"Pleasure" is a different film. It tries to be an honest portrayal of how porn is made in the modern era, in and around the "porn ghetto" of San Fernando Valley. It is brave in trying to show the production side of modern US porn, without a problematic premise. Letting go of your basic notion of a world of drugs and victims, the film lets us dive into a challenging career choice from the perspective of Linnéa aka Bella Cherry.
Following the story from Linnéa's perspective will make us more appreciative of knowing how "the sausage is made". We share her good moments, as well as her bad ones. But there is also room for showing the everyday life, how friendship works, and the danger in not knowing your own limits, when you just want to make people happy. So it's a lesson to all young people, wherever they try to make a place for themselves.
We don't get to know much about the background of the main character. But she is modelled upon a lot of female talent, and based upon countless interviews made by the director during her frequent visits to southern California. The cinematography uses a lot of colours, which can serve two purposes: avoiding the traditional gloom in portraying pornography in dramas and documentaries, and letting us in on the (somewhat naïve but wide open) worldview of Linnéa.
Here and there, all these colours crash head-on upon some of the more sinister moments of the film. It will leave the viewer with conflicting thoughts, comparing some harrowing and quite disturbing scenes with all this bright light. I think Ninja Thyberg wants us to think about complex things. How glamourization of stardom can sometimes hide the dark realities, when the spotlight has been turned off. How the lack of an open discussion about the realities will make us all dumb.
The use of music is intelligent. Hip hop enhances the culture of the street, the youth culture and the sexualization of society. The darker moments are combined with church choirs and operatic voices, bringing in a sound wall of solemnity that underscores the importance of the scene at hand (without being in the way).
But what shines the most is Sofia Kappel. She had never been in a film production before, and in this portrayal of Linnéa she invests a lot of herself. We see the hopeful but insecure young woman, we follow her as she overcomes her insecurities and discovers another self, while trying to find a place in this strange world (that she chose to be part of). This mirrors Sofia Kappel's own discoveries during the auditioning for the role, where she found a new person inside her, a person that happened to enjoy performing.
There are some great supporting role performances being made, all by people that normally act in pornos. Chris Cock shows a sensitive side, Evelyn Claire does a great job in portraying a stock character, whose main function is to serve as the example of the successful "porn star". Revika Anne Reustle does a very human and likeable character portrayal, supporting Linnéa in finding her own place within the industry. But friendship can be a fragile thing, in a world where so many want to reach the top. There is a price to pay, but the price is not what everyone thinks.
This film is both revolting and joyful. By portraying the production of the stigmatized yet romantisized porn as a complex thing, it wants to be part of a new discussion. Where we as consumers (70% of all men, 30% of all women) or non-consumers will have to talk to each other about this small yet influential industry in a constructive way.
I love honest films of personal discovery and rife with existential questions, that succeed in being engaging and positive, promoting the human journey. "Show Me Love", "Amélie", "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", "Tipping the Velvet", "Charlot og Charlotte"... "Pleasure" now takes its rightful place among them.
Following the story from Linnéa's perspective will make us more appreciative of knowing how "the sausage is made". We share her good moments, as well as her bad ones. But there is also room for showing the everyday life, how friendship works, and the danger in not knowing your own limits, when you just want to make people happy. So it's a lesson to all young people, wherever they try to make a place for themselves.
We don't get to know much about the background of the main character. But she is modelled upon a lot of female talent, and based upon countless interviews made by the director during her frequent visits to southern California. The cinematography uses a lot of colours, which can serve two purposes: avoiding the traditional gloom in portraying pornography in dramas and documentaries, and letting us in on the (somewhat naïve but wide open) worldview of Linnéa.
Here and there, all these colours crash head-on upon some of the more sinister moments of the film. It will leave the viewer with conflicting thoughts, comparing some harrowing and quite disturbing scenes with all this bright light. I think Ninja Thyberg wants us to think about complex things. How glamourization of stardom can sometimes hide the dark realities, when the spotlight has been turned off. How the lack of an open discussion about the realities will make us all dumb.
The use of music is intelligent. Hip hop enhances the culture of the street, the youth culture and the sexualization of society. The darker moments are combined with church choirs and operatic voices, bringing in a sound wall of solemnity that underscores the importance of the scene at hand (without being in the way).
But what shines the most is Sofia Kappel. She had never been in a film production before, and in this portrayal of Linnéa she invests a lot of herself. We see the hopeful but insecure young woman, we follow her as she overcomes her insecurities and discovers another self, while trying to find a place in this strange world (that she chose to be part of). This mirrors Sofia Kappel's own discoveries during the auditioning for the role, where she found a new person inside her, a person that happened to enjoy performing.
There are some great supporting role performances being made, all by people that normally act in pornos. Chris Cock shows a sensitive side, Evelyn Claire does a great job in portraying a stock character, whose main function is to serve as the example of the successful "porn star". Revika Anne Reustle does a very human and likeable character portrayal, supporting Linnéa in finding her own place within the industry. But friendship can be a fragile thing, in a world where so many want to reach the top. There is a price to pay, but the price is not what everyone thinks.
This film is both revolting and joyful. By portraying the production of the stigmatized yet romantisized porn as a complex thing, it wants to be part of a new discussion. Where we as consumers (70% of all men, 30% of all women) or non-consumers will have to talk to each other about this small yet influential industry in a constructive way.
I love honest films of personal discovery and rife with existential questions, that succeed in being engaging and positive, promoting the human journey. "Show Me Love", "Amélie", "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", "Tipping the Velvet", "Charlot og Charlotte"... "Pleasure" now takes its rightful place among them.
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