This Is A Man's World?

Photographed By Ellinor Forje

Boogie Nights?

Photographed By Jenny Hutton                                                                                                                                                                              

Close.Whereas "Boogie Nights" (1997) depicts the rise and fall (and rise) of Eddie Adams, played by Mark Wahlberg, "Pleasure" (2013), written and directed by Ninja Thyberg is a short film which showcases a group of fictional (with emphasis on the word "fictional" because a few delusional people out there believe this movie is a documentary; it's about as real as Anthony Hopkins cannibalistically wandering the streets at night in searching of prey) adult entertainment stars as they prepare for their scenes on set. I won't get into any details (mostly because I don't have the extensive vocabulary for it) but one scene is more advanced than the others and requires special preparation and a special kind of girl. Actually, it requires a special kind of two guys also.

The film, which recently took home the prestigious Canal + Award at Cannes and has been announced for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,  focuses on the gender structures and power dynamics at the work place: Where Marie (Jenny Hutton) appears to be the only ambitious and clearheaded one in an environment that is dysfunctional. Although distorted, the actress's drive is career-oriented. Her co-star, whose dramatis personae escapes me (who's also one face tattoo away from biting someone's ear off), played by Christian Brandin, represents the "Alpha Game", the sociocultural hierarchy of men and the medieval outlook of keeping women in their so called place. He further represents the avid pornography consumer who illudes work with pleasure (see what I just did there? pun intended!) and confuses reality with what is myth which brings forth the many underpinning issues in "Pleasure" that makes the movie's 15 minutes while worth its time.

Oh, and before I forget, the image you see before you isn't a still shot from the film. It's Jenny being Jenny at a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro. "If I Were a Fashion Blogger In the 70s", she calls it.