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Many movies about sexuality and society hold promise, but end up sucking.
For instance, Stonewall had the potential to significantly increase awareness around the history of LGBT people fighting for their rights. However, it was clumsily made and came off pretty cheesy, so the only thing it ignited was criticism of the film. Because so many movies about sexuality and society are like Stonewall, it is worth appreciating the ones that do their subjects justice.
For the past few years, I have been conducting research for my book, The Sex Effect, which examines hidden and indirect relationships between sex and politics, economics and religion. During this research, several movies stood out for their masterful portrayal of sexual and social issues.
Since sexuality can provoke so much contention in people, developing a film around these topics can be like walking through a minefield. But some movies in this area not only increase people’s understanding of particular social issues, but they are also well made and entertaining.
Here is a list of five great streamable movies about sex and society.
'Spotlight'
There is a ton of misunderstanding around the tragic and polarizing Catholic Church sex abuse scandals. But Spotlight bravely took on this topic and gracefully covered it.
Given the many nuances of this touchy subject, it would be easy to screw up the details. But the movie does a great job of depicting the shameful cover-ups by then Boston archbishop Bernard Law and how dutiful reporters cracked open what would later be revealed to be a global phenomenon.
Spotlight also gives credit where it is due. Although many people first became familiar with the church’s sex abuse cases after the Pulitzer-wining Boston Globe reports from the early 2000s, this story was reported on in bits and pieces since the 1980s, although most people failed to take notice. Spotlight gives a subtle hat tip to journalist Jason Berry and monk-turned-counselor Richard Sipe, who brought attention to this issue long before the Globe did. But even if the Globe didn’t get there first, it is still appropriate to focus the film on their investigation because it was those reports that got people to really pay attention to this serious problem.
'And The Band Played On'
People like to imagine that science is always on a linear progression for the good of mankind. But what’s often unappreciated is how much politics and infighting affects resource allocation and scientific progress.
During the 1980s, thousands of people died from AIDS, but for years, the U.S. government refused to officially recognize the spreading virus. In the book that this movie is based upon, Randy Shilts reports that in 1982 the NIH was spending $36,100 per death from toxic shock syndrome, $34,841 per death from Legionnaire’s disease, and just $8,991 per AIDS death. Shilts quips, “By NIH budget calculations, the life of a gay man was worth about one-quarter that of a member of the American Legion.”
This movie (and its star-studded cast) shows activists and disease victims fighting for their lives while a powerful government looks the other way because it had little sympathy for dying homosexuals and IV drug users. The movie also shows how some scientists care more about more prestige and ego than about solving problems and helping people. Because the battle between researchers to be deemed the discoverer of the HIV virus was as intense as a political campaign.
'The People vs. Larry Flynt'
Free speech battles are won in the gutter. Which is why porn and obscenity have been at the heart of so many First Amendment court cases.
Larry Flynt comes off like a self-centered smug asshole in this movie. His shenanigans make many people uncomfortable, and at times, it is hard to have much sympathy for him. But by kicking Jerry Falwell’s ass in court in a unanimous Supreme Court decision, Flynt’s case made it more difficult for public figures to sue and win cases against people whose speech is critical of them. Given the demise of Gawker was covertly funded by a vindictive billionaire and President Trump’s threat to open up libel laws, these protections will be sorely needed in years to come.
'Boogie Nights'
As porn became ubiquitous, it lost much of its glamour. Nowadays, porn is consumed via short cheaply-made clips that have little to no plotlines. But before the Internet and before VHS became popular, porn was viewed in theaters. And the pornos that were shown in these theaters had much more in common with mainstream movies than today’s porn does.
Although Boogie Nights features fictional characters, it does a great job of capturing “the golden age of porn” where budgets were larger and films were actually developed around the cock shots. It might seem ridiculous to today’s viewers that the porn director character Burt Reynolds plays is adamant about maintaining an artistic reputation, but in the 1970s movies like Deep Throat actually commanded serious box office revenues.
'Milk'
This biopic gives a good snapshot at just how far gay rights have come over the last 40 years. Homophobic rhetoric definitely still exists, but even with today’s whacky political environment, it is a far cry from what Harvey Milk encountered in the 1970s.
The film captures how righteous figures like Anita Bryant pushed baseless claims against gay people, which created misperception around LGBT people and criminality and mental instability. Although the legacy of these claims still exists in many pockets of America, it was visible gay rights advocates who struck them down, and in this area, Harvey Milk is a martyr.
A sad, but true, part of this film highlights the arbitrariness of our justice system. Milk’s murderer got off easy through a “Twinkie defense” and only served five years in prison despite murdering two politicians. The film is a reminder that the path toward equality is littered with injustices.
Ross Benes is a Decider contributor and author of “The Sex Effect.” He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Deadspin, and Slate. You can follow him on Twitter @RossBenes and reach him at rossbenes@gmail.com.
