In what Varietydescribed at the time as ‘a masterpiece of discreet romantic eroticism,’ Sally (Fonda) and Luke (Voight) finally consummate their burgeoning romance. His handicap is the elephant in the room, but it does nothing to diminish the quality of their sex – in fact, Sally enjoys her first orgasm. Oshima’s 1976 masterpiece – the crown jewel of a career hell-bent on upsetting the establishment – recounts the true story of the all-consuming sexual obsession that blossomed between a hotel owner and his new employee in 1936 Tokyo.

In a semidarkened room, Alma relates a tale of sex on the beach with her girlfriend and a pair of underage boys, an incident with dire consequences. This undeniably erotic but also deeply sensitive French film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for its free and frank portrayal of two young women, Adèle (Exarchopoulos), a schoolgirl, and Emma (Seydoux), an art student. They fall in love and face the challenge of sharing something in the long term other than sex. Sex in the swinging ‘70s of The Ice Storm isn’t a liberation so much as brief escape from suffocating ennui and a betrayal sorta-avenged. That’s what brings Elena (Allen) and Jim (Sheridan) together for a tryst in the front seat of a car. Atafeh (Boosheri) and her family take a trip to their beach house, bringing along Atafeh’s orphaned best friend Shireen (Kazemy). One morning the two girls wake up with the dawn, in a scene that’s warmly lit and set to music reminiscent of the Muslim call to prayer. They make love, then they go swimming.One evening in a park near Beijing’s Forbidden City (the Chinese capital’s prime cruising destination), a cop arrests A Lan, one of the furtive men seeking companionship. The ensuing interrogation lasts all night. Linda is unable to orgasm, so she pays a visit to a psychiatrist, Dr. Young (Reems) – a real kook but horny as hell. He discovers her unusual condition. His solution? A technique called ‘deep throat.’ He suggests Linda practice on him.

Pinto’s meandering mélange of art, science, biography, theory and beauty was arguably the best documentary of 2014. D.H. Lawrence’s 1920 novel about the love lives of two sisters is given a sensual spin by British director Russell (working with pioneering gay playwright Larry Kramer). Frank meets an auto mechanic and later takes him home. This leads to the kinkiest sex in the film, complete with leather and water sports.There are several sex scenes between Inge and Karl, and they’re presented simply: no music, no coyness, no nonsense. Based on Jane Rule’s novel, Donna Deitch’s debut feature is a 1959-set love story that unites an East Coast intellectual divorcée and a Nevada ranch girl.