Are Gen Z really prudes? I never thought that was the case. Regarding sexuality, I’ve always found my generation secure but sensible, just a little bit less out-there than our millennial counterparts. So then, what happens when a Gen Zer gets thrown into a situationship where sex, pleasure and release are the only goal? 

The erotic comedy, I Want Your Sex, stars Cooper Hoffman as the Zillenial in question, Elliot, who gets hired at a prestigious, sexually focused contemporary art studio led by the millennial Erika, played by Olivia Wilde. Elliot, unfulfilled by an emotionless and sexless relationship, finds himself sucked into Erika’s world of BDSM and pure, unbridled hedonism, becoming her submissive and kicking off a chain reaction that quickly changes his life forever.

It’s easy to label a premise like this as “provocative,” as many films by writer-director Gregg Araki have. But is it really? 2002’s Secretary and the 50 Shades of Grey franchise show that mass audiences are more than willing to accept kinky, power-differential action just as long as the man’s in charge. Turning that trope on its head by putting the whip in Erika’s hand is a brilliant move by Araki.

 I think there’s also something to be said about putting Cooper Hoffman, son of the late-great Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in the submissive role. The senior Hoffman was unmatched in his ability to play some of the most pathetic, imbalanced men in the history of film. In a fucked up way, seeing a Hoffman bent over in a pig mask being spanked by Wilde feels almost right, while remaining viscerally uncomfortable. I love Elliot’s little reactions and expressions with his eyes; you can tell exactly what Elliot is thinking at any moment just through the look on his face.

That aside, the film is almost allergic to subtlety. The actors do a great job of communicating emotions and themes physically, but any concept Araki wants to explore that can’t be demonstrated visually is literally just spoken out loud with some less-than-stellar exposition. As much as I want to knock the film for this, the extremely short runtime of 90 minutes actually makes this kind of thematic hand-holding pretty necessary when you have as much going on as you do here. 

Visually and pacing-wise, the film is like a live-action cartoon. Elliot’s house is painted in bright, garish tones that look like The Simpsons’ house; the editing is frantic but intentional, and sometimes cartoon visuals just take over the screen, making the film a dreamlike, ethereal experience that knows just how to snap you back into cold reality.

Wilde is also very strong as the enigmatic Erika. She does a really great job tormenting Hoffman, being overwhelmingly cold towards him at times and seemingly obsessive at others, but somehow never feeling out of character. Wilde plays the character with pure agency; she is in charge at all times, even when it seems she isn’t, and it’s frankly rare to see a female character in any film hold and maintain that kind of agency for the length of the feature. 

From the supporting cast, Daveed Diggs is great as Erika’s business manager, Vikktor. I can count the lines he spoke on one hand, but his visual presence and comedic timing are incredible, and like Hoffman, his talents shine in the subtlest of movements and expressions. Johnny Knoxville was almost unrecognizable in his role as Detective Zem, and he gave a really fun procedural detective performance that I wasn’t expecting and highly appreciated. I was disappointed in Charli XCX’s role as Elliot’s girlfriend, a flat, boring character that does absolutely nothing but be kind of mean. 

While I don’t predict it winning many Oscars or going down as one of history’s great films. I Want Your Sex is everything you could want out of a summer romp. This movie is sexy, sure, and very funny, but it’s also uncomfortable and just a little scary, knowing just how far to push the line towards shock and viscerality before pulling back and letting the audience breathe. It is a breath of fresh air amidst the Spider-Mans and Odysseys of the season. And you couldn’t have picked a better filmmaker to deliver that breath than Araki.

I Want Your Sex is currently playing at the Metro Cinemas on Broadway, as well as Cinemark Eugene Springfield and Regal Valley River Center.