Five steamy movies perfect for a ‘Netflix and Chill’ night
A proper “Netflix and chill” film is a risky choice, isn’t it? Because one wrong move and the whole date night turns into a fiasco before you know it. To prove your cinematic skill, you pick a serious drama and might end up depressing your partner. Brutal. That’s why the film choice matters far more than people admit.
And can we talk about how strange modern romance films have become? Why is everybody terrified of chemistry now? Nobody flirts anymore. Nobody makes reckless decisions. Everybody spends the entire film emotionally processing things in beige bedrooms under dim lighting. Where is the tension? Where is the eye contact? Where is he yearning? That’s what people actually want from a proper late-night watch.
Because, to be honest, half the appeal of a steamy film comes from the build-up. You know exactly what’s coming, the characters know exactly what’s coming, and yet everybody keeps carrying on anyway.
So if your watchlist needs romance and steam, these movies are absolutely what you need. And there is variety, so you can pick exactly what you want.
Five steamy movies perfect for a ‘Netflix and Chill’ night
Lovesong (So Yong Kim, 2016)
About Lovesong, don’t let the soft little indie film appearance fool you, because this thing becomes emotionally stressful before you know it. The story follows Sarah, who is stuck in this lonely marriage while raising her daughter mostly on her own because her husband barely seems to exist at home. And then comes Mindy, her best friend. Eventually, the two decide to go off on a road trip together. Innocent behaviour. Completely harmless. Right? Absolutely not!
You legitimately might get tortured from watching these two women circle around feelings they clearly don’t know how to deal with. Nobody says what they mean properly. Communication should feel like two adults talking, but no. It’s all lingering looks and awkward silences. You know when two people clearly fancy each other but insist on pretending they don’t? That. For nearly the entire film.
Blue Is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)
Whew… Blue Is the Warmest Color is not a casual little romance film. You put this on thinking you’re about to watch a love story, and the film proves you wrong almost immediately by dragging you straight into obsession and heartbreak. But there are also enough steamy moments to make the entire room awkward (wink wink). A proper dangerous “Netflix and chill” choice, this.
The story follows Adèle, who’s basically trying to figure herself out while drifting through school and relationships that clearly aren’t doing much for her. And just then comes Emma with the blue hair and that whole confident art-girl vibe, and suddenly Adèle’s completely gone. You can literally see her losing her head in real time. And once these two get together? Oh, the chemistry’s ridiculous. Every scene between them feels charged. And yes, everybody knows this film because of the intimate scenes. People genuinely wouldn’t stop talking about them when the film was released. But do pay attention to the emotional part; it is worth it.
Desire (Diego Kaplan, 2017)
Desire is a film about two sisters, Lucía and Ofelia, who reunite before Lucía’s wedding, but when Ofelia arrives, things change. Lucía’s fiancé, Juan, starts getting drawn towards her almost immediately; you can already tell this man’s about to ruin his own life. Honestly, he doesn’t even try hiding it properly after a point. Eventually, all three of them stay together before the wedding, and things start getting steamy.
Every conversation between Juan and Ofelia feels flirty, every look lasts too long, and everybody keeps pretending nothing strange is happening when it very obviously is. Also, nobody in this film believes in boundaries. At all. Everybody keeps giving in to attraction even when they know it’s about to ruin everything around them. Which, let’s be honest, makes it ridiculously entertaining to watch.
Dry Martina (José Manuel Sandoval, 2018)
Dry Martina starts with Martina acting completely bored with life, romance, people… basically everything. She is a former singer from Argentina whose career peaked years ago, and now she spends most of her time smoking and rolling her eyes at people. But then, a woman named Francisca turns up claiming Martina might be connected to her family, and the two end up travelling to Chile together.
That’s where César appears, and suddenly Martina’s whole “I don’t care” personality starts crumbling in pieces. The attraction between them becomes obvious pretty fast. They flirt with each other, and the space between them gets reduced. The movie turns very steamy. The intimate scenes are quite bold, but what makes them entertaining is watching Martina try to act detached while clearly wanting this man the entire time. Sort of like 365 Days. Great late-night watch, this.
The Paperboy (Lee Daniels, 2012)
Now The Paperboy… honestly, what a strange little fever dream! You put it on expecting a crime thriller, and within half an hour, everybody’s sweaty, with steam, of course. The film follows Jack Jansen, played by Zac Efron, who gets dragged into a murder investigation involving his journalist brother Ward and a death row inmate called Hillary Van Wetter. But the entire film changes once Nicole Kidman’s Charlotte enters the picture. This woman is completely obsessed with Van Wetter despite him literally sitting on death row, and every scene with her feels slightly dangerous.
And the steamy side of the film? Oh, it’s very much there. Not in a polished rom-com sort of way either. Everything feels a bit reckless. You know those films where everybody looks one bad decision away from disaster? Exactly that. Also, fair warning before you watch this with somebody: one particular Nicole Kidman scene became internet history for a reason. You’ll know it when it happens.