Pleasure

I didn't think this story was all that compelling or satisfyingly told. There were some details that were memorable, but I really didn't get invested in where it was going. I will agree that the lead actress did an amazing job, and most everyone else brought a realism to their roles, especially since they work in the adult film industry in real life. But I didn't feel like there was much connection between the scenes. Yes, the overall goal of the main character remains consistent, but I didn't feel like we were shown what motivated her to make the specific choices she did much of the time. The effect is that the story doesn't really progress and build believably. Even though it has an outstanding central performance, I felt this was a fairly average drama overall which happened to have a few scenes that were difficult to watch.

It's pretty much true that everytime there's a mainstream movie about the adult industry, it always focuses on the extremes on one end; where there tends to be a very anti-porn industry undertone that guides these movies.

So when you're making a movie about the industry with many actual performers showing up as themselves, there was the risk of it being extreme on the pro-industry end. But to my pleasant surprise, the movie composed itself with a lot of nuance on both ends of the argument to share its story without a strong bias on either side; something I very much appreciate. Pleasure is a very decent movie, but with very little originality in my opinion. Yes, I liked its tone overall, but the story plays out exactly the way you'd think it would by the first 15 minutes. It certainly wasn't boring, but it never captivated as much as it had the potential to, and that's something I wish this movie could have done different.

Overall however, it was a decent watch, but more importantly, it was made with the right frame of mind... and that's what truly stood out to me.

A girl from Sweden decides she wants to make it in the LA porn scene and become a star.

The movie starts with her landing in LAX airport and subsequently being housed in a rental for girls in the porn industry (a common practice).

The movie holds no punches as it shows the way an adult performer becomes a commodity and how time is money.

A few sympathetic characters however most are shallow and some are cruel.

This movie does not hold back and is pretty much accurate in how the porn business is.

She has to decide whether to roll with it or to take a stand on principles, oh how a day can change one's mind.

Some cameos by real porn stars and crew, actors were great especially the lead.

Definitely one to see.

I think the low reviews are due to the discomfort one feels while watching Ninja Thybergs first real movie of substance. The research that went into this really gives us an inside look at the porn industry and what it takes to be successful in that industry. I didn't find anything disturbing or shocking, which i was grateful that Ninja Thybergs to it to the extreme. The story was fine enough for what the subject matter is, a shallow world.

Contrary to what a number of reviewers enthuse about this film, there is nothing "revolutionary" about it as far as edgy European filmmakers are concerned. In fact, the likes of Paul Verhoeven, Gaspard Noe and Ulrich Seidl did much of the heavy lifting several years before, in terms of explicit and frank cinema-verite material.

That said, this is a compelling, carefully researched slice-of-life movie with a central performance for the ages, and it's coming from perfect newcomer Sofia Kappel. With a less game actress, this could have been just another "Showgirls".

The director's insistence on sticking to crushing realism means that there's a complete lack of Hollywood moments, twists and turns, and no artificial tension -- which would admittedly make the whole affair an easier watch. It's never boring, but there's a distinct documentarist feel to everything, which does kill any budding drama.

Make no mistake, this is a European art movie, transplanted to the LA p*rn scene.