Launched with a preview of Paul Verhoeven’s erotic lesbian nun thriller Benedetta last month, Dazed x MUBI Cinema Club is now back to offer a screening of yet another subversive, onscreen exploration of sex, in the form of Ninja Thyberg’s critically-acclaimed porn drama Pleasure.
Starring newcomer Sofia Kappel, Pleasure premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2021. Following Bella Cherry – a young woman (Kappel) who arrives in Los Angeles from Sweden with the aim of becoming “the next big pornstar” – the film is a raw and unflinching exploration of the adult film industry, where Bella is forced to reconcile her dreams of empowerment with the darker realities of modern sex work.
Pleasure is Thyberg’s feature-length debut, adapted from the writer and director’s 2013 prize-winning short of the same name. Alongside Kappel, the cast features real professional adult film stars who play versions of themselves, addressing the industry’s taboos, and presenting powerful ideas about consent and agency.
As part of an ongoing partnership with the curated streaming platform MUBI, Dazed will hold an exclusive screening of Pleasure, hosted by Dazed Club creative director Jack Sunnucks, on June 14 at London’s Garden Cinema.
Want to get involved? Tickets are now on sale here for £8 (or £5 for Dazed Club members) – complimentary drinks included.
Find out more about the Dazed Club, and become a member yourself, by signing up here. You can also revisit MUBI’s trailer for Pleasure below.