Content Warning: The following article contains discussions of sexual abuse, rape, pedophilia, drug use, and gun violence.Most film directors try to avoid the dreaded NC-17 rating like the plague. It has long been considered the kiss of death, deterring audiences and stirring up negative connotations. The NC-17 rating replaced the equally bad “X-rating” in 1990 and has been a point of controversy for general movie-goers ever since.
To many cinephiles, though, the NC-17 rating is a point of interest and even a badge of honor. It’s incredibly rare for mainstream movies to get slapped with the rating, so when movies do, it generates quite a bit of curiosity around them. Regardless of the label, American culture is still obsessed with the forbidden, the sexual, and the shocking, and NC-17 movies will always hold an important place in the film world with some incredible stories. While NC-17 movies like these are admittedly in decline, with Netflix’s divisive 2022 film Blonde being an exception, there’s no shortage of classic films to choose from for viewers who are curious to see what stories, scenes, and characters can earn this (often dreaded) rating.
22
‘Showgirls’ (1995)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
What a journey Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls has had. Tracking the rags-to-riches story of take-no-prisoners Vegas showgirl Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley), it was long heralded as one of the worst films of all time (receiving a record 13 Razzie nominations). It’s over-the-top, wildly uneven, and Berkley’s performance is… well, it leaves something to be desired. From a modern lens, it’s been subject to considerable reappraisal as a cult classic thanks to its long embrace by the camp-friendly LGBTQ community and, recently, the documentary You Don’t Nomi.
The film received an NC-17 rating thanks to its nudity and sexual content, and it also has the distinction of being the first NC-17 film to receive wide release. Is it a campy film full of over-acting and a threadbare plot that doesn’t fully work? Yes. But the campiness and exaggeration come across as intentional, so of course it became such a beloved exhibition of camp that it was recently exhibited in a sold-out, enthusiastic presentation at Los Angeles’ Academy Museum, no less. Talk about a comeback. —Jeff Ewing
Showgirls
- Release Date
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September 22, 1995
- Runtime
-
131 Minutes
21
‘Nymphomaniac’ (2013)
Directed by Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier‘s controversial, conversation-heavy two-part Nymphomaniac follows Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a young woman who is a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac. To bystander Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), she chronicles her journey and the dangerous situations she’s gotten into because of it. It’s a bold, explicit two-part film that interrogates the complexity of desire from Von Trier’s misanthropic lens. It has everything: genuinely sweet but sad moments between young Joe and her father (played by Christian Slater), a bunch of metaphorical exposition from Seligman, and sex as far as the eye can see.
The MPAA rated the film NC-17, and it’s unsurprising given the sheer quantity of graphic sexual activity. Some of which was actually unsimulated, with genuine sex between body doubles digitally blended with Nymphomaniac‘s actors. Magnolia ultimately surrendered the rating and distributed it unrated to avoid the restrictions on promotions and marketing that would entail. Given von Trier’s regular misanthropic tone and the intensity of the subject matter, its a bleak, sometimes harrowing watch, but certainly one that shouldn’t be missed. —Jeff Ewing
20
‘Bad Education’ (2004)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Aldomovar is one of film history’s most talented exhibitors of desire and identity in all their complexity. In Bad Education, one of his most multifaceted and extraordinary films, director Enrique (Fele Martinez) is approached by an actor, Angel (Gael Garcia Bernal), claiming to be Enrique’s first love, Ignacio. Ignacio also bears a script describing the pair’s time at a Catholic boarding school. What starts as engagement over a new script becomes a shared reckoning of the past, propelled by a series of jaw-dropping twists that shouldn’t be spoiled.
It’s a thematically heavy film, contending with issues of desire, trauma, sexual abuse, crime, and life under the authoritarian Franco regime. It’s a lot. It’s also very good, easily one of the best NC-17 movies of all time, with an exceptional performance at its center from Gael Garcia Bernal. It’s worth noting that the MPAA awarded the film an NC-17 rating for one specific scene that frankly depicted gay sex, a stark reminder of the subjective and political nature of MPAA ratings. —Jeff Ewing
Bad Education
- Release Date
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March 19, 2004
- Runtime
-
105 minutes
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-
Fele Martínez
Enrique Goded
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Daniel Giménez Cacho
Padre Manolo
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Lluís Homar
Sr. Berenguer
19
‘In the Realm of the Senses’ (1976)
Directed by Nagisa Oshima
In the Realm of the Senses traces the life of geisha Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda), following her intense (to put it mildly) affair with the married owner, Kichizō Ishida (Tatsuya Fuji), of the hotel where she now works as a maid. They’re obsessed with each other, having copious amounts of sex and proclaiming mutual infatuation. Sada Abe’s obsession takes a dark turn, however, as their increasingly sadomasochistic sexual practices result in Ishida’s death… and then dismemberment by his former lover. What begins as a highly charged story of sexual attraction turns obsessive and, like it often does in film history, obsession leads to tragedy.
