Incestuous relationships
Films, TV series, and individual TV episodes involving relationships (voluntary or forced) between family members - usually siblings (sisters, brothers, twins) or parents (biological, adoptive, or step-parents) and children.
NOTE: Please note that I in no way condone such relationships in real life. And while it should go without saying, I will include it just in case: sexual abuse of ANY kind, whether directed at ADULTS or MINORS, regardless of the victim’s gender or the familial relationship to the perpetrator, is DESPICABLE and HORRENDOUS.
This list is for reference only. The thinking behind it is that while every other kind of relationship and every other type of violence has been portrayed in the media so much that the audiences have become desensitized to them, incest specifically still retains at least some of the taboo that has been historically associated with it. It is still the “big” thing filmmakers resort to when they are looking for shock value. But even that has been changing over the last several decades. Case in point - Game of Thrones with its current and planned spin-offs.
SPOILER ALERT!!! My descriptions below may contain spoilers revealing important plot twists. However, I had to put them in to specify the nature of the relationships depicted in a particular film.
NOTE: Please note that I in no way condone such relationships in real life. And while it should go without saying, I will include it just in case: sexual abuse of ANY kind, whether directed at ADULTS or MINORS, regardless of the victim’s gender or the familial relationship to the perpetrator, is DESPICABLE and HORRENDOUS.
This list is for reference only. The thinking behind it is that while every other kind of relationship and every other type of violence has been portrayed in the media so much that the audiences have become desensitized to them, incest specifically still retains at least some of the taboo that has been historically associated with it. It is still the “big” thing filmmakers resort to when they are looking for shock value. But even that has been changing over the last several decades. Case in point - Game of Thrones with its current and planned spin-offs.
SPOILER ALERT!!! My descriptions below may contain spoilers revealing important plot twists. However, I had to put them in to specify the nature of the relationships depicted in a particular film.
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- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.The major plot twist of the movie consists of the protagonist (the wallflower) having had a history of childhood sexual abuse (molestation) by his aunt, who moved in with his family after coming out of a string of abusive relationships.
- DirectorRoger KumbleStarsSarah Michelle GellarRyan PhillippeReese WitherspoonTwo vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school make a wager: to deflower the new headmaster's daughter before the start of term.Strictly speaking, doesn't involve incest. However, two of the protagonists are considered brother and sister, because their parents are married, but they are not blood related. There is a lot of sexual tension between them.
- DirectorArthur Allan SeidelmanStarsBill BixbyDee WallaceMegan FollowsWhen widower David marries divorcee Vicki, David's teenage son, Tim and Vicki's teenage daughter, Jenny become romantically involved. This makes David and Vicki VERY uncomfortable and Vicki's ex-husband Andy furious.Does not involve incest per se, since the two protagonists are not blood-related. But the fact that they fell in love with each other causes quite a stir in the family, because his father and her mother are married to each other. Although the marriage was quite recent and their children from previous marriages did not grow up together.
- DirectorJulio MedemStarsNajwa NimriFele MartínezNancho NovoIn Lapland's cold Arctic Circle, under the eternal midnight sun, unfavourable circumstances reunite two kindred spirits. And governed by circular motifs woven by faith and love, they must answer a pivotal question. Can they deny destiny?Tells the story of two lovers, Ana and Otto, who meet as children and are brought together by a series of coincidences, one of them being that her mother and his father fall in love and get married. This fact does not stop them from introducing the sexual component into their relationship.
- DirectorMitchell LichtensteinStarsJess WeixlerJohn HensleyJosh PaisStill a stranger to her own body, a high school student discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence.A girl's step-brother, who she grew up with after her mother married his father when they were kids, is convinced that he is in love with her and it is inevitable that they will end up having sex one day (although she is disgusted by the mere idea of that ever happening). However, when such a day dawns after all, things don't turn out quite the way the step-brother planned.
