I Want Your Sex

Gregg Araki’s "I Want Your Sex" Brings Queer Camp and Gen Z Angst to Sundance 2026

Gregg Araki’s return to the director’s chair after over a decade is already one of the most talked-about events of Sundance 2026—and not just because of its provocative title. I Want Your Sex, a raunchy, genre-blurring comedy-thriller starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, is being hailed as a spiritual successor to Araki’s New Queer Cinema heyday, while also skewering Gen Z’s complicated relationship with intimacy. Early buzz suggests the film is equal parts erotic, absurd, and achingly self-aware, with Wilde at the center of a story that’s as much about art-world pretension as it is about sex itself.

Araki’s Comeback: From "Kaboom" to "I Want Your Sex"

Araki, whose career spans cult classics like The Doom Generation (1995) and Mysterious Skin (2004), hasn’t directed a feature since White Bird in a Blizzard (2014). His return with I Want Your Sex marks a full-circle moment for the filmmaker, who first made waves in the late ’80s and ’90s as a pioneer of New Queer Cinema . The film’s opening sequence reportedly nods to his 1987 debut, Three Bewildered People in the Night, a detail Araki confirmed in interviews . That meta layer—an older queer filmmaker reckoning with a new generation’s attitudes toward sex—seems baked into the project from the start.

The script, co-written with Slutever creator Karley Sciortino, follows Wilde as Erika Tracy, a controversial artist whose work pushes boundaries (and buttons), and Hoffman as Elliot, her wide-eyed protégé caught in her orbit . The supporting cast—including Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, and a scene-stealing Daveed Diggs—adds to the film’s chaotic energy, with rumors of cameos from Johnny Knoxville and Margaret Cho swirling ahead of its premiere .

Wilde and Hoffman: From Intimate Scenes to Industry Jokes

The chemistry between Wilde and Hoffman has been a major talking point, especially given the film’s explicit content. At Sundance, the cast and crew opened up about filming the movie’s more intimate moments, with Araki emphasizing the role of an intimacy coordinator to keep things professional . Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, has been vocal about stepping into his own as an actor, and I Want Your Sex seems to be a breakout moment for him—one that’s already drawing comparisons to his father’s fearless approach to on-screen vulnerability .

Wilde, meanwhile, is no stranger to provocative roles (Don’t Worry Darling’s backlash didn’t slow her down), but I Want Your Sex reportedly takes her into even riskier territory. Early reviews describe her performance as a mix of campy diva and tragic muse, with one critic calling it "a career-best balancing act between humor and heartbreak" ^[2]. The film’s trailer, which dropped in late 2025, teases a visual style that’s pure Araki: neon-lit, hyper-saturated, and dripping with irony ^[6].

Gen Z, Sex, and the Film’s Cultural Moment

Araki has been candid about the film’s commentary on Gen Z’s shifting attitudes toward sex, framing I Want Your Sex as both a celebration and a critique of a generation that’s more open about desire but also increasingly disillusioned with it . At Outfest 2026, he joked that the movie’s title alone might be too much for some younger viewers, who’ve grown up in an era of algorithm-driven hookups and performative activism ^[9]. The film’s tone—equal parts erotic thriller and satire—seems designed to provoke, with some early reactions comparing it to Fifty Shades of Grey if it were directed by John Waters ^[7].

Whether I Want Your Sex will land as a cult classic or a divisive misfire remains to be seen, but its Sundance premiere has already cemented it as one of 2026’s most anticipated films. For Araki, it’s a chance to reclaim his place in queer cinema; for Wilde and Hoffman, it’s a high-stakes gamble on roles that demand as much comedic timing as they do emotional depth. One thing’s for sure: this isn’t your typical sex comedy.