Enter Cologne, Germany and look for the large, clear blue, eleven-story house"¦or just ask around for Pascha, the largest brothel in Europe. In the middle of the city stands a brothel that employs between 150 and 200 women and entertains many more men. Follow writer-filmmaker Svante Tidholm as he enters the brothel interviewing owners, prostitutes, and customers to understand why men come here.
The men and women inside are all very clear on why Pascha does a lot of business. Men need sex, and they cannot always get it, so they go to Pascha. It is as simple as deciding what you want and how much you can pay. Within this eleven-story building, there are themed floors for fantasy pleasures and even an express floor for cheap and quick. You'll see some men wearing masks and others baring it all for the cameras, but they all have one thing in common: an understanding of why they are there.
As you follow the story of one customer who lies to his girlfriend to go to Pascha, one prostitute who says she does not want to do this kind of work but she needs to, and the owners who say that they are simply selling an illusion of love, you too may become as conflicted as I was. The director, who has a strong focus on gender and equality issues, seems to struggle with all that surrounds him. He is told repeatedly that he is taking it all too seriously, and that he is the one with a problem if he does not like the situation within Pascha.
The shots taken here are very revealing, to say the least, but don't let that keep you from watching. They are well done, and the interviews are intriguing. The comfort with which these people reveal themselves to the camera only adds to the controversial but enlightening reality of these men, their manhood, and sex. It is a well done, engaging documentary for first-timer Tidholm.
