Pleasure(2021)

R
1h 49m
- Drama

Release Date: May 13, 2022 | Limited

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.

Releases

Original Release | May 13, 2022

Box Office

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$16,368
Total US & Canada:
$106,789
Total International
$287,035
Total Worldwide:
$393,824

Director & Top Cast

Ninja Thyberg
Director

Sofia Kappel
Bella

Zelda Morrison
Joy

Evelyn Claire
Ava

Chris Cock
Bear

Dana DeArmond
Ashley

Kendra Spade

Kimberly

Jason Toler

Mike

Mark Spiegler

Lucy Hart

Caesar

John Strong

Brian

Reza Azar

Joe

Aiden Starr

Small Hands

Dex

Axel Braun

Bill Bailey

Adam

Derrick Pierce

Chris

Nathan Bronson

Dan

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: Sweden

Summaries

Plot Summary

20-year-old Linnéa (Sofia Kappel), working under the stage name "Bella Cherry", is a naive, confident girl from a small town in Sweden who emigrates to Los Angeles to become the next big porn star. Under the guidance of her manager Mike (Jason Toler), she begins to navigate the challenging world of the porn industry, and is determined to land more significant roles and video views by pushing herself to ignore personal boundaries and limits. She gets paid USD 900 per shoot. Bella shares a house with a group of other young actresses (Including Ashley (Dana DeArmond)) attempting to become famous, and though she is standoffish and private at first, she eventually bonds with one of her housemates, Joy (Revika Anne Reustle), who supports her and helps Bella build her brand. At a party, the girls spot Mark Spiegler, one of the most successful and demanding managers in the porn industry; he is joined by Ava (Evelyn Claire), one of the biggest names in the local porn scene. Bella attempts to start a conversation with Ava, who ignores her. Joy tries to flirt with a famous male actor, Caesar (Lance Hart), but when he cruelly rejects her, she retaliates by pushing him into the pool. Bella calls Mark and asks him to sign her up. But Mark tells her that she has a really small social media profile, and Bella is just getting started. He tells her to build her profile a lot further.Bella works on several shoots, including a BDSM scene with a female director who encourages Bella in positive, healthy ways, enforcing safety and consent on the set. However, Bella is determined to push herself further, and she requests hardcore scenes from her manager. While filming a rape scene with two male actors, she becomes overwhelmed and breaks down, repeatedly interrupting filming. Initially, her co-stars and the director seem encouraging, but they quickly grow hostile and dismissive when she struggles to finish the scene. Bella reluctantly agrees to complete the shoot and later confronts her manager, who reminds her that she requested harder material. Upset, Bella fires him as her manager.Now working independently, Bella attempts to acquire Spiegler as her new manager, but he turns her down, saying she has a weak social media following and insisting he only accepts actresses willing to do extreme scenes. In order to prove herself, Bella participates in an interracial threesome, which includes a first-ever "interracial, double anal penetration", boosting her following considerably. Spiegler is impressed, and agrees to hire Bella. As a way to repay her friend, Bella requests that Joy be part of her next scene. Joy is initially thrilled, but hesitates when the lead actor withdraws at the last minute, and is replaced by Caesar. Bella implores Joy to go through with the shoot, but soon observes Caesar harassing Joy off-camera. During the scene, which involves degradation and humiliation, Caesar begins to legitimately abuse Joy (by making her lick his shoes and digging his claws into her back), who stops the scene in anger. Joy insists to the director that Caesar is harming her, but when she asks Bella to confirm Caesar's earlier harassment, Bella, worried about her reputation, balks. Furious, Joy upbraids Bella for her betrayal and storms off the set.Bella is given a chance to film a scene with Ava, but Ava humiliates her when she refuses to perform oral sex on Bella, claiming she has a yeast infection. The scene is changed so that Bella will penetrate Ava with a strap-on, but Bella quickly lets her anger and frustration take over, acting violently and aggressively towards Ava without warning or consent, just as many of her male co-stars and directors did to her since her arrival. When Bella tries to apologize to Ava later en route to a party, Ava nonchalantly dismisses her as if nothing had bothered her, which disturbs Bella. Bella is further disillusioned when she spots her old housemates at the party, all of whom are enjoying their time at the party opposite of Bella who is essentially now locked in the VIP area. On the ride back from the party, Bella abruptly asks the car to stop so that she can get out.

Storyline

Ninja Thyberg's debut feature PLEASURE is a journey into the American porn industry and follows 19-year-old Bella from Sweden, who arrives in Los Angeles with the dream of becoming the next big porn star. The film is raw but offers both a human and humorous portrayal of a male-dominated world seen from a female perspective. — European Film Awards Armed with a clear vision and a brazen plan to take the adult film industry by storm, determined and self-confident 19-year-old Linnéa leaves behind her small Swedish town for a career in Los Angeles. However, in a world where friendships are rare and pleasure is ephemeral, Linnéa is about to witness first-hand the high cost of fame and success. How low is Linnéa willing to go? — Nick Riganas