Morgana Movie Review: The Incredible Story of Morgana Muses

Morgana is a movie-documentary based on the real-life story of a suicidal housewife who goes on to become a successful feminist porn maker in her later forties. The unique story of Morgana Muses and her search for happiness is also a universal one.

• Plot: A suicidal housewife becomes a successful feminist porn maker in her later forties
• Cast: Morgana Muses
• Genre: Documentary
• Directors: Isabel Peppard and Josie Hess
• Producers: Isabel Peppard, Josie Hess, Karina Astrup
• Who is it for? Everyone 18+ – Contains nudity and graphic sex scenes
• Rating: 5 scoops of Vanilla 5/5

Spoiler Alert: Some information about the plot and themes covered by the documentary will be discussed in this article.

I have been eagerly waiting for Morgana for about three years. Today I finally watched it and it didn’t disappoint!

I first came across Morgana when filmmakers Josie Hess, Isabel Peppard and Karina Astrup launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2017 to raise funds for their project: Morgana. The story of an Australian housewife turned feminist porn star in her late forties was too good to let go. It is well documented that big Hollywood productions very rarely feature women over forty. It is even rarer to see older women’s sexuality being openly discussed. The lack of stories about women in my current age-group who are sexually active – no, we don’t automatically hang up our vaginas when we reach forty – made me jump at the opportunity and I made a small contribution to the fundraiser. I was thrilled when I learned the project had met its funding target and the story of Morgana Muses was indeed going to become a movie.

From Housewife To Feminist Porn Star

Morgana is a documentary based on the real-life story of Morgana Muses, who in her late forties went from being depressed and suicidal to become a feminist porn performer and director. The plot could be considered relatively simple, but the story goes on to cleverly cover very complex themes – such as mental health, sexism, ageism, and body and sex positivity – without losing the focus on Morgana’s journey. And what a journey it is!

The early part of the movie takes us back to Morgana’s childhood spent in the small regional town of Coober Pedy in South Australia and goes on to her high school years in Sydney and, later, her married life in Albury, regional NSW. The documentary goes on to cover Morgana’s transformation and her work in the porn industry, offering an interesting glimpse of the adult movie’s ‘behind the scenes’. But what really got my attention was Morgana’s ongoing battles with her mental health, sensitively captured in the documentary without sugar-coating it.

The cinematography is outstanding. The bright colors, lighting and visual aspects of this movie are a perfect match for Morgana’s colorful personality. They also do justice to Morgana’s own creativity as a feminist porn performer and director. The chemistry and trust between Morgana and the filmmakers behind this documentary are evident, resulting in compelling moments and many ‘no-filter’ conversations. All of that keeps the viewer engaged from beginning to end.

Whether you are an avid consumer of porn or not, there is a lot for everyone to like here. Morgana Muses is unique and yet she is all of us: the universal need to love and be loved, to belong to a community who accepts you for who you are and her battles with mental illness and self-doubt are universal topics beautifully explored in this documentary.

Morgana has been selected for the 67^th Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition. If you are based in Australia, you can get tickets here. The Sydney Film Festival screening is geo-blocked for non-Australian locations. The documentary team is working hard to bring this movie to different parts of the world.

Highly Recommended. Our rating: 5 scoops of Vanilla (5/5)