Written by: Ninja Thyberg & Peter Modestij
Starring: Sofia Kappel, Revika Anne Reustle, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock , Dana DeArmond
Rating: [3.5/5]
Navigating the adult film world as a woman works differently than nearly every other profession on Earth. The women command the most pay and attention but must also face the brunt of the social stigma and physical demands that come with the positives. For better or worse, Pleasure seeks to display with unflinching honesty the journey of a woman trying to break into the industry and the lengths she must go through to reach the top.
Arriving in Los Angeles from her small town in Sweden, Linnéa (Sofia Kappel) goes by the stage name Bella Cherry as she strives to make it big in the pornography industry. As she begins to gain some traction through the help of management, she learns that in order to climb and reach superstardom within this world, she’ll need to push past any of her pre-established boundaries.
If any word could summarize the experience of watching Pleasure, “harrowing” would be it. For a film focusing on something utilized by its recipients for gratification, this movie has no intention of tantalizing its audience, and rightfully so. Nothing about it wants to glamourize the industry as a whole nor outright demonize it but rather looks at it through the scope of any profession and the ups and downs that come with it. Pornography certainly stands out amongst other lines of work for reasons that do not need to be explained, but through this narrative it becomes evident that, like any other profession, the treatment of the individuals varies greatly depending on those holding the power.
Linnéa’s path towards stardom starts out with gigs where she finds comfort in performing. However, in order to stand out, she needs to push herself to do videos that are more risqué and catch the attention of the agents that can help her reach the level she aspires to. That involves acts she has never done before in her life and will try out for the first time in front of a camera. Things progressively get more physically demanding and only further accentuate the underpinning element of what will get her over the top, which mostly lies in content that will degrade her. This, therefore, creates a line in the sand, and Linnéa must decide if she will cross it and choose to do anything to get ahead. The decision she makes leads to some uncomfortable scenes to sit through.
Filming the scenes Linnéa acts very appropriately; Ninja Thyberg does not seek to titillate or excite but rather displays that this is a job and these individuals do this not out of the pleasure that comes with it but for the paycheck. Linnéa has plenty of positive experiences throughout the film, especially one she has with a woman director where it involves bondage and acts the average person may find degrading, but the director makes it clear everyone feels safe and ensures the necessary safeguards exist as well. Quite a heartwarming scene, but then we witness the horrifying moments where those in power during the filming of a scene do not conduct themselves with the same level of care and make it miserable for our lead character. Those scenes in particular are horrifying to watch, but Thyberg continually does well in her depiction of what transpires. She pushes the envelope on what the average person would feel comfortable in watching in a feature film but also does not necessarily hold back in displaying a workplace circumstance that would terrify anyone. This disparity between the different workplace environments makes a world of difference, but I’m sure every porn actor can share how they have experienced them both.
Recommending Pleasure as a film proves difficult, as the message at its core has a potency worth watching as it sheds a light on an industry mostly kept in the dark for obvious reasons. Many scenes in this film will be difficult for many to watch, and I would not blame anyone for losing their inclination to continue watching it. However, when viewing the totality of what Ninja Thyberg wants to exhibit through this film, it moves very effectively at dissecting this industry through its lead character along with the age-old lesson of the loneliness felt at the top. Despite its natural challenges, it works as a film and one that deserves praise for its resounding honesty.
