from www.joblo.com – What’s It About: A documentary profiling the daily lives of 10 people involved in various facets of the porn industry.

When I popped this film into my PS3, I expected one of two outcomes. A gritty, highly-critical depiction of the porn industry, or a cheap, sexy fluff-piece produced and promoted by the porn industry. I was wrong on both accounts. Amazingly, director Jens Hoffman crafts a surprisingly objective film, one that shows both the ups and downs of an industry that contains plenty of them, though avoids ever, at any point, preaching to either side.

9to5: Days in Porn (an awful title which does not roll off the tongue) profiles ten different characters in the adult film biz, leaning a bit more heavily on the ones who spend their time in front of the camera than the ones who work behind it. For those of you who are big fans of the porn world, the “stars” profiled here are Belladonna, Katja Kassin, Roxy Deville, Otto Bauer, and a young up-and-comer by the name of Sasha Grey (arguably now the biggest, or at least smartest star in the biz). Other characters profiled include a porn agent, a director, a distributor, and a former porn-star turned doctor/anti-porn advocate. As opposed to just profiling their lives on set, director Hoffman decides to spend an equal if not greater time on their personal lives, which aren’t always that fascinating.

The main criticism to be bestowed on the film is that it somewhat meanders through its 95 minute run-time, jumping from character to character without any kind of narrative thread. Music selection is adequate (mostly grunge rock tunes and a few poppy beats from lesser-known bands), and cinematography is surprisingly slick. In fact, what impressed me most about the film was what Hoffman slyly managed to accomplish in the film’s final act. Without overtly offending the subjects he clearly grew so close to, Hoffman manages through use of cinematography, editing, and a crafty music choice, to paint a grim portrait of life in the porn industry in the last 10 to 15 minutes. It’s amazing how a bit of slo-mo and a change in music can cast a completely different light on a scene, and Hoffman’s choices at the end of the film show the industry for the tragic, seedy business that it is.

Make no mistake, you will see some seedy shit go down in this film. For all those wondering at home how explicit this flick is, well, it treads a somewhat middle ground, but surely shows enough to garner an NC-17 or more likely X rating. Tits and ass are frequent, as is the semi-frequent cock, and glimpse of penetration, but the sight of girls with cum and spit all over their faces, or a camera crew literally inches away from a blonde chick’s flytrap while three black guys triple-team her- these are the images that really stick with you (and not in a warm and fuzzy way). In other words, 9to5 is definitely not a jerk-off type film. Ultimately, while the doc tries its hardest to remain objective, its hard to look at these people as anything other than glorified peddlers, pimps and prostitutes- who just so happen to have [somewhat] normal lives as well.

With that in mind, did it forever turn me off of pornography? Eh, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Video:Widescreen – Looks like it was shot in HD, which serves the film well. Kudos on cinematography that ends up looking a lot better than the porno flicks it is documenting. Audio: – No specific audio info on the box, but no subtitle options are available. The sound in the “gagging scene” is perhaps the most haunting aural experience I’ve had in a long time (no pun intended), made all the more grotesque by the fact that it’s all real.

Deleted Scenes – About eight of them here, featuring more shenanigans from our crazy cast of sleaze-balls and ho-bags as they compliment each others vaginas and swap gang-bang stories. If you wanted an even more candid look at the lives of these people, give some of these a gander.

Bonus Scene: Las Vegas (4:00) – Why this wasn’t just included with the rest of the deleted scenes is beyond me. It’s basically a montage of the gang at the annual AVN Porn Expo in Vegas.

Q & A (15:04) – A fairly candid and interesting question and answer session with the director, shot with home video cam after a public screening. Some of the audience’s questions are dumb, but Hoffman’s answers are pretty genuine.

You also get the film’s trailer as well as handful of other sex-themed films from Strand Releasing.

While the film can sometimes lose focus a bit and may not contain any earth-shattering messages, 9to5 remains a surprisingly effective, refreshingly unbiased look at both ends of the porn industry. Definitely not for conservatives or the faint of heart, if you can stomach all the backstage sex, thugs, and cock in holes, it’s definitely an interesting watch.