Online buzz surrounding Past Lives, Challengers, and the more recent Materialists prove that complex three-way dynamics are making a comeback on the big screen: so, we’ve decided to revisit some classics and spotlight a few upcoming releases to watch out for.
It’s hard to say who exactly opened Pandora’s box when it comes to the resurgence of tangled, three-person relationships on screen. Some point to Celine Song’s debut film Past Lives (and her latest Materialists) as catalysts, while others credit Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers for bringing sexy and “it’s complicated” back into the mainstream spotlight. Honestly? It could be all of the above—there’s room for multiple sparks. The point is, these three-way dynamics are back, with a wave of new films taking cues from the captivatingly messy stories that came before them.
And make no mistake: this isn’t a new phenomenon. These relationships endure because they’re bold, deliciously layered, and irresistibly entertaining—and isn’t that everything you want on the silver screen? Here are six films, both timeless and upcoming, that prove the three-way is here to stay.
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Design For Living (1933)
You read the release year right: 1933. Who says the three-way is a modern invention? Ernst Lubitsch’s Design for Living—based on the play by Noël Coward—was nothing short of risque at a time before The Hays Code was even set into motion. Spunky commercial artist Gilda (Miriam Hopkins) can’t make up her mind, feeling herself drawn to two men: playwright Tom (Fredric March) and painter George (Gary Cooper).
The solution? Well, keep ‘em both. Who can blame a girl? You’d be just as conflicted if you were roommates with Cooper and March. This begins an interesting set-up, the three co-habitating on the condition that they don’t engage in any physical intimacy. As you can imagine, everything goes according to plan (not really). The characters enter dalliances, Gilda’s affections ricocheting between the two men until the movie’s equally daring, surprisingly modern ending.
Jules and Jim (1962)
Yet another classic in the three-way filmography is François Truffaut’s Jules and Jim. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Europe, the work is a lyrical and bittersweet examination of love, freedom, and the fragility of human connection. At its center are best friends: shy Austrian writer Jules (Oskar Werner) and charming Frenchman Jim (Henri Serre).
Inseparable as they are, their friendship is put to the test when a woman named Catherine (played with magnetic unpredictability by Jeanne Moreau) enters their lives. Free-spirited and enigmatic, she becomes a focal point in the two friends’ relationship. While she marries Jules, her affections aren’t as clean cut, throwing all three of them into an ambivalent, emotionally-charged dynamic that spans decades, including the tumultuous years of World War I.
Perhaps the reason why the film feels so convincing is because of its eponymous source material: the semi-autobiographical novel by French writer Henri-Pierre Roché, which detailed his intense relationship with fellow writer Franz Hessel and his wife Helen Grund. Don’t expect a particularly joyous ending—but the twists and turns will definitely stick with you.
Y tu mamá también (2001)
Equal parts roadtrip movie, bildungsroman, and sensual spectacle, Alfonso Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también has it all. The film follows two teenage boys—Julio (a very young Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (also a very young Diego Luna)—who embark on a spontaneous road trip with Luisa (the alluring Maribel Verdú), an older, enigmatic woman escaping her own personal turmoil.
What begins as a carefree, hormone-fueled adventure quickly deepens into a journey of self-discovery, class tension, and sexual awakening. As the trio travels across the Mexican countryside in search of a mythical beach called “Heaven’s Mouth,” the dynamics between them shift in unexpected ways. Secrets are revealed, boundaries are tested, and the power balance in their triangle becomes increasingly unstable.
What sets Y tu mamá también apart is its raw honesty about desire, identity, and the fleeting nature of youth. With Cuarón’s signature mix of intimacy and political undercurrents, the film captures the messy beauty of relationships that don’t fit into neat categories.
The Dreamers (2003)
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers isn’t something you should be watching with your parents (well, to be honest, none of the films here should be on that list). It remains a boundary-pushing piece with its heavily implied incest and explicit three-way relationship. Still, if you can acknowledge these elements as parts of a larger, more poignant coming-of-age story, you’ll appreciate it for what it is.
Taking place amid the political unrest of 1960s Paris, the story follows Matthew (Michael Pitt), an American exchange student and cinephile who finds himself drawn to the insular world of eccentric twins Isabelle (Eva Green) and Théo (Louis Garrel) after meeting them at a protest outside the Cinémathèque Française.
What ensues is a visually striking, fever-dream-like series of occurrences, set inside the twins’s decrepit apartment where time blurs, rules dissolve, and reality becomes a game of dares, debates, and eroticism, illustrating the dangerous comfort of fantasy in the lives of these young, lost characters. Is it for everyone? Nope. But if you’re in the mood for something idiosyncratic and sexy, this is it.
Eternity (2025)
Moving on to upcoming works, the announcement of David Freyne’s romantic-comedy Eternity is one of the latest following the new surge of three-way films. Set in some version of the afterlife where souls must choose only one person to spend eternity with, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) must decide whether that person would be her first love (Callum Turner) or her longtime husband (Miles Teller).
The answer seems simple to some: the husband, duh! But her first love has spent decades waiting for her to arrive at the pearly gates—and that’s where the plot thickens. The premise is rich with potential, because really, what’s funnier than realizing dying doesn’t solve all of life’s more complicated romantic dilemmas? Conversely, there’s just enough space for a contemplative exploration of love that transcends what we understand it to be. When nothing earthly really matters, what are the things we ultimately value most?
The Threesome (2025)
Chad Hartigan’s upcoming The Threesome stars Jonah Hauer-King as Connor, a young man quietly nursing a longtime crush on his friend Olivia (played by Zoey Deutch). Their relationship takes an unexpected turn with the introduction of a new woman, Jenny (Ruby Cruz). Fueled by spontaneity and a nudge from Olivia, the trio dives into an impulsive one-night threesome—but what happens after brings more than just awkwardness, with Olivia and Jenny discovering they’re both pregnant, and Connor is the father.
The title is so hilariously on the nose that we had to laugh, just a little bit, when the film’s trailer dropped. Still, it seems to be an earnest depiction of the modern dating landscape that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but promises to respect its more serious theme of accountability—so who knows, it might just be our next favorite in this three-way list.
