If only we all could have a Leo Grande as we’re exploring our sexuality, in whatever form that may take: experiencing a sexual awakening, hoping to spice things up in the bedroom, simply longing to feel fulfilled, etc. The titular sex worker (Daryl McCormack) in Sophie Hyde’s “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is a female-gaze dreamboat: a patient, sensitive, non-judgmental, sexually-skilled man who is as beautiful on the inside as he is on the outside. And on the outside he’s a goddamn Adonis.
Leo’s services are booked by Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), a retired schoolteacher and widow who has never had good sex and believes she’s incapable of having an orgasm. She’s a bit embarrassed by the whole situation, but figures she’s getting older and if she wants to finally have some fun in the boudoir with a hottie, it’s now or never. While it’s not exactly smooth sailing — Nancy has a lot of hang-ups about sex, sex work, and her own desirability, and Leo chafes at his clients getting too close, even as he offers them the boyfriend experience — these two talk, experiment, and learn a lot about themselves, vulnerability, and connection, sexual or otherwise, over the course of several hotel rendezvous.
Penned by Katy Brand, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” has already generated plenty of conversation about its overall sex positivity and the pivotal scene in which Nancy looks admiringly at her naked body in a full-length mirror. I can assure you that the buzz is well-deserved. The views of the film are that of Leo himself: sex work is work, and can even be a vocation; sex and pleasure are human rights, and therefore should be a public service; and sexual desire and satisfaction have the power to boost a person’s love for herself.
But it’s not necessarily easy for everyone to achieve this relationship with sex, with their own body, or to even figure out what they want. Some people have all the answers by the time they’re 18, for others it might take decades longer. For some people, discovering their sexuality is a lifelong process. And you know what? That’s perfectly okay. And if they need help on their journey, there is no shame in getting guidance from a professional. If only every movie — every person, really — was as open-minded and generous as “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.”
“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” is now available on Hulu.
