A24 Wants to Be in the ‘Pleasure’ Business

The 2021 Sundance Film Festival ended last week, with plenty of acclaimed films still without a home for distribution. One that is no longer on the market, however, is Ninja Thyberg’s porn industry drama Pleasure, which has officially been acquired by A24 for its U.S. distribution. 

A24 will release a full uncensored version of the film, as well as an R-rated cut, later this year. 

That’s a bit of an odd decision, as Pleasure’s effectiveness is intrinsically rooted in how blunt it is about the nature of the porn industry, cutting no corners to try and hide the graphic elements, in ways both beautiful and terrifying, depending on the circumstance. 

Pleasure tells the story of Bella Cherry (first time actress Sofia Kappel), who comes from Sweden to Hollywood to join the porn industry. Aside from Kappel, the large majority of the cast is populated with actual porn actors and industry workers, with Thylberg hoping to give the film an authenticity that most movies of this type aren’t able to come anywhere close to. 

As our own Joey Magidson said in his review out of Sundance, “It’s sexually explicit, sure, but it’s honest, raw, real, and even a little sweet.” 

Whether you want to see the film as intended in its uncensored version, or whatever this R-rated cut will eventually look like, everyone will get the chance to see one of the most acclaimed films from Sundance sometime later this year.