Like a few films on this list, there’s a lot of sex and nudity here, and much of it is unsimulated. While the movie is Japanese, it was a French co-production, which is how it was able to escape Japan’s laws restricting depictions of sexual acts. In the Realm of the Senses was widely banned around the globe, and was originally given an X rating in the United States before the rating was changed to NC-17. It’s a gorgeously shot film with strong performances and an intriguing exploration of the thin line between obsession and madness, making for Nagisa Oshima‘s best film. —Jeff Ewing
18
‘Lust, Caution’ (2007)
Directed by Ang Lee
Ang Lee‘s gorgeous romance thriller Lust, Caution follows a young woman, Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei), who becomes involved in a plot to assassinate the intelligence agent Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), who had been helping the occupying Japanese government in Hong Kong. As his seducer, she falls too deep and into dangerous territory. The beautiful historical thriller won Ang Lee his second Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, and it’s one of the most gorgeous films of its year (shot by legendary DP Rodrigo Prieto).
The film contains sex scenes so realistic that rumors persisted that they were unsimulated, resulting in the film’s banning in some countries. Tang Wei herself was blacklisted for three years from working in the mainland Chinese film industry due to her participation in the film. In the U.S., it was rated NC-17 by the MPAA for said sex scenes, eventually becoming the highest-grossing NC-17 film of all time besides its recognition as an exceptional historical erotic thriller. —Jeff Ewing
Lust, Caution
- Release Date
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September 24, 2007
- Runtime
-
158 minutes
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Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Mr. Yee
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Tang Wei
Wong Chia Chi / Mrs. Mak
17
‘Blonde’ (2022)
Directed by Andrew Dominik
Director Andrew Dominik‘s Blonde became a hot topic of discussion following its premiere in 2022. Aside from making history by becoming the first NC-17-rated film released exclusively on a streaming service, it became controversial due to its divisive, some argue, unethical portrayal of Marilyn Monroe.
Blonde does some things well, notably Ana de Armas‘ captivating performance as the iconic actress, which has cemented her as one of the most important actors of her generation. However, its exploitative depiction of Monroe’s alleged experiences, despite being called fictional, far outweighs any of the positive aspects that make it worth watching.
Blonde
- Release Date
-
September 28, 2022
- Runtime
-
2h 46m
16
‘The Dreamers’ (2003)
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
The subversive romantic drama film The Dreamers is set in Paris in 1968 and revolves around a romantic relationship between three friends: an American exchange student called Matthew (Michael Pitt) and two French siblings, Isabelle (Eva Green) and Théo (Louis Garrel). Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, the film delves into issues of sexuality, politics, and the social unrest of the 1960s.
The film has several graphic sexual scenes and explicit nudity, which is why it was rated NC-17. Furthermore, the film is famous for its graphic and erotic depiction of sexuality, which some considered offensive. New viewers may appreciate its strong overarching message of sexual liberation, which is apparent in the way the characters experiment and sexually express themselves with one another.
The Dreamers
- Release Date
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October 10, 2003
- Runtime
-
115 minutes
15
‘Crash’ (1996)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Acclaimed director David Cronenberg‘s Crash is a psychological thriller film based on an eponymous 1973 book by J.G. Ballard. The movie follows the story of a group of people in and around Toronto who develop a sexual obsession with vehicle crashes. The film delves into subjects such as human sexuality, fetishism, and technology in shocking and often downright bizarre ways.
It’s no surprise that Crash was rated NC-17 for its violent sexual content and violence, as well as its main topic, which was deemed too controversial for an R rating. The movie contains multiple explicit sexual encounters and violent situations that were judged too graphic for a broad audience. Furthermore, the film’s subject matter, which deals with car crash fetishism, was seen as being too shocking and unorthodox. That said, the movie has gone on to become a cult classic among Cronenberg fans.
Crash
- Release Date
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March 20, 1997
- Runtime
-
112 minutes
14
‘The Devils’ (1971)
Directed by Ken Russell
The Devils take place in the gorgeous setting of 17th-century France. Father Grandier (Oliver Reed) is a priest whose heretical views on sex and religion influence a passionate following of sexually-obsessed nuns. The power-hungry Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Logue) realizes he must eliminate Grandier to gain control of France, though. And so Richelieu portrays the priest as a Satanist to spread public outcry and ruin his beloved reputation.
The Devils is simply a landmark in cinema, even with its NC-17 rating. The film is based on actual historical events surrounding Urbain Grandier, who was executed. The movie was heavily edited before its release, though, removing graphic scenes that mixed sex and violence with Christian rituals and religious objects.
The Devils
- Release Date
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July 16, 1971
- Runtime
-
114 Minutes
-
-
Oliver Reed
Father Urbain Grandier
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Dudley Sutton
Baron de Laubardemont
-
13
‘Man Bites Dog’ (1992)
Directed by Benoît Poelvoorde, Rémy Belvaux, and André Bonzel
In this great black comedy mockumentary, the activities of a rampaging serial killer named Ben (Benoît Poelvoorde) are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team. As Ben provides commentary on the nature of his “work,” the team eventually becomes his accomplices and active participants in his crimes.
There is no real way to describe why Man Bites Dog was given an NC-17 rating without going into detail about the horrifically graphic violence presented in the film. But critics also acknowledge its smart and thought-provoking messages, like how a morally gray journalist’s obligation to be “objective” might trump the natural human impulse to intervene in a terrible situation.
Man Bites Dog
- Release Date
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January 15, 1993
- Runtime
-
95 Minutes
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-
Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert
Remy
-
-
Hector Pappaert
Ben’s Mother