It’s no secret that the film industry does not have a good track record when it comes to delivering diverse and sex-positive gay representation.
However, in recent years, queer cinema has slowly been given the space to expand, drifting away from the tragedy of gay love to embracing a more liberating and unapologetic lens.
From Bros and All of Us Strangers to Red, White & Royal Blue and Fire Island, sex-positive gay films have begun to carve out a space in the mainstream, garnering praise from both critics and viewers.
With that in mind, we’ve curated five upcoming gay releases that promise to be some of the sexiest films of 2025.
Plainclothes
Directed by: Carmen Emmi
Starring: Russell Tovey, Tom Blyth, Amy Forsyth, Christian Cooke, Maria Dizzia, John Bedford Lloyd
Plot: Set in 1990s New York City and inspired by true events, the romantic drama follows Lucas (Blyth), a working-class undercover officer who is tasked with entrapping and apprehending gay men. However, things become complicated for Lucas when he finds himself attracted to one of his targets, Andrew (Tovey).
What has been teased about Plainclothes‘ sex scenes: In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Emmi confirmed there will be plenty of NSFW content included in the film. However, he did say that they won’t feature “full frontal” or “gratuitous nudity”. “I don’t know, there’s something more sexy about holding back in some ways. The landmark scene in the film when Andrew asks Lucas, “Can I touch you?” That, to me, feels even more sensual than the car scene [when they’re having sex],” he explained to the publication.
Tovey also opened up about his sex scenes with Blyth while speaking with Vanity Fair, describing them as “beautifully filmed.” “It’s a lot to ask of actors to do. The stuff that we are doing in it is so graphic – you know what’s happening,” he said. “It’s beautifully filmed, and it’s romantic… There’s a lot of trust needed to create the dynamic that me and Tom have, and I think we both really committed to that straight away.”
Pillion
Directed by: Harry Lighton
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Anthony Welsh, Jake Shears
Plot: Based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, the film chronicles the romance between Colin (Melling), a “weedy wallflower letting life pass him by” who becomes the submissive of Ray (Skarsgård), “the impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club”. The synopsis reads: “Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life, introducing him to a community of kinky, queer bikers and taking all sorts of virginities along the way. But as Colin steps deeper into Ray’s world of rules and mysteries, he begins to question whether the life of a 24/7 submissive is for him. Has he found his calling, or simply swapped one form of suffocation for another?”
What has been teased about Pillion‘s sex scenes: Following its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, an array of critics emphasised the intensity and explicitness of Pillion’s NSFW scenes. One reviewer for Variety reported that movie “comes complete with orgies, cock rings and boot-licking”. In The Guardian’s review, writer Peter Bradshaw said Pillion is “basically what Fifty Shades of Grey should have been.”
Lighton and Skarsgård also opened up about the sexual content in the film, with the former revealing to Variety that he removed certain sex scenes from the final cut before its premiere at Cannes. “So, for example, there was one close-up of a dick, a hard dick… like down the barrel of the lens. And after watching the film on that ‘f**k-off’ screen, I thought, ‘Yeah, cutting it was probably the right decision!’” Lighton explained. Skarsgård confirmed Lighton’s statement, adding: “There’s definitely a raunchier version of this movie… what you’ve seen is the family-friendly version… there’s also the Alexander Skarsgård cut.”
The History of Sound
Directed by: Oliver Hermanus
Starring: Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor, Chris Cooper, Molly Price, Raphael Sbarge, Hadley Robinson, Emma Canning, Brianna Middleton, Gary Raymond
Plot: The History of Sound is based on the Pushcart Prize-winning novel by Ben Shattuck, a collection of 12 short stories that are set across three centuries and explores generational patterns of love and loss. The title story follows two young men in the shadows of WWI who are determined to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen. Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor) begin to log the events, whilst falling in love in the process.
What has been teased about The History of Sound’s sex scenes: While The History of Sound won’t feature many explicit sex scenes, the film will feature plenty of sexual tension between O’Connor and Mescal’s characters. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hermanus revealed that he deliberately kept the sex scenes to a minimum because he didn’t want to frame them as a “transgression.”
“Ben wrote it in a way where there was no hesitation, no moment of fear. For me, the sex scene is when Lionel is walking around David’s apartment the morning after [their first encounter], and he’s smelling everything and sitting everywhere,” he explained. “He’s absorbing the energy of this person.” Mescal added: “There is a kind of real sense of companionship, and the joy and loss that comes with the presence and absence of that. It’s not just about sex and the intensity of falling in love. It’s deeper than that.”
Twinless
Directed by: James Sweeney
Starring: Sweeney, Dylan O’Brien, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, Francois Arnaud, Susan Park, Cree Cicchino
Plot: Twinless follows two young men who meet at a support group for people who have lost their twin. As they bond over their shared circumstance, the pair form an unlikely and intense friendship.
What has been teased about Twinless‘ sex scenes: In an interview with Variety, Sweeney dished about directing his and O’Brien’s sex scene, describing it as “wonderful” and “part of the story”. The industry newcomer also opened up about hiring an intimacy coordinator to make sure filming ran smoothly. “Dylan and I had a comfortable rapport with each other, but it never hurts to have another set of eyes on the day,” he said.
In the same interview, O’Brien echoed similar sentiments, adding: “It’s always helpful because it forces the main topic of the room to be, ‘How are we going to approach this?’ Comforts, boundaries, let’s all get it out to start.” Shortly after Twinless’ premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, several scenes featuring Sweeney and O’Brien’s characters engaging in sexual intercourse were leaked on social media.
Ponyboi
Directed by: Esteban Arango
Starring: River Gallo, Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett, Indya Moore, Denis Lambert, Stephen Moscatello, Aphrodite Armstrong, Keith William Richards
Plot: Written by and starring Gallo, and based on their 2019 short of the same name, Ponyboi follows the title character, a young intersex sex worker and laundromat clerk who is “forced to confront his past” after a botched drug deal sends him on the run.
What has been teased about Ponyboi‘s sex scenes: Based on the trailer, the highly anticipated film is set to include a few steamy moments between Ponyboi and Vinny (O’Brien) due to their secret affair. The teaser also hints at Ponyboi sharing romantic moments with Bartlett’s character Bruce, an alluring cowboy who helps the former “journey through New Jersey’s underbelly on a quest for freedom.”
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