The unusual career of the porn actress and activist Morgana Muses sets the stage for a documentary which normally would have been seen only at a few film festivals. However, due to Corona, numerous festivals are taking place online, and on the Fantasia Festival website, for example, you can see the tale of the depressed and suicidal housewife from Australia who, after years of loveless marriage, throws herself into a porn career and is now one of the big stars on the independent scene in Europe.
The woman who now enchants the alternative porn scene in Europe as Morgana Muses lived most of her adult life in a marriage described as loveless and sexless in the middle of nowhere in the Australian countryside. One day her depression became so severe that she wanted to take her own life. But before that, she wanted to experience good sex one last time so she hired a male escort.
Instead of taking her own life afterwards, as planned, Muses used her experience to shoot a porn movie that won a prize and a lot of attention. She subsequently moved from the Australian province to the unofficial capital of vice: Berlin. Within a few years she became a feminist porn star and one of the most versatile directors the scene has to offer.
Isabel Peppard and Josie Hess turned this remarkable life story into an equally remarkable documentary, which, thanks to its charismatic protagonist, has the makings of a cult film. The filmmakers rely on interviews and archive material, but also on Cinema Verité elements and animation sequences to make the world of Morgana Muses almost tangible for the viewer.
The two filmmakers have been working on the documentary about Muses for over five years and have also travelled to Muses’ former home country to research her abandoned former life. The documentary also shows Muses during filming and accompanies her to the spectacular BDSM clubs in Berlin.
Due to the corona-related switch of most film festivals to the internet, it is now possible to stream the movie on the festival website between August 20th and September 20th.
Here is the trailer for »Morgana«:
More information about the film and additional screening dates are available on the film’s website.
An exciting short interview with Morgana Muses can be found here: