In the last few years, the genre had been pushed aside. The industry was dominated by blockbusters targeting young audiences, and streaming services were growing more and more, prioritizing restrained narratives. However, with the start of 2025, we’re witnessing an unexpected revival. The taboo surrounding sensual storytelling seems to be fading away.
With Anora, Nosferatu, Queer, and Babygirl, filmmakers are once again using sensuality as a narrative tool, exploring power and identity in new bold ways.
Anora: Sex, Billionaires and a Chaotic Fairytale
Directed by Sean Baker, Anora follows a Brooklyn stripper who gets involved with a russian heir and finds herself entangled in a world of lots of money, power and questionable decisions. The film won the Palm d’Or in Cannes and has been described as an electric drama, that discuss sex and female autonomy without falling in moralism.
Baker has already proved that he knows how to tell stories of those living in society’s margins (The Florida Project, Red Rocket), and Anora is shaping up to be just in the same level.
Babygirl: A romance of Power (and Danger)
Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson star in this erotic thriller directed by Halina Rejin. Babygirl tells the story of a powerful CEO who becomes entangled with her intern, caught in a web of lust and manipulation. If you watched Instictic (2019), from the same director, you will know that she loves to explore the fine line between attraction and danger. The movie is a box office success, reaffirming that audiences still crave stories that blend sex and power.
Queer: Luca Guadagnino and Forbidden Desire
Based on the novel by William S. Burroughs, Queer is a deep dive in obsession and repressed desire. The film follows William Lee (Daniel Craig), an american lost in 1950s Mexico City, fascinated by Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey).
Guadagnino, known for Call me by your name and Suspiria, is not afraid of exploring the psychological layers of desire. If you like sensual and melancholic dramas, you’ll have a field day watching this one.
Nosferatu: Vampires and Gothic Desire
Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) brings his dark vision to Nosferatu, a remake of the 1922 classic. With Bill Skarsgård as the terrifying Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as the woman he craves for, the movie is an absolute ode to gothic horror.
Vampires were always symbols of repressed desire, and Eggers is not holding back on the dark aesthetics—or the erotic tension.
But why now?
After an era of superhero movies dominating the screens, the public seems to be craving for more intimate and human stories. These films have not only captivated the audience but also gained critical acclaim, as we can see in the 2025 Oscar Nominations.
Whether it’s the raw realism of Anora, the forbidden passion in Queer, the tension of Babygirl, or the seductive horror of Nosferatu, 2025 is proving that eroticism in cinema never died—it was just waiting for the perfect time to come back swinging.
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The article above was edited by Anna Maria Prado .
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