After Porn Ends

Before we start, a quick nit - why the "Ends" in the title, it doesn't add any understand-ability and it sounds more dramatic without it. Anyway, the documentary which covers precisely the material as advertised could easily have been a NPR "Frontline" installment except for the spliced in footage of the subjects' past lives. Kudos to Bryce Wagoner for using that footage both sparingly and as archival material rather than wallowing in it to raise the titillation factor of the film. Also kudos for a balanced presentation between "actors" who suffered from their prior involvement with those who profited from it and those for whom it was just something they did for a living in the past like selling insurance or bookkeeping. Of course, this does take some of heat out of the proceedings and the film does allow the audience's minds to wonder on several occasions particularly during extended interviews. Also, the subject is limited: of course, most former stars will go on to some of a normal life while others will hang on to the industry given a lack of other employment options. In short, a tidy but limited documentary.