Humans are horny for literally everything, which means that there is a kink for almost anything. However, the mainstreamification of these worlds often leaves the nuance and true sense of pleasure (the most important parts) out.
Luckily for us, these three films brilliantly capture the eroticism of kink enough to make even the most vanilla of us twitch a little in our seats.
As always, (some) spoilers ahead…
Titane (2021) and Mechanophilia
Titane is a heady exploration of trauma, love and desire that is like a simmering pan left on the heat. Bubbling over, causing a chaotic mess. We see how the film’s protagonist Alexia, played by Agathe Rouselle, develops an erotic fascination with cars, spurred on by deep senses of danger and terror that plague her long after she survives a car crash as a child.
The sex scene in question is graphic in its depiction of pleasure, acting as a catalyst for the tension building between Alexia and her environment. The uncanny and surreal quality of the sex only adds to its Lynchian-esque depictions of desire.
It’s queer undertones subvert gender norms and explore queer sex (that shower scene?), ending in a crescendo of sensory body horror. This psychological thriller will push all your buttons, the good ones, the bad ones and the ugly ones too.
What is mechanophilia?
Mechanophillia is a form of paraphilia, a term that describes a person’s persistent and recurring sexual interests, urges, fantasies, or behaviours of marked intensity involving objects, activities, or atypical situations. Mechanophillia, more specifically, is an erotic fascination that involves machines.
In Titane, in particular, this kink goes beyond commodity fetishism, where someone might have a compulsion to collect cars, and is directly linked to physical and mental arousal caused by cars.
Kinks develop for several reasons. But for Alexia, you could argue that the Cadillac represents power, escape and masculine energy. This could have been brought on by her surviving the car crash as a young girl, the murder she commits while sitting in her own car or any number of reasons that compound danger, eroticism and survival.
The Duke of Burgundy (2014) and BDSM
The Duke of Burgundy is an intoxicating dive into the intense dynamic between lesbian lovers Evelyn (Chiara D’Anne) and Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen).
“To be used by you. I love you,” Evelyn says to Cynthia in an ASMR-like whisper, her devotion punctuated by sharp intakes of breath and framed through her crystal blue eyes. The film’s depiction of BDSM between the two is lustful and all-consuming, but what the film does particularly well is show the surrender to both dynamics with enthusiasm. They enjoy it, they know what they’re consenting to, they want to push the limits and are enthralled by the process.
You’ll be taken in by the sometimes bratty displays, consequences, punishment and humiliations.
What is BDSM?
BDSM is a type of adult play and a catch-all term for bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism, representative of an umbrella of sexual practices that explore power dynamics in different consenting pre-agreed-upon scenarios.
These scenarios might include inflicting or receiving pain, being punished or punishing, humiliating or humiliation – whatever power dynamic you can think of, so long as there are clear boundaries, limitations and safewords to end play.
There are plenty of ways to explore this kink, be it with a professional dominatrix, or with play partners and even in club nights dedicated to the scene.
If you’re a beginner or feel like you might be after watching The Duke of Burgundy, then remember that being curious and getting to know what the scene is all about before jumping straight in is vital for safe play for everyone involved. Try booking in a session with a dominatrix or booking into some sensual courses to get an idea of what you do and don’t like.
This guide from Cheex is also a brilliant resource.
And please, PLEASE, do not use free porn as your educator. That stuff is for entertainment purposes only and NOT education.
My Own Private Idaho (1991) and Auralism
An LGBTQIA+ indie cult classic, My Own Private Idaho features the late River Phoenix as Mike, a narcoleptic gay man and his unrequited love interest Scott, played by Keanu Reeves.
We follow the boys as they make their way to Idaho from Portland, and eventually end up in Italy on a quest to find Mike’s birth mother. The two perform tricks for money, for drugs and alcohol, amongst other things. However, it is one encounter with a client with a fixation for the sound of scrubbing that has cemented this film as something of a kink-watch classic.
The ‘John’, Daddy Carol, has something of a fetish for the clean and immaculate, while the sound of scrubbing brings on a sense of erotic euphoria.
While Mike scrubs, Daddy dances, until the scrubbing and dancing meet a crescendo where Mike is asked to scrub “faster, little Dutch boy, harder” by Carol. When Mike announces that he’s all finished, there’s one more job to do.
“And now, my lucky 44th little Dutch boy, you must scrub Daddy Carol.”
What is Auralism?
Auralism can be described as a state of arousal by sound or music. And, while we all might like a little background music before getting stuck into things, that doesn’t necessarily make you an auralist. No-no. For example, it’s the repetitive scrubbing sound of Mike’s brush, for instance, is the sound that triggers the arousal of Daddy Carol.
For others, it could be music, or well, anything that gets you going, really!
According to a 2018 research paper, Auralism can be experienced as part of BDSM play, too, making it far-reaching and broad in its erotic exploration.
“Recent musicological discussions of violence, pleasure, mastery, and control in music listening point toward further BDSM-linked aspects of auralism,” says the paper.
