History Film / Hardcore

!! Tropes

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: There is hope that Jake and his daughter Kristen will reconcile. However, Niki, the porn star and prostitute who helped Jake find Kristen and bonded with him in the process, rejects him and returns to life in the sex industry because it's all she knows.]]

--> '''Jake:''' Turn it off. Turn it ''off''. ''[Screaming]'' TURN IT OFF. ''[Begging]'' Turn it off, please...
* BrokenTears: Jake, on two occasions. The first is when he is shown the pornographic film starring Kristen. The second occurs [[spoiler: during his reunion with Kristen, when she reveals that she ran away because she felt he never cared about her]].
* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler: Kristen accuses Jake of never having loved her and of having constantly disapproved of her choices.]]
* ControlFreak: Early on in the film, Jake is shown persuading one of his employees to accept his preference for an advertising colour scheme. It reveals just how controlling he is. It is {{implied}} that the reason Jake's wife and then daughter left him is that he was extremely repressive and judgmental, without being actually emotionally abusive.

* EgocentricallyReligious: ZigZagged with Jake. While Jake believes that, as a practicing Calvinist, he is one of those predestined to be saved by God, his behavior with other people doesn't suggest that he looks down upon them. The only people he much holds in contempt are some of the people in the sex industry who behave particularly vulgar in his presence.

--> '''Jake''': I do love you. I just never knew how to show you. It's very difficult for me - not being able to talk. I'll try. It's just my damnable pride.

* TheFundamentalist: Jake is a strict Calvinist who doesn't drink, smoke, gamble and is sexually conservative all around, making him even stricter than his likewise straight-laced relatives (who are shown smoking at the film's opening's Christmas gathering at his house). The film rather [[{{deconstructed}} deconstructs]] the negative stereotypes of this kind of character as it invites us to sympathize with him as he does some soul-searching regarding his religious beliefs while dealing with prostitutes and pornographers. The ending [[{{Defied}} defies]] this trope altogether: [[spoiler: while he doesn't approve of any of these occupations any more than he did before, we see how much he genuinely loves his daughter as he's pleading with her to return to him, even though he now realizes she ''chose'' to be in the pornography industry rather than being coerced into it]].

* LeaveMeAlone: {{Invoked}} and then {{averted}}. [[spoiler: On their reunion, Kristen asks Jake to leave her alone in her newfound world. Jake asks if she really wishes it, at which point Kristen relents.]]

* MissingMom: Mrs. Van Dorn. [[spoiler: She isn't dead, but at least separated from Jake. Kristen uses her name, Joanne, as her porn name.]]

---> '''Jake''': ''[speaking about Calvinist doctrines]'' I'll admit, it's a little confusing when you look at it from the outside. You have to try to look at it from inside.
---> '''Niki''': Well, if you look at anything from the inside, it makes sense. I mean, you should hear perverts talk. A guy once almost had me convinced to let his German shepherd screw me.
---> '''Jake''': It's not quite the same thing.

---> '''Jake''': You and I, Niki, have very different ideas about sex.
--->...
---> '''Niki''': How important do you think sex is?
---> '''Jake''': Not very.
---> '''Niki''': We're just alike. You think sex is so unimportant you don't do it. I think sex is so unimportant I don't care who I do it with.
* OffstageVillainy: Ratan, the man with whom Kristen supposedly is, is attributed with organizing services that are so perverted that even mainstream sex workers are afraid of him. However, his "on-screen" villainy is confined to [[spoiler: an appearance on a SnuffFilm, and slashing at Jake with a knife (without severe consequences) before he is shot down]].

* PapaWolf: {{Deconstructed}} with Jake. His attempts to "protect" his daughter from the big bad world fail miserably, as she is initiated into the pornographic industry and there is nothing he can do to preserve her innocence. [[spoiler: Moreover, it's what she chose.]]
* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: {{Averted}}. [[spoiler: Jake thought he did]].

--> '''Jake''': You enjoy this, don't you, showing me this?
--> '''Mast''': [[BlatantLies I hate it.]]
* SnuffFilm: Jake has to look through one to see whether or not the victim in the video is his daughter. [[spoiler: It isn't, thankfully]].

* WouldNotHitAGirl: {{Averted}}. [[spoiler: Jake slaps Niki to make her tell the address of a man he is tracking.]]

* BrokenTears: Jake, on two occasions. The first is when he is shown the pornographic film starring Kristen. The second occurs [[spoiler: during his reunion with Kristen, when she reveals that she ran away because she felt he never cared about her]].

--> '''Jake: '''Turn it off. Turn it ''off''. ''[Screaming]'' TURN IT OFF. ''[Begging]'' Turn it off, please..."

* NotSoDifferent: Sex-worker Niki and Calvinist Jake hold views that occasionally sound quite similar.

It begins with the disappearance of Kristen Van Dorn (Ilah Davis), the teenage daughter of conservative, Calvinist Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (Scott), while on a church-sponsored youth trip to California. When a private detective (Creator/PeterBoyle) turns up evidence that Kristen is now working in the pornographic industry, Jake is horrified. Unable to rely on the slow pace of the investigation, Jake resolves to find and bring back Kristen himself. His attempt to trace her whereabouts inside California's seamy underworld of pornography and prostitution exposes Jake to a previously-hidden subculture that strains his religious convictions and outlook on life.

