I Want Your Sex at the Hammer Museum

Gregg Araki's newest film, I Want Your Sex, comes to the Hammer Museum in Westwood on Thursday, Nov 5, as part of the museum's MoMA Contenders 2026 series. The screening is followed by a conversation with the writer-director, which makes it one of the more interesting things happening in Los Angeles for film fans this week.

When: Thursday, Nov 5, 2026 (the museum lists a 7:30 PM start) Where: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Tickets: $10 for Hammer members, $20 general admission Runtime: 90 minutes, plus the conversation

What the film is about

Erika Tracy, played by Olivia Wilde, is an LA artist whose erotic work has never been more popular. Her habit of sleeping with her studio assistants is an open secret. Enter Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), a twenty-something who needs a job in the arts mostly to cover his rent. Soon after she hires him, Erika propositions him and introduces him to BDSM, and he lands in a tangle of power dynamics in both the bedroom and the studio.

Araki made his name with the Teen Apocalypse Trilogy of the 1990s, films that captured the anger of a generation raised under Reagan and the shadow of AIDS. At 67, the museum notes, he looks at how that anger has turned into a pervasive unease for Gen Z, both economic and sexual. The Hammer describes the result as a raucous send-up of the art world and workplace power that keeps its empathy for the characters and its sense of humor. The cast also includes Chase Sui Wonders, and the screenplay is by Araki and Karley Sciortino.

About the series

MoMA Contenders is organized by The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Hammer hosts its Los Angeles presentation. The series shows films in the awards conversation, so it is a chance to see them on a proper screen before the season is in full swing. Programs like this are a good reason to check upcoming events in Los Angeles at the museum, which has a deep calendar of talks, screenings and exhibitions.

Planning your visit

Museum admission is free, but this screening is ticketed, and the Hammer limits purchases to two tickets per customer. Members receive priority seating and half-price Contenders tickets, and current members get an email link to buy. Everyone else can buy through the event page. The film contains frank sexual content, so it is aimed at adult audiences.

The Hammer sits on Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood, next to UCLA. Plan extra time for parking and arrive early if you want a good seat for the talk afterward. If you are building a week of things to do in Los Angeles, this pairs easily with a walk through the galleries earlier in the day.

Check the official Hammer Museum page for ticket availability and any updates before you go.