The Intern – A Summer Of Lust (2019) ((free)) [SAFE]

The Intern – A Summer of Lust is not a good film in the conventional sense – it is derivative, unevenly acted, and narratively messy. Yet, as a time capsule of late-2010s direct-to-streaming erotic cinema, it offers camp value and a few genuinely steamy, if not artistically justified, sequences. Recommended only for completionists of the genre or viewers seeking a guilt-free, low-stakes thriller to laugh with (and at). For anyone expecting a thoughtful drama about workplace power dynamics, look elsewhere – perhaps to the vastly superior 2015 film The Intern with Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, which, ironically, shares a title but not a single other quality.

Her mentor, – a charming, enigmatic senior executive with a mysterious past – takes a personal interest in her career. What begins as professional guidance quickly escalates into a torrid, clandestine affair. As the summer heat intensifies, Chloe discovers that Julian is entangled with two other women in the office: the jaded but magnetic art director, Sloane , and the icy, ambitious HR manager, Rebecca , who is also Julian’s ex-lover.

Visually, the director employs a glossy, high-contrast aesthetic: sun-drenched balconies, cold blue office lighting, and sultry, shadow-filled hotel rooms. The score is a forgettable mix of breathy synth pads and generic bass drops, common to low-budget erotic dramas of the late 2010s.

Unlike typical erotic thrillers from the 1990s, this film attempts a more character-driven approach, giving Chloe internal monologues that question whether her choices are empowering or self-sabotaging. However, the execution is inconsistent: the dialogue leans heavily on melodramatic clichés (“You don’t want a mentor, Chloe. You want a master.”), and the plot twists are predictable.

However, the film has gained a small cult following on streaming platforms and among fans of “so-bad-it’s-good” erotic thrillers. Some praise its unapologetic embrace of B-movie tropes and its unintentionally hilarious dialogue (“My only risk is wanting you more than my career.”).