The Wachowski’s lesbian neo-noir may have started as the film to prove to the studio they could direct The Matrix, but with its incredible screenplay and unforgettable central relationship, Bound quickly established itself as a bona fide classic.

Corky (Gina Gershon), a tough ex-convict working on an apartment renovation in a Chicago building, meets a couple living next door, Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), a paranoid mobster, and Violet (Jennifer Tilly), his seductive girlfriend, who is immediately attracted to her. As the two women launch into a passionate love affair, they assemble an intricate plan for Violet to escape from Caesar, with two million dollars of the mob’s money — but the important part is to make it out alive.

Working with feminist author and sex educator Susie Bright as an on-set consultant and intimacy coordinator, the Wachowskis approached the film with a care and attention to detail that helped make it the lasting queer classic it regarded as today. To this day, the roles of Corky and Violet are the favorites of actors Gina Gerson and Jennifer Tilly, citing the empowerment they felt playing the characters and the comfort during the sex scenes due to the technical nature.