- DirectorAmy HeckerlingStarsAlicia SilverstoneStacey DashBrittany MurphyShallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
- DirectorRod HolcombStarsNaveen AndrewsMatthew FoxJorge GarciaLocke plans to teach Boone a lesson, when he learns that Boone wants to share their secret with Shannon.Depicts a sexual relationship between brother and sister, who are not blood-related, but whose parents have been married since the children were about 10 - 12 years old.
- DirectorDavid WeaverStarsAlex CampbellPaul SolesAndrew ChalmersSIBLINGS is a dark comedy about love, lust, murder and other issues of normal family life.None of the four siblings featured in this film seem to be actually blood-related, but they have been growing up together for some time, and obviously see each other as members of the same family. There is a scene, where brother and sister almost cross the line.
Besides, the step-father seemed to have intentions to sexually abuse his older [step-]daughter. - CreatorJames Manos Jr.StarsMichael C. HallJennifer CarpenterDavid ZayasHe's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.In Season 6 the protagonist's sister starts to realize that she is in love with him. They are not blood-related, since Dexter was adopted into the family, but they grew up as siblings.
- CreatorRyan MurphyEvan RomanskyStarsSarah PaulsonFinn WittrockCynthia NixonIn 1947, Mildred Ratched begins working as a nurse at a leading psychiatric hospital. But beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growing darkness.
- DirectorAlex KurtzmanStarsChris PineElizabeth BanksMichelle PfeifferWhile settling his recently deceased father's estate, a salesman discovers he has a sister whom he never knew about, leading both siblings to re-examine their perceptions about family and life choices.After his father's death, Sam finds out that he has a half-sister, whose son is to inherit a considerable amount of money. While Sam tries to get to know his sister and nephew better, she misinterprets his attention in a romantic way and seems to be infatuated by the charming and witty young man, who gets along with her son exceptionally well, and who just slightly looks like herself.
Before any lines can be crossed, however, she finds out that they are siblings and feels shocked and humiliated that the truth has been kept from her for this long. - DirectorSimon StoneStarsGeoffrey RushNicholas HopeSam NeillThe story follows a man who returns home to discover a long-buried family secret, and whose attempts to put things right threaten the lives of those he left home years before.A teenage girl seems to have a crush on her father’s friend, who has been friendly with her. She kisses him at some point, but he interrupts the kiss, as he has become aware that she is his half-sister.
- DirectorMaurice PhillipsStarsDavid SuchetPhilip AnthonyRobert BathurstWhen a man disinherits his sole beneficiary and bequeaths his wealth to others just prior to his death, Poirot is called in to investigate.
- StarsLucy DurackAntonia PrebbleMaria AngelicoIt follows the story of three women who discover that they are sisters. Julia finds out that her Nobel prize winning father secretly used his own sperm in a number of "In Vitro Fertilisation" procedures.
- DirectorElizabeth MitchellBrek TaylorStarsNatalie PressColin MorganJanet McTeerBased on Jane Rogers' acclaimed novel, "Island" is a tale of yearning and retribution. Consumed by thoughts of revenge, Nikki Black goes to a remote island to seek out the mother (Janet McTeer,) who abandoned her at birth.The female protagonist tracks down her biological mother and seduces her half-brother, who seems to have developmental issues and is not aware that they are related. She does this in an attempt to take revenge on her mother.
- StarsSam NeillHelena Bonham CarterJohn GielgudLegendary wizard Merlin tells his story of his war against Queen Mab of the Sidhe and his creation of Camelot.King Arthur fathers a son from his half-sister (same mother, different fathers).
- DirectorJohn WellsStarsMeryl StreepDermot MulroneyJulia RobertsA look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.One of the characters in the movie seems to have finally found someone she loves and who is able to love her back. He is far from being the picture-perfect knight in the shining armour, of course, with his whole family having an extremely low opinion of his wits and ability. The situation is also somewhat complicated by the fact that they are first cousins. However, these complications fail to matter anymore once her mother reveals that not only are they first cousins, but they also happen to be half-siblings.
