Hot Girls Wanted
Hot Girls Wanted is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus. The film follows the lives of several 18- and 19-year-old pornographic actresses. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix on May 29, 2015.
Hot Girls Wanted | |
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Film poster | |
Directed by |
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Produced by |
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Written by | Brittany Huckabee[1] |
Music by | Daniel Ahearn |
Cinematography | Ronna Gradus |
Edited by | Brittany Huckabee |
Production company | Two to Tangle Productions |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Synopsis
Several 18- to 25-year-old young women are interviewed about their experiences as pornography performers. Several women, including Rachel Bernard, Tressa Silguero and Karly Stouffer are recruited by a 23-year-old pro-amateur porn agent Riley Reynolds to live in his North Miami Beach home.[2] Silguero, 19, leaves the business.[3]
Production
The film was originally imagined as an exploration of male consumption of pornography on college campuses. The filmmakers abandoned this idea when they discovered that the men were mostly watching pornographic videos starring young women. Curious about why such a large number of young women were entering the industry, the film was reoriented to tell their story.[4] Further edits took place after the Sundance premiere to address issues the filmmakers identified during screenings. Following discussions with the public on Twitter, some of the film's statements were also clarified.[5]
Release
Hot Girls Wanted premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.[6] Netflix picked the film up for distribution[7] and released it on May 29, 2015.[8]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that nine of eleven surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.5/10.[9] Geoff Berkshire of Variety wrote, "An intimate and ultimately harrowing peek inside the world of amateur porn, Hot Girls Wanted will shock and outrage audiences in equal measure."[1] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter called it a "rigorous, timely study".[10] Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "If you were in the dark about the potential dangers for young women of employment in the porn industry, this documentary may prove instructive. For everyone else, it's an unnecessary – if salutary – reminder."[11] Mike Hale of The New York Times described it as "a documentary with a provocative subject and title but an uncertain tone that vacillates between weary outrage and motherly concern".[12]
Reynolds and two of his performers said that the film focuses too much on the worst-case scenarios. Regardless, Reynolds said the film has inspired young women to enter pornography.[13]
TV series: Turned On
Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On, a six-part Netflix documentary series exploring the intersection of sexuality and technology, was released in April 2017.[14]
References
- Berkshire, Geoff (2015-01-27). "Sundance Film Review: 'Hot Girls Wanted'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- Morefield, Kenneth R. (2015-05-29). "Hot Girls Wanted". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
- Hynes, Eric (2015-01-25). "Hot Girls Wanted". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- Thurston, Michael (2015-01-27). "Grim world of teen porn exposed in Sundance documentary". The Daily Telegraph. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- Canfield, David (2015-06-10). "7 Big Reveals From the Directors of 'Hot Girls Wanted'". Indiewire. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
- Cohen, Sandy (2015-01-25). "Sundance Doc 'Hot Girls Wanted' Explores Amateur Porn". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- Lang, Brent (2015-02-01). "Sundance: Netflix Picks Up Porn Documentary 'Hot Girls Wanted'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
- Brown, Eric Renner (2015-05-29). "Watch the new trailer for Hot Girls Wanted, Netflix doc about amateur porn industry". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
- "Hot Girls Wanted (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- Felperin, Leslie (2015-01-26). "'Hot Girls Wanted': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- Hoffman, Jordan (2015-01-28). "Sundance 2015 review: Hot Girls Wanted – Newsflash! Porn can exploit!". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- Hale, Mike (2015-05-27). "Review: 'Hot Girls Wanted,' About the Choices Actresses in Pornography Make". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
- Shepard, Susan E. (2015-06-05). "We talked to the guy from 'Hot Girls Wanted' about what it's like to be a porn agent". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
- Gennis, Sadie. "Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On: Watch the Trailer for Rashida Jones' Docuseries". TV Guide. Retrieved 22 March 2017.