A SEXPLANATION

★★★

A LONG OVERDUE SEX EDUCATION

QUEER SCREEN FILM FEST
By Chris dos Santos
29th September 2021

Sex may be one of the things that nearly everyone will experience in their lifetimes, but is one of the most taboo topics in society From education in schools to parents and religion, the rules and secrecy around sex leads a lot of us to turn to porn to just start to get our head around sex - which leads to to all sorts of other problems.

Alex Liu, the director and star of 'A Sexplanation', travels around the United States to unpack his sexual shame and ask the questions we all should have learned the answers to while growing up. From pastors to educators, no question is held back.

'A SEXPLANATION' TRAILER

Liu is a fantastic documentarian; he is captivating as the face of the film, while his directing style is incredibly polished and entertainingly informative. He is sure to be a new presence in modern documentaries, and his style and personality are more than welcome to the genre.

Sex isn't the easiest topic to have serious and educational discussions about. It's something we are trained to be ashamed of, to keep private and not acknowledge. 'A Sexplanation' is a fantastic jumping-off point to unpacking that guilt and questioning the education - or lack thereof - we received as kids. With Liu being gay, it also highlights the extreme lack of queer sex education around the globe. Sex is an intimate act that the vast majority of us will experience, and the lack of education around it is scary. Luckily this is getting better, with Netflix shows like 'Sex, Explained' and well the downright brilliant 'Sex Education', as well as sex ed classes expanding their curriculum, the fear and inexperience around sex is changing.

'A Sexplanation' is a fantastic jumping-off point to unpacking that guilt and questioning the education - or lack thereof - we received as kids.

While the film does focus on the American education system, it made me think about my own Australian education. Going to both a Catholic primary and high school, sex education didn't even exist. I remember at most watching a video that broke down the female and male reproductive system, but was never taught either abstinence or safe sex. My "education" was from TV and film, and even then it wasn't really "this is how to safely have sex" - it was more "people have sex". This documentary, along with 'Sex Education', really highlights the failings in how we talk about sex.

'A Sexplanation' is a very entertaining documentary that serves as the perfect jumping-off point for teens to begin learning about sex, raising some awkward questions, and teaching you not to be afraid to learn about your body.

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