If you’re looking for an informative and stylistic film that clocks in under 15 minutes, then have I got a recommendation for you. “Modern Whore” is a documentary short that was originally part of the SXSW 2020 programming, but it available on Amazon Prime for a limited time.
Instead of having the filmmaker intro this short, a SXSW senior programmer does instead, explaining what led the festival to choose this short from the thousands that were submitted. But once you watch this one, you’ll understand their decision completely.
Nicole Bazuin’s documentary short spotlights author and former sex worker Andrea Werhun, who was known to her clients as Mary Ann. Werhun has a few talking head moments during the short’s 12-minute run time, but for the most part she’s doing reenactments. No, not the cheesy crime show kind — these are drenched in retro style, from the fashion to the hair to the music. The cinematography is astounding, and you almost forget you’re watching a documentary for parts of it. But don’t worry, because the short’s imagery is still PG-13 (though the language puts it in a more adult territory).
The beginning is shot and narrated as if it’s a trailer for a ’70s exploitation film, calling Mary Ann a “university student by day, escort by night.” I was on board right away. I have to admit that it wasn’t what I was expecting of a documentary about sex work, but it gives off a fun vibe and makes you want to learn more. It then quickly delves into a part of the culture I’d never heard about before: online escort review boards. They’re exactly what they sound like — men hire sex workers and then are able to give them star ratings and written reviews with details for other men to use as “getting other guys excited about the hot sex [you] had with a hot babe” — and she finds that “hilarious.”
But the education doesn’t stop there. Werhun (as Mary Ann, of course) acts out one of the more memorable reviews and experiences she had, which Bazuin transforms into a fun storytelling exercise. Werhun explains some of the acronyms found in that review. “GFE” means “girlfriend experience,” making the client feel like you’re actually dating or have a connection. “MPOS avail” means “multiple positions were available,” and if you’re unsure what that means in this context, I am not going to spell it out for you.
But it can’t be all fun and games. Sex work is a dangerous business, and while Werhun didn’t share any stories of lethal violence, she did share about one of the times when she felt she was in danger — one of the major downsides of the business. This story is likely to make you squirm and it will hopefully open up more peoples’ eyes to the unnecessary stigma of sex work and the inherent perils that can bring.
Bazuin and Werhun made a smart decision to both begin and end “Modern Whore” on a positive note. The beginning has the former escort explaining that she felt as though she was performing the role of her alter ego when servicing clients. It comes full-circle in the end, when Werhun expresses how much she likes to perform, and in some instances her job as an escort felt great.
Between this short and the horror/thriller feature “Cam” on Netflix (based on a screenplay by former sex worker and author Isa Mazzei), I’m hopeful that more stories like these will become part of the mainstream. The sex work industry is famously called the oldest industry, and it feels as though it’s about time to stop minimizing their stories and criticizing what they do. “Modern Whore” makes that argument perfectly by highlighting one woman’s experience in an accessible way.
Originally hailing from Pennsylvania, Jackie has called Austin home since choosing to attend the University of Texas, where she graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism. She loves spending time with her dogs, writing about pop culture in all its forms and spending time with friends – eating, drinking and doing trivia.