Overview:

Title: Pleasure
Year: 2021
Duration: 107 minutes
Nation: Sweden

Director:

Ninja Thyberg

Writers:

Ninja Thyberg, Peter Modestij

Cast:

Sofia Kappel as Bella
Revika Anne Reustle as Joy
Jason Toler as Mike
Alice Grey as Aliah
Michael Omelko as Jules
Evelyn Claire as Ava
Dana De Armond as Ashley
Kendra Spade as Kimberly

Soundtrack:

Karl Frid

Cinematographer:

Sophie Winqvist

Production Houses:

A partnership between Sweden, the Netherlands, and France, created by Platform Production, Film I Väst, Flamboyance Films, Lemming Film, Logical Pictures, and funded by the Swedish Film Institute and the Netherlands Film Production Incentive.

Category:

Drama | Sexuality & Pornography | Reboot

Story:

A 20-year-old Jessica from a quiet Swedish village relocates to L.A. to pursue her dream of becoming a prosperous leading actress in the American adult film industry, only to discover that her eagerly-awaited path to fame is something right out of her nightmares.

Rankings:

1. 113 Top Swedish Films
2. 129 Top Non-Animated Movies of 2021
3. 149 Best Films of 2021

Achievments:

1. Nominated for Best International Independent Film at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards
2. Officially selected at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic category
3. In the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards this movie was Shortlisted for Best Supporting Actor and The Best Director.
4. Wins the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival
5. Nominee at the 2021 European Film Awards
6. Won Best Actress (Sofia Kappel), Best Costume Design, and Best Make-Up at the 2021 Guldbagge Awards (Sweden), from a sum of 7 nominations.

Reviews:

1.Owen Gleiberman of Variety mentioned of the movie, “to experience Call Mom is to be pulled into an unfiltered, disturbingly vivid level of realism regarding the current adult film industry.”
2.Gregory Ellwood of The Playlist stated that Sofia Kappel’s acting is not only powerful in and of itself, but that.
3.Leslie Felperin from The Hollywood Reporter criticized how, even though there are many more insightful films, such as The Deuce, which can dig deeper thematically, this one moves more cautiously.
4.Similarly, Carlos Aguilar from rogererbert.com deemed the film to be shocking but never excessive. He also thought that Kappel’s performance blurred fiction and truth in a fantastic way.
5.Meanwhile, Adrian Horton of The Guardian said the movie was captivating and refreshingly new. She said she would rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
6.Wendy Ide, writing for Screendaily, felt that the adult film industry representation in the movie seemed genuine, partly due to the inclusion of real industry figures.
7.Fabien Lemercier from Cineuropa noted that the film’s unrelenting portrayal of the industry makes it feel more raw and gritty compared to previous portrayals like those in Boogie Nights.