious intimate scenes, which were labeled as ‘sexist’ and ‘exploitative’ because of Bella Baxter’s infantile brain. It’s star, Emma Stone, also publicly defended the film, tellingThe Times:
“If it helps, as the person who played it and produced it, I didn’t see her as a child in any of those scenes.”
Poor Things
Poor Things is a sci-fi romance film from The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos. The story focuses on the bizarre and fantastical world of Bella Baxter after a scientist named Dr. Godwin Baxter brings her back to life. The film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray.
