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In the film industry, unsimulated sex is the presentation of sex scenes in which actors genuinely perform the depicted sex acts, rather than simulating them. Although it is ubiquitous in films intended as pornographic, it is very uncommon in other films. At one time in the United States, such scenes were restricted by law and 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, social attitudes about sex began to shift, and sexually explicit films were decriminalized in many countries.

With movies such as Blue Movie by Andy Warhol, mainstream movies began pushing the boundaries of what was presented on screen. Notable examples include two of the eight Bedside-films and the six Zodiac-films from the 1970s, all of which were produced in Denmark and had many pornographic sex scenes, but were nevertheless considered mainstream films, all having mainstream casts and crews and premiering in mainstream cinemas. The last of these films, Agent 69 Jensen i Skyttens tegn, was made in 1978. From the end of the 1970s until the late 1990s it was rare to see hardcore scenes in mainstream cinema, but this changed with the success of Lars von Trier's The Idiots (1998), which heralded a wave of art-house films with explicit content, such as Romance (1999), Baise-moi (2000), Intimacy (2001), Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny (2003), and Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs (2004). Some simulated sex scenes are sufficiently realistic that critics mistakenly believe they are real, such as the cunnilingus scene in the 2006 film Red Road.

Terminology

Although it is common to discuss films for which the actors had sex on set using terms such as "real sex" or "unsimulated sex", some film scholars prefer to speak of "visible sex", "explicit sex", or "hard-core sex". Linda Williams, for instance, proposes that "we eliminate the awkward term 'unsimulated sex' entirely". This is also because most film censors have predominantly focused on whether sex acts (penetration, fellatio, cunnilingus) or aroused genitals are visible when deciding whether a film should be classified as pornographic or be distributed on general release. For instance, it was not uncommon for two versions of pornographic films to be released: a hardcore version subject to restrictions, and a softcore version passed at "18" level. In both cases, the actors performed sex acts on set, but they were visible only in the hardcore version. Moreover, there has been a huge blurring of the distinctions between the use of prostheses (in Trouble Every Day, Blue is the Warmest Colour, Battle in Heaven, Holiday), actual genital contact between actors (Intimacy, Baise-moi, The Brown Bunny, 9 Songs) and genitals added in post-production (Irreversible). The visibility of penetration/fellatio/cunnilingus on the screen is more important to the experience of watching the film, and often to the concerns of censors and critics, than exactly what took place on set.

The idea of simulation also relates to questions about acting, unnecessarily denigrating pornography, and is too vague about what is being simulated. For instance, while an actor's penis may enter an actress's vagina on a porn set, this does not mean that each of their actions, emotions, noises, and so on, are not performed quite differently than they would be in the privacy of their own home: "it is both real—something that actually happens between people—and a fake, staged for the camera and sound equipment. Neither the directors of pornography nor the directors of hard-core art, from Warhol forward, document 'real sex' in the sense of what people do alone, in private."

Rationales

In an interview after the release of his film Love (2015), when asked why audiences want to see realistic portrayals of sex, Gaspar Noé suggested it is about power structures: "In most societies, whether they're Western or not, people want to control the sexual behaviour or to organise it in a precise context. Sex is like a danger zone. Sometimes class barriers fall down and it scares a lot of people. It's about states controlling their systems, like religion."

James Franco has cited "aesthetics and personal reasons" for working on Interior. Leather Bar. (2013):

I've been a part of professional mainstream film for 17 years, and then in addition to that, I am a citizen of the United States and, you know, I am engaged with its mainstream culture, but I've also done a fair amount of studying queer theory or queer cinema classes. So I've found that my place, one thing that my position allows, is a way to bring these two worlds together and also question the rules of mainstream cinema or mainstream culture, to examine why things are made the way that they are, why some subject matter is presented in one way and not another, and how those things shape us as people, how it shapes our beliefs, how it shapes the way that we live. If we can question those things or introduce alternative ways of viewing lifestyles or whatever it might be in mainstream cinema or indie cinema or art cinema, I think it can only be for the good. If other voices or other kinds of discussions or storylines or narratives from different perspectives are introduced, it will only make us richer as a people.

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."

Pornographic films reedited for mainstream release

Before the advent of home video, several hardcore pornography films were released to mainstream cinemas. In most cases, scenes of penetration were either cut or replaced by alternate shots. One exception to this was Deep Throat, which was released uncensored.

Examples of this type of hybrid release include Café Flesh (1982)—the R-rated version of this science fiction porn film was released to mainstream cinemas; Stocks and Blondes (1984), originally available as Wanda Whips Wall Street; and Droid (1988), originally released as Cabaret Sin in 1987.

In films

The following mainstream films have scenes with verified real sexual activity, meaning actors or actresses are filmed engaging in actual coitus or performing related sexual acts such as fellatio and cunnilingus. This list does not include documentaries about pornography, which may contain unsimulated sexual activity.