Film’s Most Controversial Sex Scene Banned Worldwide – Film

There are controversial films, and then there is the 1996 film that stunned audiences so much that it was banned in several countries and almost entirely erased from screens.

Directed by David Cronenberg and based on the 1973 novel by JG Ballard, the film didn’t just push the limits: it broke them at a speed of 160 km/h, leaving a trail of scandals, outrage and even a global petition to ban it.

This was no ordinary steamy movie. It won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but instead of cheers, it was greeted with boos so loud they probably echoed throughout the French Riviera.

Cronenberg himself claimed that the film was prevented from winning the Palme d’Or by none other than The godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, who apparently wasn’t a fan of its unique vibe.

So what about the movie – titled Accident – so that everyone clutches their pearls?

The film follows a married couple stuck in an open relationship rut – until one of them survives a near-fatal car accident. It turns out that the person who had a brush with death revs his engine in several ways. The couple then falls into a bizarre underworld populated by people sexually aroused by car crashes. Yes, you read that right – car accidents.

The film also doesn’t hold back on graphic scenes. Buckle up, because one particularly infamous moment features a man having sex with a woman by penetrating a scar on her leg – the result of a previous car accident.

If you think that’s crazy, the film also explores thrill-seekers who dream of dying in a car crash as their latest twisted fantasy.

Unsurprisingly, Accident unleashed absolute chaos upon its release. While the British Board of Film Classification approved it, the Westminster Council did not accept it and banned screenings in parts of London.

Across the Atlantic, cinemas in Ohio, the United States and Norway joined the boycott, refusing to screen the film. And because it wouldn’t be a full-blown scandal without a Daily Mail campaign, the right-wing tabloid led the charge to have the film banned altogether. Spoiler alert: they failed.

Critics were divided between the two. While some called him depraved and disgusting, others found him strangely brilliant.

Roger Ebert called it “challenging, courageous and original”, while admitting: “I admired it, although I cannot say that I ‘liked’ it.”

Honestly, the same.

Despite the tumult, Accident is still there today, waiting for curious (or brave) viewers to read on. If you think you can handle its mix of graphic sex, disturbing images, and heavy symbolism, you can stream it now on Apple TV+ in the US.

But don’t say we didn’t warn you: this is a cinematic adventure you won’t soon forget.