Director Gregg Araki Returns With Provocative Yet Dated Film About Power and Sexuality

Gregg Araki, a Japanese-American filmmaker known for his influential queer independent films of the 1990s, has returned to cinema after a 12-year hiatus with a new provocative film originally titled I Want Your Sex, now released in Israel as Bossy Woman. Araki, 66, gained acclaim in the 90s for his raw and original portrayal of nihilistic Gen X youth in his Apocalypse Trilogy, including Totally F***ed Up (1993) and Nowhere (1997). However, his recent work struggles to recapture that sharpness and edge.

Bossy Woman follows Elliot, a young college graduate played by Cooper Hoffman, who starts working for Erika Tracey (Olivia Wilde), an aging provocative artist known for challenging cultural norms. The film explores a power dynamic where Erika, a dominant woman, sexually exploits Elliot, flipping traditional gender roles and mocking contemporary progressive politics, woke culture, and debates about art and sexuality. The story also nods to classic films like Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard and the erotic cult films of the 90s.

Olivia Wilde’s casting adds depth to Erika’s character, reflecting Wilde’s own directorial focus on gender politics and power. Elliot represents a new generation, more conservative sexually and seeking consensual submission in relationships, contrasting with Araki’s earlier characters who lived chaotic lives of sex, drugs, and violence. The film’s provocative imagery, including paper mâché phalluses and pop-art canvases, highlights the diminished shock value of such symbolism today.

Set partly within a police investigation, the narrative’s tension and resolution feel somewhat arbitrary, and the film’s provocations come across as more playful than truly subversive. Araki seems to acknowledge his own fading role as a youth voice, portraying Erika as a reflection of himself and recognizing the pathos in his former rebelliousness. While Bossy Woman is entertaining, it lacks the cultural impact and incisiveness of Araki’s earlier work and offers limited insight into contemporary youth or art.

Summary: After a long absence, Gregg Araki returns with Bossy Woman, a film about a dominant female artist exploiting a young male assistant, which critiques modern cultural politics but lacks the sharpness of his 1990s work.