In the film industry, unsimulated sex is the presentation of sex scenes in which actors genuinely perform the depicted sex acts instead of simulating them. While ubiquitous in pornographic films, unsimulated sex scenes are uncommon in other types of film.
History In the first half of the 20th century, sex and nudity in film was restricted by law and also by self-imposed industry standards such as the Motion Picture Production Code. Films showing explicit sexual activity were confined to privately distributed underground films such as stag films or "porn loops". In the 1960s and 70s, social attitudes toward sexuality liberalized and sexually explicit material was decriminalized in several countries.
In 1969, Andy Warhol's Blue Movie started the Golden Age of Pornography and also inspired filmmakers to include scenes of hardcore sex in non-pornographic stories. Notable examples include two of the eight Bedside-films and the six Zodiac-films, all of which contained hardcore sex scenes but had mainstream casts and crews and premiered in mainstream theaters.
Since the late 1970s, the number of films with hardcore sex scenes scenes has declined, but the controversy surrounding Lars von Trier's The Idiots in 1998 inspired a wave of art-house films depicting unsimulated sexual activity, such as Romance (1999), Baise-moi (2000), Intimacy (2001), The Brown Bunny (2003), and 9 Songs (2004).
Prosthesis The use of prostheses has blurred the line between what could be classified as simulated and unsimulated sexual activity due to the fact that stimulation of genitals by an inanimate object could still be perceived as genuine sexual activity. In the context of filming, the use of prosthesis is to prevent genital contact between the cast members and therefore falls under the category of simulated.
Notable filmmakers
Catherine Breillat Catherine Breillat is a French director, screenwriter, and novelist whose films have a focus on female sexuality, in particular the transition between female adolescence and adulthood. Her sex scenes are known for being shot in long takes.
Joe D'Amato Joe D'Amato was the pseudonym of Aristide Massaccesi. Massaccesi wrote and directed films several genres but is best known for horror and erotic films, most notably the Black Emanuelle series, Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, and Porno Holocaust.
Derek Ford Derek Ford was a British director and screenwriter known for producing sexploitation films for which hardcore footage was made for foreign releases. Most of this "continental" footage was filmed with non-actors.
Jess Franco Jess Franco was a Spanish screenwriter, director, and actor who made films across numerous genres but is best known for his horror and erotic films which incorporated surrealist elements.
Radley Metzger Radley Metzger was an American editor and film distributor who directed hardcore and softcore films under the pseudonym of "Henry Paris."
Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé is an Argentine-born French director who is best known for the New French Extremity, depicting sex and/or violence in an uninhibeted and violent way. Sexually, this manifests itself as long takes of unsimulated sex (with the exception of the ten minute rape scene at the beginning of Irréversible, which was simulated).
Lars von Trier Lars von Trier is a Danish writer and director who co-created the Dogme 95 movement which emphasizes on-location shooting and minimal special effects and also wrote the "Depression" trilogy, two films of which (Antichrist and Nymphomaniac) use sexuality to explore the characters' emotions.
Rationales In an interview after the release of his film Love (2015), when asked why audiences want to see real sex in film, Gaspar Noé suggested it is about power structures:
James Franco has cited "aesthetics and personal reasons" for working on Interior. Leather Bar. (2013):
Production issues A few directors have openly discussed or written about the technical problems inherent in filming of sexual acts, particularly with actors or actresses who have never performed such acts on film. In an interview with BlackBook, Gaspar Noé acknowledges that it is difficult for several reasons: an actor may not be able to get or maintain an erection in the presence of even a small crew, or on camera; either of the participants may have a current partner. "So I've decided that the best way to show real sex is to cast two single people who used to be a couple."
In film
Hardcore inserts and body doubles Unsimulated sex acts performed by body doubles and then inserted into scenes of simulated sex between the main actors.