This year's Venice Film Festival lineup wasn't just the most star-studded in recent memory, it was also the steamiest. Literally and figuratively. Aside from the brutal heat wave that ravaged festival-goers, the slate was filled with sexually charged films, ranging from Nicole Kidman's "Babygirl" to Luca Guadagnino's Daniel Craig-starring "Queer." Elsewhere on the festival circuit, Audrey Diwan's "Emmanuelle" kicks off in San Sebastian, while Alain Guiraudie's "Misericordia," which premiered at Cannes, is playing at virtually every major festival this fall.

But like Kidman’s character in “Babygirl,” who only becomes triggered when the stakes are high, erotic films in 2024 are no longer made simply for entertainment purposes as they once were; they exist to push boundaries and disrupt clichés that primarily revolve around female and gay protagonists.

“Babygirl,” directed by Dutch director Halina Reijn (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”), tackles the complexities of female sexuality and the issue of consent that resonate in this post #Metoo era; while “Queer,” starring Craig and Drew Starkey, challenges preconceived ideas about homosexuality, masculinity and self-acceptance.

Kidman, who previously delivered memorable performances in sexually charged films such as "Eyes Wide Shut" and "The Paperboy," said at the film's Venice press conference that Reijn's "female gaze" led her to tell a story that is "liberating for women" because it touches on many topics, including "marriage, truth, power, consent."