After Porn Ends: A Documentary - Lilith Likes to Watch Documentary December 2022

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Title: After Porn Ends
Year: 2012

Starring: Asia Carrera, Seka, Nina Hartly, John Leslie

Director: Bryce Wagoner

Synopsis: Documentary examining what happens to some of the biggest names in the history of the adult entertainment industry after they leave the business and try and live “normal” lives. - Via Letterboxd.com

Lilith's Notes: The first of a trilogy.

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“Eventually their past will catch up with them, and they have to be aware of the fact that X is forever”

Documentary December is one of my favourite themed months on this blog. I enjoy learning things through documentaries, and it’s a break in the types of films we watch for this site. Every year I’m excited to see what we’ll end up watching and I always hope it’s good.

Unfortunately, After Porn Ends is a poor way to end 2022. I just found it extremely boring and blase.

Everyone carries with them a personal bias, and mine is that, unless it’s requested of me, I try not to elevate documentaries that are thinly veiled pearl-clutching take-downs of the industry. I don’t find that useful or honest. It’s why I haven’t touched Hot Girls Wanted. The industry is changing and I want to uplift the good, the open, while commenting on the history of it all.

The trade off for such a rule is that sometimes, without the drama and the outrage, you just get an hour and a half of a boring nothing.

I seriously barely remember what happened in this documentary. I think a lot of it treads over ground we’ve already covered here, but doesn’t say it in an interesting way, or brings nothing new to the table.

We hear from Houston, who’s claim to fame was The Houston 500, which was the world’s biggest gangbang. We first heard of this last year with Porndemic, scored with ominous music and little factoids about HIV. No mention of those dangers in this reminiscing of the 500 this time.

Shiny happy gang bangs for all!

We learn sleazemaster John Leslie likes to paint and Seka likes to garden. Some woman who used to go by the stage name Roxy likes “pulling people out of the pornography pit”.

The highlight of this all, as usual, is Nina Hartley. She is filled with non-judgemental insights about how and why people gravitate to adult entertainment, and also why they find their Come to Jesus moments. Repression, religion, shame, it’s all one big relatable pipeline. Nina Hartley still loves porn but she worries that ladies are being coerced or pressured into it.

The other notable section are Asia Carrera's interviews. She was the first half-asian porn star, and so she paved the way for others. She also took it upon herself to study all the other jobs on a set, from grip, to editing, to directing. I like that, it shows that she had the forethought to seek new paths if she decided to move on from porn. After some supplemental reading, I also learned that she honours the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

There are some heartbreaking stories in here, and people do get self-reflective but it’s all just so dry. It’s one note, monotone and that makes it feel like a drag.

I’ll be one hundred percent, completely honest with you all.

I fell asleep. Don’t worry! I rewatched what I missed, and it was only the last ten minutes but man, oh man you feel every second of this 93 minute runtime.

So, on that tragic dust-bowl of a finale, we bid farewell to Documentary December and 2022 as a whole.

I would like to thank you for sticking with us this year. As a personal challenge I aspired to not miss a single update this year and in that I was successful! Next week we’ll do the Best/Worst Watched of 2022 feature, then be on break until February.

Big things are coming in 2023, and I’m very excited. I hope to see you all in the next year. If there’s any film you want to request for Lilith Likes to Watch, you can do that on Ko-Fi.

Best Moment: Any time Nina Hartly is on screen saying anything. She is a treasure.


Worst Moment: It's so boring! It's a sedative, I'm telling you.

LILITH'S SCORE: 2/5

Until next time, my voracious voyeurs. I’m Lilith, and I’m always watching.