The Pornographer

Having had a repressed upbringing where sex was taboo and never discussed, Paul's first contact with porn both disgusted and aroused him. In his mid-twenties he is insecure around women, has a large porn collection and regularly uses prostitutes and attends strip bars. Having had zero luck with recent attempts to get a date, Paul falls deeper into porn and gets critical of its low production values on the whole. Buying a camera, Paul starts to make his own porn movies with prostitutes and a male friend and decides to take his videos to a production company – however offers of a contract seem to depend heavily on Paul bringing a fresh, unfilmed girl with him to the studio.

This film was put on late night Friday on channel 5 in the UK – a slot that is usually filled with cheap softcore movies with vague plots and were it not for the reasonably interesting plot summary I would have just ignored it as with so much trash. In terms of softcore action there is a fair amount of nudity but it would be unlikely to satisfy those looking for cheap thrills because, although it looks low budget, it has nothing in common with the pure titillation stuff. This left it open to be a lot more interesting and morally complex and it does do that reasonably well even if it isn't totally convincing in the way that the plot still tries to be a narrative in its own right. It is the story development that is a problem but it still lingers in the murky and rather shameful world of porn long enough to have value as an interesting film on the subject even if it fails to go deep enough into the material or the characters to really stick in the memory.

The direction is pretty cheap and not that interesting; his writing is good but his budget never allows him to make it look like more than it cost. The cast is limited as well although some of them are good. DeGood is interesting and his narration helps his performance rather than replacing it – also, it isn't his fault that the material develops his character too quickly and in unlikely ways. Wasson is basic but effective while Cain is sweet and clumsy (an effect that is either deliberate or caused by her not being that good, not sure which but it works either way). The rest are very much video actors and felt clunky; this didn't damage the film that much though because it already had a low budget feel.

Overall the film had enough murkiness and comment to be of interest and it is this aspect that you will enjoy. The narrative is little more than a frame but at times the film makes the mistake of making that the focal point and loses sight of the themes within it. Add to this a low budget feel in terms of acting, directing and sets and it is hard to take it totally seriously. Worth seeing once though for what it does well.

Every so often, a distinguished film comes out of the independent ranks. This is such a film. This is a story about a young man's descent into the sordid world of pornography. Paul Ryan (Michael DeGood) is an ordinary guy who works in a law firm as a paralegal. Paul is socially inept and a loser with women so he turns to pornography to dissipate his sexual needs. Ultimately he becomes obsessed with pornography and when the market can no longer fill his needs, he decides to make his own films using a hooker and an out of work actor. He visits Spano (Craig Wasson), a major porn producer who tells him he will let Paul direct his films if he brings Spano some fresh talent. This leads to his meeting and ruthless seduction of Kate (Katheryn Cain), a sweet and naïve girl from Tennessee who came to Hollywood in search of fame.

The story by first time writer/director Doug Atchison was penetrating, raw and real. This was a far more serious and realistic treatment of the pornography industry than the highly popular `Boogie Nights'. While `Boogie Nights' was more of a light, comedic lampoon of the industry, this film is a dark, hard hitting look at the culture and psychology of the makers and users of pornographic material. While there is a certain amount of sexual content, most of the film focuses on the characters and their helplessness within the vortex produced by the porn industry. Atchison captures the sense of hopeless desperation that exists among the consumers and actors, and the callous exploitation of these human emotions by the powerful porn magnates.

This film was released direct to video after a film festival release. From a production standpoint, it is about what you would expect from a low budget independent film, cheesy sets, uneven sound, and boring music. However, Atchison has a knack with the camera and his script is smart and incisive. The scenes were well directed and the actors, most of whom had very short resumes, were nicely orchestrated and insightfully presented.

The cast had numerous pleasant surprises. Craig Wasson is a veteran actor who has done a lot of TV and some minor movie roles. He was very convincing as the callous porn producer. Michael DeGood was outstanding in the starring role. He played Paul as insecure and desperately lonely, while also being obsessive and determined. He was extremely effective at portraying both the lows and highs that the character required. As far as I can determine, Katheryn Cain was the personification of her part in the story, an utterly fresh face. She was outstanding as the inexperienced small town girl who desperately wanted to be a star, and was susceptible to the unscrupulous manipulations of those who wanted to exploit her.

This is a superb film, especially by an independent filmmaker and a first time director. I rated it an 8/10. This first-rate film noir offering requires a thick skin and tolerance for disturbing sexual themes. Viewers offended by the idea of pornography should steer clear.

It doesn't take much thinking about the porn industry to realise that the issues involved with it are complex. To its credit this film manges to present most of the issues lucidly and without moralising. There are a heap of problems with the coherence and logic of the script, but the characters are strong and credible, which helps to overcome this to some extent. The film attempts to analyse users and makers of, and participants in, porno videos and continues with this as the theme throughout until the concocted ending, which like a few other situations within the plot (for example the arranged second meeting with the girl in the park) is quite irritating. No doubt like a lot of other viewers I kind of wish that I could have taken the script and ironed out the problems with it, as it does have a lot of strengths.

With the current procession of post-Tarantino body count epics and Tom Green-styled "comedies," it's a real pleasure to discover a new indie film that is derived from genuine ideas. The casting of little-known actors is remarkable, and one can easily discern that the crew provided a positive creative atmosphere, given the admitted low budget. The project feels like a labor of love for all concerned; even the producer/director's pets give credible performances. In the "old days," I'd have referred to this film as a sleeper. That term may no longer be relevant, but THE PORNOGRAPHER remains as an inspiration in an era when "indie cinema" is too often confused with extended MTV-style videos. This is a real film.

This was a decent movie. It is unique in that the main character is very likable. He loves his dream of making something unique as a filmmaker and money lover. There are some great scenes that could actually be real. It is very realistic in parts and in other parts it is very dark,,,too dark in fact. So dark that you know that there is no way that this could actually be the way adult film making is. Boogie Nights and X Rated are far better. If you want to see a good independant film, this is a good rental. It's on the SUNDANCE channel quite often. Good for a weeknight view. It just doesn't deliver all the goods.