Here is the film’s true romance: The relationship between Dave Bowman and HAL 9000.

A German segment featuring a woman using a potato as a sexual toy.

: It includes controversial or odd footage such as:

Notice what’s missing? A spouse. A partner. A lover.

In Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey

Since standard romance is missing, many critics interpret the film's imagery through biological and sexual allegories:

Today, Shock Video 2001: A Sex Odyssey serves as a nostalgic artifact of pre-streaming era cable television. It was part of a broader series of "Shock Video" specials that continued through 2004, capturing a specific moment when the "shock factor" of international media was a major draw for late-night viewers.