Best NC-17 Rated Movies of All Times (Audience Favorites)

When it comes to pushing boundaries, NC-17 rated films stand as some of the most daring and controversial entries in cinema history.

Reserved for movies that exceed the limits of the R rating, the NC-17 label often conjures images of artistic boldness, taboo themes, and fearless storytelling.

In this list, we spotlight the best NC-17 rated movies of all time—those that have not only captivated audiences but also challenged norms, redefined genres, and left a lasting cultural impact.

From raw emotional dramas to provocative thrillers, these audience favorites prove that boundary-breaking cinema can be both unforgettable and important.

List of Best NC-17 Rated Movies

Law of Desire (1987)

• Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• Main Cast: Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderasen.
• Genre: Spanish drama/psychological thriller
• Synopsis: Pablo (Poncela), a celebrated film director, becomes entangled in a dangerous love triangle with his transgender sister Tina (Maura) and a young actor, Antonio (Banderas). The intense affair spirals into jealousy and murder, as passions and identity collide in this electrifying Almodóvar drama.

Matador (1986)

• Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• Main Cast: Antonio Banderas, Assumpta Serna, Nacho Martínez
• Genre: Spanish erotic thriller
• Synopsis: Ángel (Banderas), a handsome young bullfighting student, finds himself embroiled in erotic obsession and murder. After inexplicably confessing to violent crimes he didn’t commit, Ángel’s life unravels as he is drawn into a surreal conspiracy of lust and death.

Female Trouble (1974)

• Director: John Waters
• Main Cast: Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Mink Stole
• Genre: Dark comedy, cult
• Synopsis: Dawn Davenport (Divine), a rebellious Baltimore teen, runs away from home and descends into crime and vanity. Pregnant and disfigured in a beauty-industry revenge plot, Dawn embraces criminal notoriety under the mantra “crime is beauty.” Waters’ outrageous satire follows her over-the-top journey into fame through a life of outrageous crime.

Santa Sangre (1989)

• Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
• Main Cast: Axel Jodorowsky, Adán Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra
• Genre: Surreal psychological horror
• Synopsis: Fénix (A. Jodorowsky) survives a brutal childhood circus tragedy and grows up under the control of his armless, tyrannical mother, a fanatical cult leader. As an adult, Fénix becomes the living “arms” of his mother, carrying out grisly murders. This surreal tale of obsession and trauma follows Fénix’s descent into madness, blending horror and psychodrama.

Bad Education (2004)

• Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• Main Cast: Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho
• Genre: Spanish drama/mystery
• Synopsis: Enrique Goded (Bernal) is a young filmmaker who returns to Spain to make a movie about his past at a Catholic boarding school. As he interviews old classmates, a metafictional mystery unfolds: years of sexual abuse by a priest resurface, tangled with kidnapping and homosexual desire. The nonlinear narrative intertwines past and present in a stylized murder mystery of secrets and identity.

The Evil Dead (1981)

• Director: Sam Raimi
• Main Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly.
• Genre: Supernatural horror cult classic
• Synopsis: Five college students vacation in a remote cabin and discover an ancient taped incantation. When played, it summons demonic forces that possess them one by one. Protagonist Ash Williams (Campbell) fights through gore and supernatural terror to survive. Raimi’s low-budget shocker became a cult classic for its inventive scares and dark humor.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

• Director: Abdellatif Kechiche.
• Main Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos.
• Genre: Romantic coming-of-age drama
• Synopsis: Adèle (Exarchopoulos), a shy high school student, meets Emma (Seydoux), an older art student with vivid blue hair. The film follows their passionate lesbian love affair over several years, as Adèle discovers her sexuality, identity and independence. Kechiche’s raw portrayal of first love and heartbreak earned him a shared Palme d’Or at Cannes.

In the Realm of the Senses (1976)

• Director: Nagisa Ōshima
• Main Cast: Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji
• Genre: Erotic art/psychological drama
• Synopsis: A fictionalized, explicit retelling of the true story of Sada Abe. In 1930s Tokyo, hotel owner Kichizo Ishida (Fuji) embarks on a frenetic, obsessive affair with his maid, Sada Abe (Matsuda). Their passion grows increasingly violent and self-destructive, culminating in the murder of Ishida during sex. Ōshima’s film was notorious for its unsimulated sexual content and intense exploration of obsession

Arabian Nights (Il fiore delle mille e una notte, 1974)

• Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
• Main Cast: Franco Merli, Franco Citti, Tessa Bouché, Ines Pellegrini
• Genre: Epic anthology drama
• Synopsis: Pasolini’s final “Trilogy of Life” film adapts tales from One Thousand and One Nights. It follows young Nur-e-Din (Merli), who falls in love with slave girl Zumurrud. After she escapes and disappears, he embarks on a series of fantastic, erotic adventures blending myth and morality. The film weaves together exotic stories of love, betrayal, demons and sacrifice in a sensuous, dreamlike tapestry.

Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi, 1972)

• Director: Bernardo Bertolucci.
• Main Cast: Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider, Jean-Pierre Léaud
• Genre: Erotic drama
• Synopsis: Paul (Brando), an American widower living in Paris, begins an anonymous, intensely sexual affair with Jeanne (Schneider), a young Parisian. They agree never to share names or personal lives, using sex as a balm for his grief and her alienation. The raw, intimate encounters eventually lead to an act of sexual violence and a poignant, painful climax. Bertolucci’s film, initially X-rated, caused controversy for its frank sexuality but remains a potent study of loss and desire.

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

• Director: Abel Ferrara
• Main Cast: Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Paul Calderó
• Genre: Neo-noir crime drama
• Synopsis: Harvey Keitel plays a corrupt, drug-addicted NYPD detective who spirals deeper into vice while investigating the brutal rape of a nun. He gambles, snorts cocaine, and plumbs depravity in desperate attempts to atone for his sins. The film mixes harrowing urban grit with Keitel’s raw, committed performance as a “bad lieutenant” obsessed with redemption.

Shame (2011)

• Director: Steve McQueen
• Main Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan.
• Genre: Erotic psychological drama
• Synopsis: Brandon (Fassbender) is a successful New Yorker who leads a double life as a sex addict. His tightly controlled world unravels when his troubled sister Sissy (Mulligan) moves in. The film follows Brandon’s downward spiral as obsession and self-destruction collide, in a stark, uncompromising study of addiction and loneliness.

Sources: Authoritative film databases and reviews (Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb) were used for details and audience scores. Each listed film was officially rated NC-17 by the MPAA.