#TIFF24: “PAYING FOR IT” REVIEW

By David Baldwin

Chester Brown (Dan Beirne) is a Cartoonist who lives with his girlfriend Sonny (Emily Lê) in the late ’90s. Sonny wants to redefine and open-up their relationship so she can better explore her feelings for other men. Chester is okay with the idea, but has no intention of pursuing romantic love with someone else. Instead, he decides to explore a new kind of intimacy by paying and sleeping with sex workers.

Based on Brown’s controversial best-selling graphic novel, PAYING FOR IT is a truthful portrait of a taboo subject. At the same time, it is an honest and intimate piece about romantic and platonic love, sex and all of the feelings that come along with it. Co-Writer/Director Sook-Yin Lee threads the needle between all of these themes wonderfully and brings an additional layer of authenticity to the story – she is the real-life Sonny – depicting her memories of what she was doing in-between the panels of Brown’s novel. Where other filmmakers and creators may shy away from self-reflection, Lee hones in on Sonny’s flaws and failings, making the piece feel introspective and often devastating. Her candid matter-of-factness is admirable and is a perfect match for this story.

I also admire the raw nakedness of the characters, both physically and emotionally. It gives weight to every performance and never feels disingenuous or voyeuristic. Our two leads, Beirne and Lê, benefit the most from this as it gives them the space to develop their characters and make them feel genuinely lived-in and real. Their work here is so strong that I often felt like I was no longer watching a film and was watching a documentary instead. Keep an eye out as well for Andrea Werhun who enters late in the film and leaves a lasting impression as one of the sex workers whom Chester engages with. Her real-life work as an escort and exotic dancer informs her performance, and her chemistry with Beirne is palpable.

PAYING FOR IT screens at TIFF’24:

Friday, September 6 at 9:30PM at TIFF Lightbox

Saturday, September 7 at 11:45AM at TIFF Lightbox