Hot Docs

In April 2004, a male porn star in L.A. tested positive for HIV, which lead to positive testing of three women who had performed unprotected scenes with him. Lara Roxx, a young, naïve Montreal girl, had only worked in the industry for two months but was the first woman diagnosed. The press exploited her story—and then forgot her. This raw, gritty and enormously tender story begins in a psychiatric ward in Montreal and follows five years of ups and downs as she tries to reinvent her life. Roxx returns to L.A. and Vegas to reconnect with the industry, attempts to establish a foundation for the protection of sex workers, and falls into crack addiction followed by rehab. Mia Donovan’s self-reflexive approach and handheld camera reveal the relationship between filmmaker and subject with all its complications of trust and narrative control. Lynne Fernie

Media Coverage

• Toronto Star Review (recommended)
• Toronto Star Feature
• Now Magazine review
• Criticize This Hot Docs Preview
• Eye Weekly review