Pornhub: Gros plan sur le géant du sexe

This documentary explores the op-ed article that appeared in the Times about SA en CSAM at Pornhub. In doing this, it adds very little, if anything, to the procedings. We get some faces and voices with the article and a bit of extra background but essentially nothing new or groundbreaking. So on that subject the documentary does not go beyond skin-deep, which is fitting.

The added value then, compared to the Times article, is the opinion on the breadth of the industry by the actor and actresses themselves. The difficulty they have monetizing their product, the uncertainty of it al. It's a shame that the lead-in to this actual 'new' material takes most all of the runtime, so it all ends rather too soon and no real resolution or realisation is gained.

For those thinking to watch this for the nekkid ladies: Please don't bother. The whole thing features 3 pairs of naked breasts (6 boobs, if you will) and nothing much more else. So unless your fetish is 'off screen moaning': You'll have to get your rocks off elsewhere.

All in all: Fine concept, subject matter warrants the attention, but the documentary just skims the surface and sits on the Netflix lineup just to draw in people, I fear. Skippable, unless you missed the Times article "The Children of Pornhub" or want to avoid reading it.

No pun intended - and obviously I am not talking about eggs, but something else (no literal or figurative speaking eggs - though some might argue that ... but let's leave this aside). The reason I chose that word was it is close to the actual word, but is not offensive - of course if you are offended by the word that some call "love making" ... you may be on the wrong imdb site and at the wrong movie for you ... well in this case not for you.

Now, since I watched this before anyone was able to write anything about it, I was not aware what this would be about. And I thought it would just be about that ... well site that has a large collection of videos and how it came about - come on, get your mind out the gutter. Although leave it there - not that the documentary is about to entice you and get you ... places you may imagine. For that visit the site or similar sites.

Now I was wrong with what I was thinking - yes the documentary does tell us how the site started out and what it became. But it does have a deep ... deep focus on the latest controversy. The one that made the site delete a lot of videos. That still does not go far enough for some. They really are quite hard on ... well the site and everyone responsible for the content.

Now we do get both sides - and the question of morality and which side you are on will probably inform how you will view certain things that are being said. It is quite difficult to draw a line - to tell who is right and who is wrong. This is not a a chicken or egg thing - which lets me circle back to my summary line - none the wiser. Though maybe a bit hot and bothered ... and with this pun, I'll come ... to the end.

We all know what pornography is...or do we? The porn industry is not just boobs and butts. The actual industry is far more nuanced than that. Pornhub was able to capitalize on the selling of content via the Internet, but like a lot of companies, it forgot who was making the content and why. It allowed non-consensual content from non-performers who were not able to profit from their exposure (and likely had no intention of ever being on its' platform). All the while, actual performers were directly affected and their opinion meant very little to the company or to the religious zealots who sought to bring down the company. Again, someone forgot about who was being shown on the platform and why.

I found this to be a very good explanation of everything that went down with PornHub, along with OnlyFans towards the end. Overall though, this documentary isn't necessarily just about Pornhub - it's a modern view of the porn industry told by people who are on very opposite sides of the spectrum. What it lacked was that middle-ground perspective, but in that way, it does give space for the viewer to think critically about the points and form their own opinion. What it truly needed was some fact-checking from producers or some narrator, because my research after seeing this showed that some of things said by a few interviewees weren't exactly true. But still - I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's not meant to be watched casually while you're doing laundry, it's a really good opportunity to think about it thoughtfully.

This documentary is ultimately disappointing. It doesn't do a good job of explaining the rise of Pornhub as a social phenomenon. It is also afflicted with a severe case of both side ism. What I mean by that is that it gives equal time both to the supporters and detractors of the company. And this has been, a surprisingly dangerous phenomenon in modern journalism. It suggests that if you take one extreme position and contrast it with another extreme position, the result is the truth. But in this case, it clearly can't be so. Either Pornhub did nothing wrong and their users abused the system, or Pornhub did in fact violate laws and help in the exploitation of minors. I think you can find better examinations of the Pornhub phenomenon both its advantages, and it's dangerous than this. For example, there's a great podcast series by John Ronson called the Butterfly Effect.