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Zola, The Last Night in Soho and the Latest Films of Sex Work – The Hollywood Reporter

Since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements gained traction in 2017, the entertainment industry has gradually worked to address not only its internalized culture of gendered sexism and its history of exclusion of women, but It also regulates the depiction of sex and sexual power in film and television. As a result, the post-Harvey Weinstein scene has seen revolutions in the way women’s bodies and bodily functions are represented on screen as well as the means by which we value and enhance female talent. Four years later, these changes have led to an explosion in nuanced forms of what is known as “the world’s oldest profession”.

Hollywood has always been obsessed with the sex business – one reason why the “golden heart prostitute” remains an award-winning magnet to this day – but in 2021, it looks like transitions Progressive culture over the past few years has begun to debunk some of the longstanding popular culture travesty of prostitution. Recent movies like A24’s Red rocket and Zola, Focus feature’ Last night in Soho, by Utopia Shiva Baby and Neon Titane intense focus on sex workers on the scale of victims and villains.

While each film has heart-stopping tension, it’s ironically the lightest and funniest of the bunch – bonkers Texas porn dramady Red rocket and dreamy black comedy horror film Zola – that really shows the insidious horrors of sex trafficking. In contrast, films that are intended to be more anxiety-provoking or scary – spooky psychological thrillers Last night in Soho, French body thriller Titane and a dramatic comedy that causes panic Shiva Baby – seems to be joking about prostitution with their cinematic style with their epic sound and visuals. The latter point is not necessarily meant to criticize the storytelling choices of those films, but rather to emphasize that generous and charming people, such as those seen in Red rocket and Zola, which can sometimes be more menacing than the more clearly telegraphed baddies featured in the other three films.

Disarm. In the superlative of Sean Baker Red rocket, the third film in his trilogy about the lives of socially marginalized sex workers, following 2017 Florida Project and 2015 Tangerine, a middle-aged motormouth adult movie star returns to his hometown of Texas as a joke after some shady dealings occur in California. With his unruly and vulnerable personality, Mikey Saber (a master Simon Rex who appeared in solo porn videos in his early acting career) returns to the family of his treacherous ex-wife. resistant (Bree Elrod) and biological mother -law (Brenda Deiss). In the midst of a lengthy ban on his ex from returning to porn, he meets red-haired teenage cashier Strawberry (Suzanna Son) and dollar signs instantly bloom in his eyes. Mikey works slowly with smiles, jokes, and goofy romanticism until she thinks she’s the one who’s seducing him. Before long, his methodical grooming convinced Strawberry of her undying love for him, and she agreed to return to LA with him to start her own adult film career.

Mikey’s sweet narcissistic kinship with irresistible insta-BFF charisma is emanated from Stefani (Riley Keough), the merciless but subservient woman in Janicza’s darkly humorous tale. Bravo Zola. Based on A’Ziah “Zola” King’s real-life Twitter account about a road trip falling into turmoil, the film tells the story of Zola, a young part-time stripper (Taylour) Paige) quickly became friends with the smooth-talking Stefani. after a night of dancing together. White Stefani, who imitates black English to fit herself in with others, quickly convinces Zola to join her on a dance-for-money excursion at a Florida club. However, the outing was just a trick: Real money was generated using personal ads on the internet to orchestrate countless sexual encounters with random men throughout the night. Zola’s refusal to work as a prostitute exposes her companions, including Stefani’s “friend” (a.k.a. pimp), played by Colman Domingo, with a terrifying autocracy. Throughout the movie, you never know if Stefani, who talks about a young daughter, is a heartless trafficker or just a victim of abuse and systematic degradation.

As Red rocketMikey’s, Stefani’s desperation makes her dangerous. These characters’ mutual manipulation may be born of a survival instinct, but the impact of their actions – transporting women across the country to sell their bodies – is more important than self-delusion.

These dangerous flirtations stand in stark contrast to Edgar Wright’s fuming rebuttals Last night in Soho, Julia Ducournau’s Titane and Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, who all come up with conventions about on-screen prostitution. Each is a villain in her own right: SohoBlonde singer Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy) and TitaneAlexia (Agathe Rousselle), a pregnant object lover, both leads to bloodlust due to unwanted sex. (Sandy is attracted to a crafty manager; Alexia is a car show erotic dancer who prefers car sex to people.) In Shiva Baby, Rachel Sennott plays Danielle, a twisted art student and secret “sugar baby” who freezes to death at a family gathering when her married benefactor (Danny Deferrari) shows up with his wife and his child. Carrying with her guilt and fear of being discovered, Danielle uses her sex appeal to ruthlessly attack those around her.

Last night in Soho, Shiva Baby and Titane are all written or co-written by female screenwriters, and it’s easy to appreciate the defiantness of these women in portraying their leads as vindictive millionaires rather than villains. promote wilting. But nothing scares me more this year than watching Simon Rex and Riley Keough cuddle up in their respective spots, each buying a bit into their own lies.

This story first appeared in the independent November issue of The Hollywood Reporter. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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