Pleasure
Synopsis
20-year-old Bella Cherry leaves her small town in Sweden and heads for Los Angeles with the aim of becoming the world's next big porn star, but the road to her goal turns out to be bumpier than she imagined.
Director
Cast
More
Chanel Preston
Chanel
Mick Blue
Jules
Casey Calvert
Casey
Sofia Kappel
Bella Cherry
Eva Melander
Mother (voice)
Other Reviews
see all
A very human, vulnerable look at the behind the scenes of the porn industry.
mauriciolidio
"Pleasure" portrays the porn industry unfiltered. Don't be fooled by the colorful photography, because it's just there as a trick. The film is raw and heavy at times (lots of abuse triggers).
Directed by Ninja Thyberg (for those who like to follow women dominating the direction in cinema), which by the way rocks too much.
shaban
"Business or pleasure?" Director Thyberg's debut can't decide on that.
So, for about forty minutes or so, the film sells itself like a film you'd expect from a director like Sean Baker; neorealist, casual, and direct. But then, unfortunately, Thyberg shifts in themes. She decides to go for another type of film, the sentimental "adviser" type. Out of nowhere, she pours some cheesy moral dynamics into it and breaks the tone completely. Thyberg switches lanes midway, going from doing justice to the character to using the art form to transmit a message to the viewer, hoping of giving the film poignancy that way. But, I don't know, it didn't look to come organically, and that ending especially felt unearned.
Yet, I liked how having the most famous names of the porn industry in the film, Thyberg never feels to flash them, holding them in the frame more than the film needs to. But again, it's a double game she's playing regarding that as she didn't need to bring them into the picture in the first place. Any actor could have played the characters those pornstars portray here. And coming to acting, I want to praise the lead actress' performance. As her first acting performance, I thought she did great throughout the entire running time despite some minor glitches, on which I blame the director. But more than the lead performance, I liked the clean, beautiful aesthetics and the overall look of the film. If anything, they nailed the production and costume design.
I wasn't planning on reviewing this film as I was dead tired from today, but after seeing the crazy amount of pornstars that populate it, it felt like I had to explain myself. :p
Now, to wrap this, 'Pleasure' fails to compel, staying in between a surreptitious examination of the toxicity and abuse in an industry of explicit imagery and a young girl's hollow tale of cold-hearted loneliness, and in the end, doesn't stick the landing either way.
dlksemiz
No friends added this movie to ‘To Watch’ yet
ᐯIᑭEᖇ
A very human, vulnerable look at the behind the scenes of the porn industry.
mauriciolidio
"Pleasure" portrays the porn industry unfiltered. Don't be fooled by the colorful photography, because it's just there as a trick. The film is raw and heavy at times (lots of abuse triggers).
Directed by Ninja Thyberg (for those who like to follow women dominating the direction in cinema), which by the way rocks too much.
shaban
"Business or pleasure?" Director Thyberg's debut can't decide on that.
So, for about forty minutes or so, the film sells itself like a film you'd expect from a director like Sean Baker; neorealist, casual, and direct. But then, unfortunately, Thyberg shifts in themes. She decides to go for another type of film, the sentimental "adviser" type. Out of nowhere, she pours some cheesy moral dynamics into it and breaks the tone completely. Thyberg switches lanes midway, going from doing justice to the character to using the art form to transmit a message to the viewer, hoping of giving the film poignancy that way. But, I don't know, it didn't look to come organically, and that ending especially felt unearned.
Yet, I liked how having the most famous names of the porn industry in the film, Thyberg never feels to flash them, holding them in the frame more than the film needs to. But again, it's a double game she's playing regarding that as she didn't need to bring them into the picture in the first place. Any actor could have played the characters those pornstars portray here. And coming to acting, I want to praise the lead actress' performance. As her first acting performance, I thought she did great throughout the entire running time despite some minor glitches, on which I blame the director. But more than the lead performance, I liked the clean, beautiful aesthetics and the overall look of the film. If anything, they nailed the production and costume design.
I wasn't planning on reviewing this film as I was dead tired from today, but after seeing the crazy amount of pornstars that populate it, it felt like I had to explain myself. :p
Now, to wrap this, 'Pleasure' fails to compel, staying in between a surreptitious examination of the toxicity and abuse in an industry of explicit imagery and a young girl's hollow tale of cold-hearted loneliness, and in the end, doesn't stick the landing either way.
dlksemiz
mathijsnicolai90
No Discussions
ᐯIᑭEᖇ
1 y