9 TO 5: DAYS IN PORN

Pornography is such a provocative and controversial item it's easy to forget about the people involved in it. This is addressed in 9 to 5: Days in Porn, a documentary that examines the lives of adult film professionals.

There are several different people (the director calls them "characters") in 9 to 5: Days in Porn. They include: married couple Otto Bauer and Audrey Hollander; new starlet Sasha Grey; sisters Alicia and Joanna Angel; superstar Belladonna and German star Katja Kassin; Dr. Sharon Mitchell, a former porn star that became a doctor fighting disease in the porn community; Mark Spiegler, agent to many new and established stars; and several other men and women working in the San Fernando Valley making porn.

The focus of 9 to 5: Days in Porn isn't the industry (nothing on the impact of the Internet or current trends) but what it takes to survive, professionally and personally, making a living by putting one's sexuality out there for all to see. Those shown here are quite a diverse group. Sasha Grey started with an ambitious and creative mission statement and proudly compares her line of work ("we're sexual athletes") with "normal" teens. Otto and Audrey are a couple with their own strengths and problems -- neither of which involve their roles with other people. Spiegler is pragmatic (warning about not throwing away one's earnings), while Mitchell warns, "Denial is the backbone of pornography when it comes to health care."

9 to 5: Days in Porn is a pretty good look at the people who make their living working in the adult entertainment industry. While the documentary sometimes avoids the doubts or problems of the subjects (director Jens Hoffmann said he didn't want to repay the people's trust in him by showing them crying or at their worst) it also doesn't glamorize the industry either. Several people note that the stigma of being a porn actor follows people after they leave, and they also warn that entering the industry for the wrong reasons can destroy people.

The goal, and achievement, of 9 to 5: Days in Porn is to show the people involved in porn as three-dimensional people, not stereotypes or airheads or victims. This documentary is a good behind-the-scenes look at the different types of people working in a very controversial and popular genre. (DVD bonuses include deleted scenes, filming at the AVN Awards Show, and a q&a with director Jens Hoffmann at a film festival.)

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch