The Age of Commercialism

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Hardcore is an interesting exercise in sexploitation, that being documentaries with the ostensible goal of uncovering the truth of the adult entertainment industry while, purely through the necessity demanded by the subject, exploiting a salacious interest in the topic. Filmed by Stephen Walker, who also credits himself with the role of director, Hardcore takes us on Felicity's three week journey touting for work in the US porn business with her agent Richard. There's a question arising immediately here about the economics of this arrangement, how does an agent make any money while devoting his time to a single client? Felicity's first gig bags a fee of 300 dollars, of which we might expect Richards cut to be about 60 dollars, wow that's gonna but a real dent in the bill for the flight and petrol costs. There's something not quite right here, the arrangement as stated by Stephen Walker and the events transpiring on screen don't seem to be consistent, an inconsistency which is compounded later as the narrative progresses.What is that narrative, well Felicity is a 25 year old single mother from, wait for it--Essex and she's got daddy issues, wow whadyaknow Stephen hit the jackpot, I'm sure this circumstance hasn't been the least bit contrived. Felicity's exploits, as she wends her way into the porn business, are suitably interspersed with references to her five year old daughter and troubled family life. There's tearful long distance phone calls, cute widdle drawings of mummy in crayon, Richard even treats us to a little heart-string music during some of these moments, you know just to let us know how much we care.Everything seems to be proceeding according to the normal expectations for this kind of documentary right up until the moment we meet Max. Now if I was going to be charitable I would assume that Stephen got in over his head and that which transpires next, is a complete and utter shocking surprise to him. The trouble is though, Max, Max Hardcore to give his full name (Hardcore? yeah I think it's an Estonian family name), is someone whose arrival is anticipated with a certain, how can I say, er--trepidation? Max has a reputation see, and the temptation to create a narrative is so strong for Stephen, that he can't help foreshadow Max's role in that narrative by repeatedly alluding to that reputation.For a while, I thought Max was going to be bit of a Pepe el Romano, he's referenced continually but he's nowhere to be seen, finally he turns up and what is he like, well imagine a crack or meth head, only made good or on his first day after rehab. I wouldn't say he's completely devoid of charm, there was a few, very few, moments where he could turn on something, other than that though, well let's just say you gotta see him, because words fail me here. Max is around for about 30 seconds before he's stuck his dick in Felicity, which let's face it, is not something one normally expects. This is where things get kinda surreal, Felicity is having an attitude attack while being knobbed by the person her surliness is directed at, uh--people do this?This encounter was merely the audition though, not surprisingly Stephen's camera is not on set for the main event, which surprise surprise does not go smoothly for the unfortunate Felicity, who after 30 minutes of Max's brand of romance, rushes off set in some distress. Now we're treated to possibly, the most obnoxious example of hypocrisy ever committed to video tape and it's where that inconsistency I mentioned before resurfaces. After some cajoling, Max persuades Felicity to go back on set with him to complete the shoot, only it's all too much for Stephen and he pulls the plug. Oh thank goodness, our heroine has been spared, Stephen has saved the day, oh really? How so exactly because I see something slightly different, Stephen Walker states at the beginning of this documentary that he's accompanying Richard on a trip to promote Felicity's career but it's become apparent with this episode, that it's Stephen who's calling the shots here. How otherwise can he exercise control the over situation and just what is the nature of his control over it, is he financing the trip, has he promised Richard a stake in the production of the documentary? Whatever the answer, Stephen's casting of his role as kind of benign chaperone, albeit one of limited influence, is pretty disingenuous.I still think though that the Max Hardcore episode, did catch Stephen off guard, even if did prove fortuitous by providing suitable grist for his narrative. The rest of the documentary is anticlimactic, Stephen baits another porn industry producer by posing asinine questions:-'Isn't this degrading'?Er duh.'Why don't you want me to film your face'?Oh I dunno, perhaps I don't want my 8 year daughter goaded with words like 'Your daddy is a sex peddler' as she's on her way to school.My responses by the way, the actual producer Stephen was talking to was a knob. Stephen Walker's Hardcore is interesting because of the territory it inhabits, some people want to exploit the sex trade but they want to keep their hands clean. You know, so they don't have to suffer the kind of indignities that Stephen was willing to risk subjecting that porn producer to and Hardcore is an example of this kind of enterprise. British law defines pornography as materiel intended for the purpose of masturbation and Hardcore fulfils that criteria in its own way, it promotes the abuse of your emotions rather than your genitals.

A 25 year old mother travels from her UK home of Canvey Island to get into porn in America having done some UK videos with Ben Dover and others. She meets her agent Richard (aka Dick Nasty) and starts to meet the movers and shakers doing some films with fellow Brit Laya Jade. However the documentary follows her journey further into the business and watches as she is forced continually to exceed the limits she had set herself.When Stephen Walker set out to do a documentary on porn he knew he wanted to avoid the tacky worthless stuff that gets made for cable etc – ie they use plenty of porn clips to get the audience but have no substance to speak of. Originally he was commissioned to make a documentary about a male porn star but when he heard about Felicty (Leeanne's stage name) he decided to follow her on her first trip to the US, keen to see how motherhood fitted with porn. He has said himself that the final film isn't the one he set out to make – he had no hidden agenda or particular dislike of porn.The true nature of the business for many girls comes out quickly. Richard continually starts to talk about what Lee-anne COULD be doing and what she COULD get paid, despite the fact that she had already laid down what she was prepared to do and how far she was prepared to go. However he continues – taking her onto the set of a gang-bang with one girl and a very large group of men to show her the potential. Even she is disgusted by what she sees and continues to refuse. She does several scenes – some with girls and some hardcore movies but the tension continues because she still draws a line.The film gets most disturbing when Richard takes her to Max Hardcore to meet him and talk about work. Max meets her to interview her – a process that involves him simply putting baby oil on her hands to help her help him get wood and then taking her standing doggy – without even looking her in the face once. Lee-anne clearly doesn't feel comfortable but is all alone and just laughs unconvincingly during it. She is talking into doing a shot that day, but she soon runs out of the studio crying – Max had forced his penis so deep into her mouth that she had been unable to breathe. Max first tries to calm her and then gets abusive attacking her as a failure, letting the whole crew down over something so minor – Lee-anne is so distraught that she eventually begins to crack and agree to carry on. At this point the crew (who have watched her shoot hardcore before) feel that what they're about to shoot is tantamount to rape and they escort Lee-anne from the house and take her back to the hotel.This scene in particular and the whole film is very bleak. Yes some girls may do well in porn and have the star power to have great success, but there are lots of girls who come and go, who make scenes here and there. For them the potential for abuse or misuse is greater. Richard treats Lee-anne like a pimp treats a whore – he occasionally seems to have her interests at heart but really it's not about what she wants. One director refuses to have his face shown on screen but talks openly – when asked why he doesn't want people to know what he does he replies `because (this business) is f***ing shameful!'The film interviews Lee-anne in her UK home and we find a woman with a childhood hurt by her father amongst others. It is disturbing to see her pushed to the limits. True she makes hardcore movies and does anal, oral etc but that still doesn't mean she shouldn't have limits based on pain or standards.Overall all porn lovers should watch this. I'm not a porn fan but I do tend to ignorantly think that it's a business like any other and that the women aren't open to abuse (after all – they all get paid more than the men). This film opened my eyes and at times was very hard to watch. Where some porn documentaries will use clips and sounds to get viewers by offering cheap arousal dressed as a documentary, Hardcore will turn your stomach and leave you limp with disgust. It's a rare thing for porn actresses to let down their barriers to the extent that the hurt and fear shines through so clearly.