The controversial film The Dreamers (2003) is one of the very few films with an NC-17 rating.

Film & TV

Very Explicit Movie With ‘Most Disturbing Scenes Ever’ Is One Of The Only Films Rated NC-17

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12:40 10 June 2025

Updated: 23:11 12 June 2025


An explicit movie that features one of the ‘most disturbing scenes ever’ is one of the few films to be rated NC-17.

While there are many racy and extreme films out there, very few earn the highest rating in the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

NC-17, which stands for ‘No One 17 and Under Admitted,’ is assigned to titles the MPA considers ‘patently adult’ and unsuitable for children under 18.

It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s p***ographic or obscene, but simply that the content is best suited to adults.

However, one such film that received the NC-17 rating is down to its s**ual nature, with the movie featuring both graphic scenes and full-frontal nudity.

The Dreamers
The s**ually explicit movie earned itself an NC-17 rating. Credit: Alamy

Unlike many erotic films, which are criticized for their s**ual nature without substance, this movie has been lauded.

Time Out‘s Geoff Andrew simply said: “A real pleasure.”

For the Miami Herald, Rene Rodriguez penned: “The entire film is a charged sensory experience – a cinematic turn-on.”

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle wrote: “A movie about s** and movies made by a filmmaker who understands the power of each to set off fantasy, create addiction, incite danger, and transform the spirit.”

Eva Green in The Dreamers.
The controversial film explores incest and features graphic s** scenes. Credit: Alamy

The racy movie, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay by Gilbert Adair, based on Adair’s 1988 novel ‘The Holy Innocents,’ follows an American university student in Paris who becomes involved in an erotic triangle after meeting a peculiar brother and sister who are fellow film enthusiasts.

The three youngsters barricade themselves in a Parisian apartment and talk about everything, from politics to s**.

It stars Michael Pitt, Louis Garrel, and Eva Green in her first credited film appearance and what is considered her breakthrough role.

All three lead cast members were required to sign off on nude scenes when agreeing to star in the movie, reports Variety.

Jake Gyllenhaal reportedly screen tested for the movie, however, it’s believed he declined the role as he wasn’t comfortable with full-frontal.

The Dreamers
There are two versions of The Dreamers, one being three minutes shorter. Credit: Alamy

Its sex scenes were made to be so explicit in the editing room that it’s said Green was ‘so shocked’ when she saw the completed version, per The Guardian.

A particularly graphic scene shows one of the characters taking the other’s virginity in the kitchen.

There are two versions of the film – an uncut NC-17 and an R-rated version, approximately three minutes shorter.

Over time, The Dreamers, a controversial film due to its themes of incest and graphic s** scenes, has become a cult classic and continuously gains new fans.

Watch the trailer for The Dreamers below…

The Dreamers is available to stream via the BFI Player, Apple TV, Sky Store, and Google Play Movies.

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