Watching pornography is a normal extracurricular activity for many women—and there's no reason we should sacrifice a good plot for great sex. In other words, get you some porn that can do both.
The best and most arousing porn films are often the ones that involve love, relationships, and, ya know, things other than HD penises on the screen 24/7. But sometimes they can be hard to find. In an effort to be helpful and sex positive, we've rounded up the best full-length porn movies—with ethical standards and feminist values.
1. The Good Girl
The Good Girl is a 2004 short film by Erika Lust which switches up the traditional "delivery guy comes over with a pizza" trope seen in many cheesy porn films thanks to a female lens. Even better, you can rest assured that this movie was filmed on a safe set with safe conditions for the actors involved, because Lust is a known name in the feminist film industry, and has been the recipient of several Feminist Porn Awards.
2. The Friend Zone
New Sensations is a company known for its focus on female pleasure and the depiction of romantic sexual relationships (filmed in super pretty lighting), and The Friend Zone is one of their most lauded. The film stars two platonic friends named Kevin and Gina, whose relationship takes a turn for the romantic when Kevin creates an online dating profile in an attempt to win her heart. Think of it as a romantic comedy, with tons of sex.
3. The Submission of Emma Marx
If you're the type of person who saw Fifty Shades of Grey and was like, "cool, but where is the sex, though," welcome to The Submission of Emma Marx. The movie is directed by Jackie St. James, who's received multiple awards for her work, and is about a woman's experimentation in the world of BDSM.
4. The Bi Apple
Get it? Like the Big Apple, only bi. This porn movie was hailed by the Feminist Film Awards as one of the "best bisexual movies to come out in years," and is about a college student's research study of queer New York-dwelling couples.
5. The Obsession
Speaking of Jackie St. James, The Obsession is her new erotic thriller based on Single White Female. The plot is on point (a woman is obsessed with her roommate—you know the drill), and the tension is real. “While researching for this film what was most important to me was really getting into the ‘stalker’ character's head," St. James told AVN. "Motivation and intention are important. Villains typically don't look at themselves as villains. Their internal monologue isn't always riddled with judgment or self-criticism for their actions." What more could you ask for from an erotic thriller?
6. Pirates
Pirates is a total classic in the contemporary porn landscape—and is, naturally, based on Pirates of the Caribbean. It's campy, at times cringe-y, and knows exactly how ridiculous it is. Oh, and it also has special effects thanks to a budget of $1 million—making it the most expensive porn movie to date at the time it came out in 2005. While the movie was picking up awards (yes, it won several), actress Stormy Daniels told the New York Times that plot-less porn films were her pet peeve, saying: "There's nothing worse then when the pizza boy rings the doorbell, the girl says she doesn't have a tip, and then they get it on."
7. Chemistry
This reality TV show-meets-porn movie is directed by feminist sex educator Tristan Taormino, and the performers in it had total control over who they have sex with, how, when, and where. To quote the film's description: "Seven stars. One house. 36 hours. No rules. No script. No schedule. Just sex... the way they want it. A 3-hour movie with 8 sex scenes." And to quote Taormino, "I was really interested in creating an environment for porn performers where they could feel safe and comfortable, and they'd be in control of who they have sex with, when, where, and what they do. For me, this part of the process is about empowering the performers to participate in their own representation—to challenge the anti-porn notion that all porn performers are exploited objects."
8. The Opening of Misty Beethoven
If your interests include "hair" and "the 1970s," definitely check out this famous title—based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, and about a sexologist named Dr. Seymour Love who embarks on a mission to transform a prostitute named Misty Beethoven into the best lover ever (total swan story). The movie is known for its super high budget and art-y vibes, and is considered something of a hipster cult classic. (Seriously, it screened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn once.)
9. Snapshot
Snapshot is an independently funded, award-winning suspense thriller staring queer people of color. The Shine Louise Houston written/directed film is worthy of praise outside the industry, and even has nods to Hitchcock, that's how legit it is. "I’ve been working on this script for about four years on and off and I think it’s finally presentable," Houston said in an interview. "I strive for what Hitchcock describes as pure cinema. Most of the talent I work with have very little acting experience so I write minimal but precise dialogue and film in a way that lets the editing do the acting."