Overview
The 2023 drama film Pleasure has captivated audiences since its premiere in Sweden earlier this year. Pleasure follows a provocative storyline centered around a young starlet moving to Los Angeles to pursue her career in the adult film industry. Los Angeles is home to the largest adult film industry in the world, offering numerous opportunities for upcoming actors. Pleasure serves as both a film and a commentary analyzing the commercialized and male-dominated industry, highlighting the conflicting ideology of the so-called “American Dream.”
Combining fiction and documentary, Pleasure stands as a stark commentary on the issue of sexual exploitation and the personal toll of relentless ambition masked as success. Thyberg’s film is relentless, without any sign of remorse as it blends the world of dreams and reality.
Synopsis
The film follows the story of 19-year-old Linnea, a young woman with dreams of becoming a world-renowned adult film star. While to her friends she resembles the girl next door, Linnea has bigger ambitions of stardom. She eventually moves to Los Angeles to pursue her career. Adopting the name Bella Cherry, she lands in America with the hopes of becoming a triumphant actress. Upon arrival, she discovers the adult film industry is radically different than her dreams. But for Cherry, it is merely a stepping stone.
In a new shared house with aspiring adult film actresses, Bella begins to navigate one of the most brutal industries in the world. She makes friends with a fellow performer named Joy, whose companionship offers Bella a break from the unrelenting pursuit of stardom. Ultimately, it becomes clear to Bella that the price for achieving her dreams is going to be a considerable amount of pain, both physical and emotional, and a lot of talentless, demeaning situations on her part. The adult film world is ruled by men who put a lot of effort into gatekeeping.
To attempt to gain attention, Bella agrees to a variety of increasingly extreme scenes. One is a simulated rape scene, where Bella’s emotional detachment while going through with the scene is the reason the shot is captured in the first place. Although the film industry all around the world appears to be unrelenting, the adult film industry is perhaps the most brutal of them all.
She then proceeds to secure herself one of the best agents in the industry. Bella knows that by agreeing to do the extreme sex scene, the attention that it carries will be the exposure that she needs. Bella’s instinct was right, and she was soon signed on by the agent who she believed would help her rise to the top.
As with all projects, efforts always come with a price, as with the movie scene, we see Bella put Ava under immense pressure to achieve desired results at a shoot, totally disregarding Ava’s attempts to set a perimeter. Bella has also been a victim of the same issues which demonstrates how the cycle of abuse has the tendency to repeat itself. Eager to get the most out of her friendships, which kept her boundaries in check, forced moral compromises that made Bella lose her social support system, that by the end of the movie, we see her watching a party alone, a societal outcast. Bella’s decision at the end to walk away from the provided car, which seemed aimed at providing a hostess level continuation of the party to her next shoot, showcases a possible of reckoning, if not a fully achieved redemption.
Sofia Kappel’s stellar interpretation of Bella Cherry earned her a starring role in the movie. Her character Bella reminds us all, with brutal honesty, of a person struggling with an emotional breakdown as a result of trying to ascend the social ladder.
Revika Anne Reustle’s performs as Bella’s roommate and friend, Joy. With her emotional anchor, Bella starts to provided greater chances for deeper emotional distance.
As adding to the authenticity of the movie, Mark Spiegler, a real adult movie agent, has a cameo role, portraying himself, which added more realism to the movie.
The film was a joint work of co-writer and director Ninja Thyberg. She had aimed at providing a non-sensationalized, a woman’s point of view of the adult film world and has spent numerous years delving into the adult film industry before venturing to fill the feature film, showing how she aimed at providing a woman’s view of pornography.
Sophie Winqvist Loggins’s cinematography highlights both the intimacy and the horror of Bella’s journey with the use of close-up shots and naturalistic lighting.
The score by Karl Frid is sparse yet haunting, evoking emotions in the silence between notes.
Pleasure is, at its core, a film about ambition and the cost of attaining it. Bella’s journey exemplifies the tension between self-empowerment and exploitation. While she does enter the industry and has clear goals, the film poses the question: can informed consent be given in an environment of power imbalance?
One of the film’s most striking elements is its angering portrayal. It does not seek to glorify or moralize. Bella does not receive victim status. In fact, the film does not shy away from the emotional and physical brutality she faces. Rather, the film invites discomfort, allowing the viewer to grapple with the systems enabling such conditions.
The clash between Bella’s confident entrance into the industry and her eventual emotional collapse demonstrates the incredible ease in which a person can be desensitized, corrupted, or both. The film explores complicated themes of unqualified loyalty, betrayal, and those personal lines that become obscured when performance is mistaken for identity.
Reception
Critics praised the fearless storytelling in Pleasure along with its performances and lack of glossing over a subject which isn’t usually represented with much subtlety. Sofia Kappel drew significant praise for her courageous performance as Bella and was called emotionally astute for her portrayal.
The film was received with multiple nominations and awards which include a Best Actress win for Kappel at the Swedish Guldbagge Awards. Thyberg received accolades for her direction and her complex social commentary woven into the intimate, character-focused narrative.
The film was not without its controversies, however. Some members of the adult film industry felt the film wrongly represented the industry. Another group was quick to counter, arguing not all experiences are as extreme as Bella’s, but the film does manage to expose real power dynamics and emotional risks that are seldom highlighted in mainstream depictions of sex work.
Cultural Significance
Pleasure has a distinct position in the realm of modern cinema, joining only a handful of films tackling the adult film industry from a feminist perspective and tackling timeless stereotypes regarding agency, desire, and work. The film also compels its audience to reflect upon their roles as consumers of the sexualized content and their engagement with a culture that champions ambition over ethics.
It is important to note that the film is not anti-pornography. Instead, it analyzes the industry’s lack of services for performers and the empty structure of aid. Thyberg has said that she did not want to judge the industry, to which she explored it honestly.
Conclusion
We’re not saying that Pleasure is an easy film to watch, and we’re sure that it is important. It is the story of a woman who tries to cope with a harsh world while balancing living life with its expense. Thyberg’s direction has provided a harsh stare towards a routinely ignored or celebrated topic. Pleasure is a raw and vital exploration of sexuality, power, and ambition of the 21st century. It has a fantastic lead performance and a carefully constructed enarrative.
Pleasure, whether seen as a cautionary tale, a character study, or a cultural critique, invites the audience to look closer into the industry that is built on an illusion and the very real people who are behind the performance.
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