host club
TRANSCRIPT
Audience Reception
“…I think [the film was successful because it is] received by the viewer on whatever wavelength they want to receive it. I mean, if you’re a woman and you feel that the women are abused, you can see it like that. If you’re a guy and think it’s a fun job you can see it like that. If you’re a guy and you see the tragedy of selling your affections as a man, you can receive it like that”
—Jake Clennell
Viewer Responses
“very difficult to watch”
“Everything is so superficial [in the film] and you don’t know what’s real”
“I think it was a very thin slice of what really goes on”
“From the get go I suddenly got really tired…I just didn’t want to be there”
The Turning Point
“At first I thought it was going to be…[about] regular women”
“In the beginning [before it was revealed that they were prostitutes] it was mesmerizing…”
“When you hear they’re prostitutes, there’s a judgment that gets associated with them”
Conclusions
-the “Othering” of the characters creates a barrier between the audience and the film
-too much emphasis on shock value repels viewers and minimizes their willingness to analyze the deeper issues
-no discursive space facilitated by the film for audiences to discuss issues and reconcile their own contradictory beliefs