Debbie Does Dilators
A patient's journey to overcoming vaginismus.
Filmmaker and former Maze vaginismus patient, Savannah Magruder, directed this award-winning film based on her personal journey battling and then overcoming vaginismus. The film has been featured at various festivals over the past year including the Indie Memphis Film Festival, the Brooklyn Film Festival, and the Bushwick film festival. It also won Best Brooklyn Project at the Brooklyn Film Festival.
In the film, we follow the protagonist Sara after she graduates from film school. Sara answers a Craigslist ad seeking a production assistant and suddenly finds herself on a porn set and as such can’t escape surgically enhanced body parts, simulated sexual gymnastics, and climactic reactions that have no basis in reality. So here’s where the irony comes in: Sara is incapable of experiencing intercourse herself because she has a condition known as vaginismus, an involuntary tightening of the vaginal muscles. The film explores Sara’s navigation of her professional surroundings as well as her personal issues and her attempts to reconcile both.
We are thrilled to support Savannah's efforts as well as feature her film on our website, and are excited to see what Savannah's future holds. If you want to hear more from Savannah herself, you can read her blog, My Vaginismus Journey: a Story that Needed to be Told, about her personal experiences that inspired the film and what has happened since its release.
Struggling with vaginismus or another form of vaginal pain? Visit our Vaginismus Forum to connect with others, share stories, gain insights and learn about treatment options.
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