When the Fifty Shades of Grey movie was released in 2015, it made a splash, but plenty of great movies are comparable to the Fifty Shades series. Based on the books by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey focuses on the central relationship between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Doran), who push each other emotionally and through physical intimacy. While the most famous parts of the books and movies are the depictions of sex and Bdsm, they're not entirely accurate, and the films have faced criticism for their weak plot and mishandling of sex positivity.

However, films that fall into the romance and eroticism genres don't necessarily have to distance themselves from a compelling story structure. Including elements like the importance of self-discovery, sexual liberation, and even the humor that can be found in intimate moments makes these projects worthwhile. Onscreen depictions of sex have faced great criticism in recent years,...