Bella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won’t come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of this mesmerizing and singular world.
When asked, “Are you here for business or pleasure?” at the LAX customs, 19-year-old Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) replies coyly, “Pleasure.” She’s a woman with a plan: to become the biggest porn star in the adult entertainment industry. Writer-director Ninja Thyberg adopts a similar, take-no-prisoners approach with the feature-length debut “Pleasure,” based on her 2013 short. Filled to the brink with explicit, dispassionate, often brutal sequences of sexual intercourse verging on assault, it functions as both an indictment of the prevailing misogyny and toxicity in the industry she portrays and as an advocate for women taking control of their careers and their bodies.
Bella arrives in Los Angeles from Sweden, a country she’s dismissed as obtuse. “Swedes, they just suck,” she explains. We follow the young woman on her journey from a somewhat shy but determined amateur to a seasoned porn star, famous for a particularly impressive, singular achievement. As she ascends the ranks, she encounters a slew of vile men, occasionally endures being raped (although, technically, consent was given), and makes a best friend, Joy (Revika Anne Reustle), whom she — SPOILER ALERT! — proceeds to betray; encounters a foe, Ava (Evelynn Claire); and so on.
Thyberg does not shy away from showing graphic nudity and a variety of sexual acts. Nor should she. Very little of it, if any, is pleasurable. It’s certainly incredibly realistic; there has likely not been another such faithful cinematic depiction of the behind-the-scenes inner workings of a porn shoot. The filmmaker is pragmatic, never judgmental of her protagonist’s questionable actions. She simply observes as difficult-to-watch events unfold, and therein subtle truths emerge.
There’s the subliminal coercing into doing a scene Bella would rather not do that starts with exhibitions of forced kindness (“We need that shyness”) to cruelty and ridiculing. “Let’s try not to stop this time,” she’s told during a rough shoot. Statements like “We have lube” are made pragmatically. Amongst the suffocating surplus of raging masculinity, the most nauseating moment may be the one involving Bella being gently reassured by three naked, half-stiff dudes.
And yet, despite a few bumps, Bella remains unfazed. She goes along with all the humiliation, her eyes dead-set on the goal. “Don’t you wanna see anything in LA besides a fucking porn set?” Bella’s friend asks her during a reluctant hike. “No,” comes the instant reply. Lo and behold, the City of Angels is barely depicted, all disheveled back lots and claustrophobic film sets.
The cast, comprised primarily of adult performers, is uniformly naturalistic, complementing “Pleasure”’s verisimilitude. In her first serious dramatic role, Kappel holds it all together, appearing totally exposed — be it physically or emotionally or both — in almost every shot. Bella’s background is barely established, save for a phone call with a somewhat-insensitive mother. She makes a joke about an abusive father, and the whole “all adult film stars have been abused as children” staple is sort of dismissed. Yet Kappel commands attention; she is both tender and tough, sensitive and cruel.
Thyberg examines the dichotomy/interrelation between empowering pursuit and suffering indignity, between female support and rivalry. Her lack of bias is refreshing and necessary and makes “Pleasure” an “arm’s length” experience, wherein the viewer is never quite sure whether to root for Bella, feel sorry for her, or deem her a martyr of sorts. This is a deliberate choice; Thyberg’s film is a provocation, made to elicit blunt dramatic responses. As such, it does the job splendidly.
In Theaters in New York and L.A. Friday, May 13th, expanding nationwide May 20th