- DirectorPaul FeigStarsAnna KendrickBlake LivelyHenry GoldingStephanie is a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate.The protagonist met her half-brother as an adult. They had sex at least once. The paternity of her son is put in question, when her husband finds out about their relationship. It is not clear if she actually was having an affair with the half-brother or if the husband just picked up on sexual tension between them.
- CreatorTravis BeachamRené EchevarriaStarsOrlando BloomCara DelevingneSimon McBurneyA human detective and a fairy rekindle a dangerous affair in a Victorian fantasy world, where the city's uneasy peace collapses when a string of murders reveals an unimaginable monster.One of the subplots centers around a budding affair between a woman and a man, who are the heirs to two powerful families. It is later revealed that they are half-brother and sister. The man is shocked at first, but then realizes that the woman was aware of the possibility and even after learning the truth, she is adamant to continue their relationship and to seal their collaboration with a marriage.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKeanu ReevesAl PacinoCharlize TheronAn exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.The protagonist is encouraged into having a sexual intercourse with his half-sister by their father, the Devil. He is definitely attracted to her during the whole movie, while he doesn't know they are related until the very end.
- StarsAnjelica HustonJulianna MarguliesJoan AllenTales of Camelot and Avalon, told from the perspective of the women of Uther and Arthur Pendragon's world.King Arthur fathers a son from his half-sister (same mother, different fathers). He does not know her identity at the time, but seems quite infatuated with his half-sister when they meet as adults.
- DirectorKornél MundruczóStarsFélix LajkóOrsolya TóthLili MonoriA man comes home to meet his mother and sister after many years away. He finds his mother living with a new boyfriend, and his sister to be grown-up. He begins to settle down in this new place by building a new home for himself on the delta. But when his sister moves in with him and the two begin a romance, there are tragic consequences.Tells the story of half-brother and sister, who meet each other in adulthood. The sister, who seems oppressed by the life she leads and people that surround her, finds solace in her estranged brother, who suddenly entered her life. The brother, in his turn, grows to appreciate her company, instead of seeking solitude. They gradually develop feelings for each other and cross the line of what is socially acceptable between siblings.
The film also depicts a rape committed by the sister's step-father, who is not actually portrayed as a parental figure to her in the story. - DirectorAnne SewitskyStarsIne Marie WilmannSimon J. BergerAnneke von der LippeTwo half-siblings who grew up apart meet for the first time as adults and fall in love.Half-brother and sister meet after growing up apart. He is married with a kid, she has a boyfriend, who is away. They end up starting an affair with each other, seemingly in an attempt to connect.
- CreatorDominic MinghellaStarsJames BowersAlex KingstonDaniel CraigStory of a woman who merely wished to be a loving wife, but always had to live the life of crime.In the second episode of the miniseries, Moll marries a wealthy man, who is smitten by her, and bears two children from him. She then realizes that her mother-in-law is her own long lost mother. She’s appalled by the realization that her husband is also her half-brother. At first she talks herself into continuing to have sex with him, as her “duty as a wife demands”, but finds the experience unbearable. She then stops the intimacy, but the husband is furious at being denied sex without an explanation. He eventually is convinced that she has gone mad and threatens to send her to a madhouse.
At this point, Moll shares the truth with her mother-in-law/mother, who, after the initial shock, tries to talk her into forgetting about the blood relationship and continuing to fulfill her “wifely duties”, in order to preserve the good life that they’ve all built together.
When the husband, who tries to shoot Moll, finally learns that she’s his half-sister, he agrees that their marriage cannot continue and lets her return to England, while declaring her dead, so that he can remarry in the future. - StarsLindsay WagnerPaul Michael GlaserClaudia CardinaleAfter the murder of her parents, Daisy Valenski struggles to reach the top of the modeling profession and falls in love with the president of a company.The female protagonist is raped by her half-brother (same father, different mothers), who is convinced that they are in love with each other.