Turn the lights off and enjoy… 

BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

Happy National Orgasm Day! While we love seeing a chaste kiss or fingers touching under a table, sometimes we’re craving something a bit spicier when it comes to cinema and TV. Since the first lesbian sex scene on film in 1968 in The Killing Of Sister George, our screens have been blessed with plenty of sapphics getting down to business. Here are some memorable moments on screen that will have you hot under the collar.

Bound (1996) 

The Wachowski sisters’ directorial debut has gone down in history for many things. The crime thriller has been firmly cemented in the queer canon for its portrayal of ex-con Corky and her lover Violet. The sex scene in question was so sexy that the MPAA, the body which judges film content classification in the US, almost gave the film the strictest film rating, NC-17. It’s iconic for a reason. 

Summit Entertainment

The Handmaiden (2016) 

Inspired by the iconic novel Fingersmith, the South Korean thriller The Handmaiden is also a firm favourite piece of cinema within the sapphic community. The film features several super steamy sex scenes between Sook-hee and Hideko. 

CJ Entertainment

Love Lies Bleeding (2024) 

Who doesn’t want to see Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brien getting all hot and sweaty together?! The thriller crime film follows a reclusive gym manager who falls pretty quickly for a bodybuilder. From a whole lot of cunnilingus to the iconic “I want to stretch you” line, it will have you rewinding moments constantly. 

A24

Drive Away Dolls (2024) 

Steamy shower sex? Count us in. Ethan Coen’s film features a rather spicy romp between Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan during their road trip that goes incredibly wrong. We will always root for a friends-to-lovers storyline! 

Focus Features

Duck Butter (2018)

If you’re looking for sex scenes, this indie comedy is full of them. The concept of this film is fairly simple. What happens when a pair of strangers decides to spend 24 hours together, having sex once per hour? It’s bizarre, it’s sexy, and it’s certainly one you won’t forget in a hurry. 

The Orchard

Ammonite (2020)

Much to everyone’s surprise, this period drama loosely based on a 19th-century British palaeontologist has a remarkably good lesbian sex scene. While on the surface it might seem like a dreary premise for a film, it’s worth watching just to see Saoirse Ronan sit on Kate Winslet’s face. Yes, you read that right. 

Lionsgate

The Watermelon Woman (1996) 

Cheryl Dunye’s film The Watermelon Woman was groundbreaking for many reasons. Alongside its cultural significance and enduring relevance, it also has a really hot sex scene with lots of tongue action and sweaty bodies.  

Dancing Girl

Disobedience (2017) 

Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams doing spit play will forever be ingrained in our minds. The film centres on Ronit Krushka returning to her Orthodox Jewish community in London, where she ends up rekindling a forbidden romance from her youth. 

Bleecker Street

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