Beyond stilettos, booze, and cash, adult nightclubs are a community of professionals seeking acceptance and finding connections with other social misfits. As the women of The Pony gentlemen’s club dance for customers, they each forge their own path — despite the stigma — to make a living and express their artistry.
Transcending stereotypes of strip club culture, Mirage: Illusions of Pleasure and Power, offers an intimate glimpse into theatrical fantasy and the hardworking artists in the adult entertainment industry. The feature documentary pulls back the veil of social and political taboo at The Pony, a small gentlemen’s club in Pensacola, Florida.
The feature-length documentary investigates the space between the empowerment of women taking ownership of their bodies and exploitation inevitable in a patriarchal society. An intimate glimpse into sexual theater, Mirage: Illusions of Pleasure and Power explores the social and political dynamics of adult nightclub entertainment and asks what is the cost of this fantasy. Illustrating the thrill and tedium of the hustle, the documentary centers the stories of people who work in a stigmatized subculture where, mostly men, buy and sell the illusion of pleasure.
This is a character driven film. Offering an intimate portrait, the participants traverse the inner workings of the club economy while navigating personal challenges and relationships in their everyday lives. An ensemble of powerful women transcend the screen, reach into the psyche of the viewers, and invite an audience to imagine an existence ripe with passion and purpose. This film will contribute to global conversations about women, gender, and equity. These women do work that is both shamed and envied, their stories are unique but their situations are a result of a society that values good girl appearances but seeks youthful sexual promiscuity. To be human is to be sexual.
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