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The FBI bust that brought an end to Jeanette Maier’s infamous family-run house of ill-repute in the Big Easy destroyed her entire way of life. Gone was the money, the power, and the upper-crust group of clients that used to fill her home. Stigmatized by her criminal record, fearing retribution from her rolodex of New Orleans’s elite should she reveal their names, and determined to get her family on the straight and narrow, Jeanette sets out to rebuild her life. But how do you rebuild your life when all you’ve ever done is run a high-end brothel and your face has been plastered all over television screens?

First time feature director Cameron Yates attempts to answer this question in The Canal Street Madam. Yates spent 5 years following the proud, self-proclaimed “whore” around after her release from prison as she attempted to make ends meet without selling sex (something she hadn’t done in a very long time).

As a convicted felon Jeanette quickly learns that her options have become very limited. Getting an honest job when you’ve got a criminal record isn’t as easy as one might think. Disgusted with the fact that she’s been ostracized from society while the johns who frequented her business have all emerged relatively unscathed from the scandal (and not one ever stepped in to help her), Jeanette becomes a vocal figure in the movement to decriminalize prostitution. She makes media appearances, sits in on panel discussions, and faces some pretty relentless and cruel crowds.  But even as she addresses her past and opens up about her plight a lot of questions remain unanswered. Maier sees herself as an entrepreneur, but is that really all she was? The film has a very sympathetic slant, and the scope of her criminal activity is never really addressed. She insists the girls working for her were comfortable and were there because they wanted to be, but with no interviews with any of the prostitutes (other than her daughter) it’s tough to know if that’s true. Was Maier a dangerous criminal who exploited these women for the purposes of her own financial gain or was she giving these women a safe place to do business? Was she a corrupt sex-peddler or is she truly a victim of a hypocritical society that punishes those who sell sex and not those who buy it? Maybe all of the above?

Madam consists primarily of standard interviews with Jeanette and those close to her as well as fly-on-the-wall footage of her going about her business. The camera captures intimate family disputes (including Jeanette catching her son taking heroin) and loving moments between her and her children (with whom she has difficult relationships). There are also some clips from old family videos depicting better days (as she sees them) featuring parties, both family and business-oriented. These start off by adding an important historical element but become a bit repetitive later in the film. The really genius inclusions are the voice recordings of Jeanette doing business before the bust, taken from hundreds of hours of FBI wiretaps.

The primary strength of this film is its protagonist. She’s wild, calculating, earnest, cunning, loyal, arrogant, kind, very sad and highly entertaining. She’s a complicated woman who’s led a complicated life, but she has no intention of giving up on what she believes in and what she wants. By the end of the movie there’s little doubt that Jeanette Maier will come out on top. As far as the rights of people who buy and sell sex go, well, that one hasn’t quite been solved yet.

The Upside: It’s a little unpolished, but Yates is a great storyteller and interviewer who obviously liked and was liked by his subject. The result is an openness and intimate access to the subject that otherwise might not have been there.

The Downside: Maier contradicts herself on more than one occasion, most notably when she refers to prostitution as a victimless crime. She seems to be conveniently overlooking the great harm it’s done to her children.

On the Side: Jeanette almost ran for political office against former client US Senator David Vitter but decided against it after she realized she was being encouraged to do so only to embarrass him and not because of her political platform.

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