MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Pornographer

The Pornographer

2001 · 108 min

A slow, contemplative character study that lingers on regret and the clash between old ideals and new realities, with an undercurrent of quiet tension.

Directed by
Bertrand Bonello
Genres
Drama
Starring
Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jérémie Renier, Dominique Blanc
Overview
A former porn director, who once elevated the genre with 1960s counter-culture ideals, returns to filmmaking after 20 years, clashing with his producer's hard-core vision. Estranged from his son over the family business, they begin reconnecting as the son embraces political activism, while the director seeks personal renewal.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: The Pornographer

You have no lists yet. Name one, and this title goes into it.

All your lists

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Bertrand Bonello
Genres
Drama
Starring
Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jérémie Renier, Dominique Blanc
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • family
  • obsession
  • politics
  • redemption
Places
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language strong
  • Violence none
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour2
Realism8
Romance3
Tension4
Darkness6
Complexity7
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like The Pornographer

Movie

The 400 Blows

1959

A poignant, naturalistic portrait of misunderstood youth, blending tender moments with quiet despair and a lingering sense of yearning.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and family · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
99 min
Details
The 400 BlowsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Saint Laurent

2014

A slow, intoxicating drift through glamour and excess, watching a brilliant man unravel in beautiful rooms.

Same director: Bertrand Bonello · Melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Also
Same director: Bertrand Bonello
Via
  • melancholic
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
150 min
Details
Saint LaurentHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Day of the Fight

2024

A quiet, heavy character study that unfolds in real time, carrying the weight of past mistakes toward a fragile hope.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about identity and family · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
108 min
Details
Day of the FightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

House of Pleasures

2011

A slow, immersive plunge into a fading world of women, where beauty and cruelty sit side by side and the atmosphere lingers long after.

Same director: Bertrand Bonello · Melancholic, slow-burn

Also
Same director: Bertrand Bonello
Via
  • melancholic
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
126 min
Details
House of PleasuresHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Nymphomaniac: Vol. II

2013

A cold, clinical descent into compulsion and self-destruction, told through detached conversation and stark, uncomfortable imagery.

Melancholic, cynical, slow-burn · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • cynical
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
124 min
Details
Nymphomaniac: Vol. IIHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Prodigal Daughter

1981

A quiet, uncomfortable plunge into tangled family desire, watched with the patience of a slow, uneasy confession.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • identity
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
95 min
Details
The Prodigal DaughterHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ecstasy of the Black Rose

1975

A queasy, slow drift into a filmmaker's fixation, more mood and discomfort than plot, with an uneasy erotic charge throughout.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
72 min
Details
Ecstasy of the Black RoseHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Things to Come

2016

A quiet, thoughtful immersion in a woman's reinvention, balancing intellectual vibrancy with gentle melancholy and everyday warmth.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about identity and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
Things to ComeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Diary of a Sex Addict

2001

A somber, confessional character study that feels claustrophobic and uneasy, exploring compulsion with clinical detachment and emotional distance.

Melancholic · about identity and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • identity
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
93 min
Details
Diary of a Sex AddictHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

After the Rehearsal

1984

A hushed, claustrophobic chamber piece where memory and confrontation blur, demanding patience but rewarding with raw emotional precision.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
74 min
Details
After the RehearsalHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Flow

1996

A quiet, introspective collage of confession and short films, drifting between memory and invention with a gentle, personal intimacy.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about identity · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
80 min
Details
FlowHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Naked Sex

1973

A cool, talky French drama of confession and remembered affairs, more rueful than erotic, drifting through encounters with a detached, melancholy gaze.

Melancholic, cynical, slow-burn · about identity and obsession · nonlinear

Via
  • melancholic
  • cynical
  • identity
  • obsession
  • nonlinear
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
79 min
Details
Naked SexHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Bertrand Bonello
Written by
Bertrand Bonello
Starring
Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jérémie Renier, Dominique Blanc, Alice Houri, Ovidie, Catherine Mouchet, Thibault de Montalembert, André Marcon
Music
Bertrand Bonello
Cinematography
Josée Deshaies
Runtime
108 min
Country
Canada, France
Languages
French

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata