Our Q&A at Telluride: Was She Exploited or Empowered?

I’m just back from the world premiere of a film we edited, Carol Doda Topless at the Condor. (If you haven’t been to the astonishingly beautiful Telluride, add it to your bucket list.)

The Q&A provoked a debate about whether the protagonist, a white sex worker, was exploited or empowered. In 1964, Carol Doda became the first dancer to perform topless–which incited trials that helped paved the way for the sexual revolution.

Viewers split over whether Carol’s life was happy or not. “When she was not on stage, she was not happy,” said Jonathan Parker, the documentary’s co-director. “That’s all she lived for was to perform.”

“I had a friend who watched it and came away and hugged her boobs,” said co-director Marlo McKenzie, a striking woman with big, curious eyes. “How did she come across to you?”

“I think she screwed up her life,” responded one middle-aged man. “She wanted love and she really didn’t get it.”

The woman seated next to him agreed, “It was a sad story to me. She seemed so desperate to be a performer–even though she had no discernable talents–she had to inject herself.” (Carol’s bust line increased from 32’’ to 44” after several silicone injections.)

“I don’t see her as a sad person,” McKenzie mused. “I take what you say and flip it. There is a sad undertone to being human, but I find her inspiring. I’ve failed at things; she’s failed at things. I’m gonna keep trying; she kept trying.”

She added, “We see this ‘Barbie’ energy coming into our culture, and if Carol’s story could add to that in some way, that would be my hope…It’s such a good debate though.”

Indeed!

And for that, thank you to festival programmers everywhere who schedule Q&A’s with filmmakers, providing a lucky slice of our increasingly lonely, divisive society a chance to hear, be heard, debate and connect!