🎬 A Story of the Unbridled Chase of Fame
Pleasure, the first full-length feature film by Swedish director Ninja Thyberg, promotes her 2013 short film with the same title. The film was showcased at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021 and offers a stark, female-driven exploration of the adult film industry through the eyes of a young woman chasing fame. It is a bold story that comments on the strife within a defining world of violence, featuring underrepresented narratives of women, consent, identity, and the often misconstrued concept of self amidst fervently competitive landscapes.
✨ CAST & CHARACTERS – Behind the Stunning Image
⭐ Revika Anne Reustle as Joy
In her breakout performance, Kappel stars as Bella Cherry a 19-year-old porn hopeful from a small Swedish town. She rapidly rises to prominence in the Los Angeles adult film industry, however, each successive level comes at the price of her reality. Cherry becomes an embodiment of women predisposed to sacrificing more than their souls to clothe their dreams in flesh.
Joy becomes Bella’s closest friend in the industry, but their relationship dissipates as sensationalized narratives make it to their screens and they become the stars of Bella’s imbalanced ambition.
⭐ Evelyn Claire portraying Ava Rhoades
An adult film actress who embodies both the triumphs and the failures of the industry. Her conversations with Bella demonstrate the nuanced power relations within the set.
⭐ Chris Cock as Bear
A male adult performer. His portrayals of scenes with Bella illustrate the physical and emotional toll of the acting work in the cinema industry.
⭐ Dana DeArmond as Ashley
A filmmaker who presents a sanitized version of the adult film industry, more specifically, the level of professionalism and respect for boundaries involved on the set.
📝 THE STORY – From Innocence to Experience
Linnéa arrives in Los Angeles with plans of transforming into a sought-after adult entertainer. The world, as Bella Cherry quickly learns, comes with strings attached. As she competes against her peers, pushing her limits in an attempt to gain recognition, Bella suffers the consequences of her ambition. Her journey captures the myriad contradictions of empowerment and exploitation, sisterhood and betrayal, making her story both remarkable and harrowing, as she tries to navigate a world that simultaneously encourages her agency while seeking to objectify her.
🎭 THEMES – The Unfolding
Aspirations & Self-Identity: From Linnéa to Bella Cherry, the transformation uncovers the quest of self-reinvention through desperation to achieve ambitions.
Consent and Power Relationships: The film analyzes the spectrum of consent within the adult film industry, bringing to light where professional boundaries are tested.
Feminine View In A Male-Centric Sector: As directed by a woman, with a female lead, Pleasure presents an experience of the adult film industry through the eyes of women, portraying struggles of women in the industry.
Friendship and Betrayal: The relationship between Bella and Joy reminisces the quite complicated dynamics of emotionally charged and potentially treacherous interpersonal relationships.
🎬 PRODUCTION DETAILS
- Director: Ninja Thyberg
- Writers: Ninja Thyberg, Peter Modestij
- Producers: Erik Hemmendorff, Eliza Jones, Markus Waltå
- Cinematography: Sophie Winqvist Loggins
- Editing: Amalie Westerlin Tjellesen, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
- Music: Karl Frid
- Production Companies: Svensk Filmindustri, Lemming Film, Grand Slam Film, Logical Pictures, Film i Väst, Sveriges Television, Plattform Produktion
- Distributor: NEON (USA), SF Studios (Sweden), The Jokers (France), Gusto Entertainment (Netherlands)
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Language: English, Swedish
- Release Dates:
- Sweden: October 08, 2021
- France: October 20, 2021 Netherlands: November 04, 2021 USA: May 13, 2022
- Genre: Drama
🌍 RECEPTION – Critically Acclaimed and Controversially Candid
Pleasure’s unapologetic sneak peak into the adult film world caused quite the scene. Sofia Kappel’s unnerving performance as well as Thyberg’s direction style was heavily critiqued. The film has claimed an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes which shows how much it impacted the audience.
Pleasure received seven nominations at Sweden’s national film awards, 57th Guldbagge Awards, such as Best Film, Best Director and won three of them with Kappel earning Best Actress. The film also contend Best International Independent Film at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards as well as the 37th Independent Spirit Awards.
🧨 FINAL VERDICT
Pleasure delivers a striking insight into the adult film industry that many steer away from and can be labeled as uncomfortable, yet shows a refreshing narrative.
With remarkable acting and great directing, the film explores the duality of ambition, consent, and identity. I recommend it to viewers interested in tackling challenging ideas.