Sure, the devil wears Prada, but what does an aggressive contemporary artist wear to work? How about a see-through dress and stiletto heels? Kinky costumes are just a fraction of the fun in Gregg Araki’s “I Want Your Sex,” which stars Olivia Wilde as Erika Tracy, the most domineering movie boss since James Spader in “Secretary” (the last BDSM-themed workplace comedy to premiere at Sundance). Cooper Hoffman plays her all-too-eager subordinate in a film that’s fully liberated where sex and nudity are concerned, but kind of old-fashioned when it comes to the interpersonal dynamics between its lusty leads.
Surprisingly enough, “I Want Your Sex” shares a decent amount of common ground with screwball classics like “The Shop Around the Corner” and “His Girl Friday,” albeit with the gender roles reversed — not that anyone in the target demographic will be making the connection. For Araki, who most recently tried remixing familiar themes for a new generation with “Now Apocalypse,” this unconventional rom-com feels like a natural extension of the queer indie pioneer’s sex-positive sensibility, even as he steers things into novel territory.
Infinitely less punk than his early work, though still edgier than nearly everything else out there, “I Want Your Sex” represents a sincere attempt by Araki to connect with the kids, whose relationship to sex couldn’t be more confusing to a child of the Swinging ’60s: Born with self-made role models like Alex Israel and Kim Kardashian, the audience for this movie grew up overexposed to porn and insecure about intimacy, but relatively considerate when it comes to consent. That’s why Hoffman’s Elliot seems so thrilled to find himself at Erika’s service: When she’s in charge, “I don’t have to make any decisions,” he beams, more than happy to relinquish control. But even that freedom can go too far.
