212. Pleasure; movie review

 

PLEASURE

Cert 18

109 mins

BBFC advice: Contains sexually abusive behaviour, strong sex, nudity, sex references

Eyes away if you are offended by images of graphic sex - Pleasure is as raw an insight into the California porn industry that can be imagined.

But chances are that those who can stomach Ninja Thyberg's movie will applaud the startling debut of its young lead, Sophia Kappel.

She plays Bella, a Swedish teenager who arrives in Los Angeles with an ambition of becoming a porn superstar.

But, while she is very attractive, she is also naive about what will be expected of her to make it to the top of an industry which may steal her soul as well as her innocence.

Pleasure doesn't have scenes as explicit as Nymphomaniac but it does show plenty of up-close body parts and some hard-to-watch sexual violence dressed up as pornography.

Meanwhile, it explores the relationships between people in the industry.

Some of the producers and actors are kind to Bella while others clearly see her as a raw commodity.

Surprisingly, however, it is not as easy to define her as a victim as I would have expected because Bella is ruthlessly ambitious and is willing to push boundaries to reach the top.

Inevitably this leads her towards danger and darkness.

Zelda Morrison plays Joy - a fellow porn star wannabe who soon has her hard edges softened by the relentless, often humiliating demands of her job.

Pleasure addresses important questions over consent in sex work and is certainly uncompromising.

Does it have to go quite so far? I was left wondering whether its female cast had been the victims of the same exploitation it is trying to highlight.

Reasons to watch: An sight into the porn industry

Reasons to avoid: Gratuitous sex 

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Did you know? There are 1,304 people employed in the Adult & Pornographic Websites industry in the United States - an increase of 10.9% since 2017.

The final word. “I don’t mind people thinking that it’s uncomfortable or being worried (about me) after they’ve seen the film, I take that as a compliment to my performance.” Stylist

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