It begins with the disappearance of Kristen Van Dorn (Ilah Davis), the teenage daughter of conservative, Calvinist Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (Scott), while on a church-sponsored youth trip to California. When a private detective (Creator/PeterBoyle) turns up evidence that Kristen is now working in the pornography industry, Jake is horrified. Unable to rely on the slow pace of the investigation, Jake resolves to find and bring back Kristen himself. His attempt to trace her whereabouts inside California's seamy underworld of pornography and prostitution exposes Jake to a previously-hidden subculture that strains his religious convictions and outlook on life.

It begins with the disappearance of Kristen Van Dorn (Ilah Davis), the teenage daughter of conservative, Calvinist Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (Scott), while on a church-sponsored youth trip to California. When a private detective (Creator/PeterBoyle) turns up evidence that Kristen is now working in the Los Angeles pornography industry, Jake is horrified. Unable to rely on the slow pace of the investigation, Jake resolves to find and bring back Kristen himself. His attempt to trace her whereabouts inside the seamy underworld of pornography and prostitution exposes Jake to a previously-hidden subculture that strains his religious convictions and outlook on life.

It begins with the disappearance of Kristen Van Dorn (Ilah Davis), the teenage daughter of conservative, religious Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (Scott), while on a church-sponsored youth trip to California. When a private detective (Creator/PeterBoyle) turns up evidence that Kristen is now working in the Los Angeles pornography industry, Jake is horrified. Unable to rely on the slow pace of the investigation, Jake resolves to bring Kristen back himself. His attempt to trace her whereabouts in California's pornographic underworld exposes him to a previously hidden subculture that strains his religious convictions and outlook on life.

--> '''Jake''': ''[speaking about Calvinist doctrines]'' I'll admit, it's a little confusing when you look at it from the outside. You have to try to look at it from inside.
--> '''Niki''': Well, if you look at anything from the inside, it makes sense. I mean, you should hear perverts talk. A guy once almost had me convinced to let his German shepherd screw me.
--> '''Jake''': It's not quite the same thing.

--> '''Jake''': You and I, Niki, have very different ideas about sex.
-->...
--> '''Niki''': How important do you think sex is?
--> '''Jake''': Not very.
--> '''Niki''': We're just alike. You think sex is so unimportant you don't do it. I think sex is so unimportant I don't care who I do it with.

* WouldNotHitAGirl: {{Averted}}. [[spoiler: Jake slaps Niki to make her tell the address of a man he is tracking.]]

It centers around the disappearance of Kristen Van Dorn (Ilah Davis), the teenage daughter of Michigan businessman, Jake Van Dorn (Scott). When a private detective (Creator/PeterBoyle) turns up evidence that Kristen is now working in California's pornography industry, Jake is horrified. Unable to rely on the slow pace of the investigation, Jake resolves to bring Kristen back himself. His attempt to trace her whereabouts in California's pornographic underworld exposes him to a previously hidden subculture that strains his religious convictions and outlook on life.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5844cdb5_976b_4a00_aa35_0ccb9cc7f6ed.jpeg]]

It centers around the disappearance of Kristen Van Dorn (Ilah Davis), the teenage daughter of Michigan businessman, Jake Van Dorn (Scott). When evidence emerges that Kristen is now working in California's pornography industry, Jake is horrified. Unable to rely on the slow pace of the investigation, Jake resolves to bring Kristen back himself. His attempt to trace her whereabouts in California's pornographic underworld exposes him to a previously hidden subculture that strains his religious convictions and outlook on life.

* {{Sadist}}: Andy Mast, the private detective hired by Jake, has shades of this trait. For instance, he makes Jake watch the pornographic footage of his daughter a lot longer than is strictly necessary for identification, and only turns the projection off once Jake has collapsed in tears and is begging him to stop.

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/001e3f38_medium_3946.jpeg]]

* AuthorAvatar: In an early scene, the adults of the Van Dorn family hold a theological discussion at the dinner table while a little boy listens solemnly. Schrader, who grew up in a [[WriteWhatYouKnow Calvinist family in Grand Rapids, Michigan]], [[http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hardcore-1979 has said]] that he intended the little boy to be his own past self.

* TheFundamentalist: Jake is a strict Calvinist who doesn't drink, smoke, gamble and is sexually conservative all around, making him even stricter than his likewise straight-laced relatives (shown smoking at the film's opening's Christmas gathering at his house). The film rather [[{{deconstructed}} deconstructs]] the negative stereotypes of this kind of character as it invites us to sympathize with him as he does some soul-searching regarding his religious beliefs while dealing with prostitutes and pornographers. The ending [[{{Defied}} defies]] this trope altogether: [[spoiler: while he doesn't approve of any of these occupations any more than he did before, we see how much he genuinely loves his daughter as he's pleading with her to return to him, even though he now realizes she ''chose'' to be in the pornography industry rather than being coerced into it]].

* SoundtrackDissonance: Susan Raye's "Precious Memories" plays during the opening and closing credits. It serves to show how Jake's closed-off Calvin community carries on blissfully unaware of the nature and existence of the pornographic underworld. The Calvin community is something of an extreme metaphor for the members of mainstream society.