Adult Material
By Martin Brown,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Graphic adult film show explores consent vs. sexual assault.
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Adult Material
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What's the Story?
ADULT MATERIAL follows Jolene Dollar (Hayley Squires), an adult film star, minor celebrity, and mother of three, as she runs her own business and takes care of her family. When the inexperienced Amy (Siena Kelly) shows up on set one day, Jolene tries to keep the producers and directors in the industry from taking advantage of her. Meanwhile, Jolene's marriage is in a bad place and her teenage daughter is in trouble at school and having problems with her social life. After putting so many years into building a career and a brand, Jolene must consider ditching it all in order to pull her life together.
Is It Any Good?
Even many of the best television shows have trouble depicting the sexual lives of their characters in a way that isn't exploitative. Though it isn't quite Prestige TV, Adult Material manages to tell a story about the adult film industry that depicts and talks about sex in a frank and entertaining manner, without feeling like it intends to exploit its actors or audience. Instead, the series uses its setting as a way to explore complex topics that don't typically show up on TV, like sex work, consent, and sexual assault. Like the title implies, Adult Material is for mature viewers, but unlike many shows for adults, it treats sex with a sense of maturity.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the adult film industry. How is the adult film industry portrayed in Adult Material? How does this compare to how it's perceived in real life? Why would Adult Material want to contrast the perception and the reality of the adult film industry?
Which sexual encounters in Adult Material were consensual and which were non-consensual? Why is it important to establish consent? What are some ways the show makes the idea of consent confusing? How could consent have been better established in these cases?
What does Jolene consider to be her personal boundaries? What are her moral boundaries? Her ethical boundaries? How are each of these tested throughout the course of the series? How does she attempt to protect or help establish boundaries for others?
TV Details
- Premiere date: December 11, 2020
- Cast: Hayley Squires , Siena Kelly , Rupert Everett
- Network: Max
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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