Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around the World

Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around the World is a captivating documentary series, which provides a deeper insight into the intriguing customs and practices surrounding sex, love, and relationships in various international cultures. Premiering on CNN in 2018, the show is hosted by eminent international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who is celebrated for her fearless and robust reporting on global issues.

The series is a groundbreaking endeavor, taking viewers on a journey across six different cities – Tokyo, Delhi, Beirut, Berlin, Accra, and Shanghai. Each destination provides an opportunity to understand and appreciate how different geographical locations, cultural traditions, social norms, and religious belief systems shape every facet of human desire, intimacy, and connection. The aim is not to cater to voyeuristic tendencies or sensationalize cultural differences, rather it seeks to encourage dialogue, understanding, and mutual respect for the diverse paradigms of love and sex around the world.

Christiane Amanpour, with her extensive experience as a war correspondent, brings a unique and empathetic perspective to the exploration of these sensitive topics. Unflinching in her quest for knowledge, she ventures into unfamiliar territories, conversing with people from different walks of life. From men and women, to traditional matchmakers, adult movie stars, sex therapists, LGBTQ+ activists, and more, Amanpour engages with them all in hopes of understanding the range of human sexuality and relational dynamics.

In Tokyo, Amanpour delves into Japan's complex and multifaceted society, which struggles with a rapidly declining birth rate yet teems with a thriving market for love and sex packaged into various forms of consumer entertainment and products. In Delhi, she unearths the challenging norms and changes occurring in a society wrestling with traditional marriage expectations while promoting women's autonomy and consent in relationships. Beirut proves to be a world of contrast where gay night clubs coexist with honor killings. In Berlin, she explores a culture that encourages freedom of expression for all kinds of love and sex. Accra and Shanghai are dissected for their attitudes towards love and sex, as shaped by a mix of traditional values and modernization.

Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around the World seamlessly merges aspects of social commentary, investigative journalism, and intimate portraiture, delicately handled with Amanpour’s unremitting truthfulness and sensitivity. It seeks to challenge the viewer's preconceptions of love, sex, and relationships, and tests their cultural perception of these foundational human experiences. Amanpour’s questioning neither comes across as judgmental nor naive but stems from an genuine interest and curiosity.

A significant facet of the show is its focus on the female experience and the matter of female sexual agency within these varied cultural contexts. It spotlights voices that are often hushed or overlooked, providing women a platform to freely reveal their experiences, struggles, beliefs, and expectations concerning love, sex, and relationships. A lot of emphasis is also placed on recognising and understanding the issues surrounding consent, sexual freedom, rights, and acceptance of non-heteronormative sexual orientations.

The production value of the series is top-notch, visually portraying each locale with its distinctive allure and vibrancy to capture the viewers’ interest. The captivating cinematography, paired with expertly managed interviews, offers a blend of rich authenticity and intimacy that leaves a lasting impression.

In conclusion, Christiane Amanpour: Sex & Love Around the World is not just an exploration of cultural practices around love & sex, but an examination of the universal themes of human existence. It urges viewers to think widely and deeply about these crucial aspects of human life that are often met with hesitation and taboo. It is stark, bold, and honest--an encapsulating socio-cultural journey into the diverse world of sex and love. Through its enlightening insight into these intimate human experiences, this series promotes cultural understanding, acceptance, and open dialogue--core values that are essential in an increasingly interconnected global society.