"Where does a girl who hasn't gone to college or even finished high school make more money than a doctor? Porn!" (Mark Spiegler, Agent)
A teenager, who can't wait to turn eighteen and become a porn star. An agent, who knows the industry like the back of his hand but is "not in it for the money". A student, who gives up her political science studies to pursue a career in American adult entertainment. A married couple, that performs, produces and directs hardcore pornographic movies. A caring mother and wife, who is an idol among porn actors and consumers for her extreme sex scenes. And a former punk, who has played with the same band for the last twenty years and is known as the busiest man in the valley.
Who are these people that earn their money having sex for the cameras? What motivates them? Is it just a job or a way of life?
The film depicts the stories of several characters behind this multi-billion industry from Prague to San Fernando Valley. It unveils moments, from glamorous to grotesque, strange to fascinating, with offensive, absurd and sometimes funny moments happening all at once.
Filmed over a period of more than a year and structured like an episodic movie, the stories weave together. Each of them is different - unadorned and authentic, without glorification or prejudice. Disturbingly close and intimately moving, it delivers deep insight into the protagonists' lives in - and outside - of the adult entertainment industry.
9to5 - Days in Porn is not a voyeuristic 'making of', but a documentary focusing on the people behind this controversial industry.
I came across, what looks to be an awesome and probing documentary in to the life of those who work in the over saturated adult market.
The idea for this project came about because we asked ourselves a question: who are the people who make those movies that everybody has seen but nobody admits to owning?
The documentary boasts an incredible level of access to both the stars, the producers and the companies who make their living in entertaining adults, Sasha Grey is involved and at the time of filming was relatively new to the business of porn. John Stagliano and his Evil Angel, mini-studio, grants the documentary makers unprecedented behind-the-scenes access on several of his productions.
There have been a number of movies and TV series' about the topic but we felt that there was never an attempt to understand the human aspect. Many covered the technical, 'making of' stuff without ever getting to know the people - those who work to make this industry more profitable than the music industry. Pornography pervades many areas of popular culture and is socially accepted in many art forms: photography, literature, paintings, music, etc. but the film genre is stigmatized.
It may read like another Family Business, or 'one of those' Channel 5 documentaries that used to repeat nightly or in fact Bravo's entire schedule but this one feels different. I feel as though this is going to blow the doors off the porn industry and open peoples eyes to the fact that it s a viable industry, it is a career and remove some of misconceptions the mainstream still have regarding adult stars and producers, Tyra Banks take note.
'9to5 - Days in Porn' is reality and is therefore unbiased perspective. The undeniable visual draw is not meant to be just a stylistic device but, through its presence, also adds to the content: it is a mixture of art and documentation, i.e. realism in the beauty of the moment and the aesthetics in the untold emotions in surprising situations.
Having watched the trailer, the visual flair of the editing, the titles, the editing and general smartness of the production intrigued me and I found myself subscribing to the DVD release news mailing list, it impresses me that there are those out there who are willing to make such visually appealing insights in to subjects that are considered taboo or filthy and who strive to put a human face to something a lot of people still do not accept or condone.
Quotes and images taken from the official web site: 9to5-themovie.com. You should definitely check out the trailer too, it's mesmerising and will hook you instantly.