Paying for It is a Canadian drama film, directed by Sook-Yin Lee and released in 2024.[1] It is an adaptation of Chester Brown's graphic novel Paying for It, about his decision to start frequenting sex workers after the breakup of his real-life relationship with Lee.
| Paying for It | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sook-Yin Lee |
| Written by | Sook-Yin Lee Joanne Sarazen |
| Based on | Paying for It by Chester Brown |
| Produced by | Matt Code Sonya Di Rienzo Aeschylus Poulos |
| Starring | Dan Beirne Emily Lê Andrea Werhun |
| Cinematography | Gayle Ye |
| Edited by | Anna Catley |
| Music by | Sook-Yin Lee Dylan Gamble |
Production companies | Wildling Pictures Hawkeye Pictures |
| Distributed by | Loco Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The film stars Dan Beirne as Brown and Emily Lê as Sonny, as well as Andrea Werhun, Kaitlyn Chalmers-Rizzato, Stephen Kalyn, Chris Sandiford, Kris Siddiqi, Scott Thompson, Sera-Lys McArthur and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll in supporting roles.
Production
editProduction on the film was first announced in 2022.[2] In contrast to the original graphic novel, which used artistic techniques to obscure the faces of the sex workers due to Brown's concern for the women's privacy rights but faced some criticism for seemingly dehumanizing them, Lee's film adaptation, through a "female gaze", more strongly centres the women's own perspectives.[3]
Although Lee herself is a character in the original graphic novel, for the film adaptation she chose to rename her character Sonny to give herself some creative distance from the material.[4]
Distribution
editThe film premiered in the Platform Prize program at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[5] In conjunction with the film premiere, Drawn & Quarterly is also reissuing a new "film edition" of the graphic novel, with a foreword by Lee and special bonus material about the film production.[3]
It has been picked up for international distribution by Loco Films.[6]
Critical response
editAlex Hudson of Exclaim! rated the film 8 out of 10, writing that "even though this story is being told by the people it happened to, it's not overly flattering to its subjects. Chester's transactional approach to sex brings out his superficiality, and when he tells his friends about how great it is, he rarely expresses much overt happiness, often seeming as much like he's trying to convince himself as anyone else. And Sonny is judgmental and fickle, steering their lives into one unsustainable situation after another. They're flawed while remaining likeable and relatable."[7]
After the conclusion of the festival, Hudson and colleague Rachel Ho identified the film as one of its overall highlights, writing that "Toronto cartoonist Chester Brown decided to hire sex workers after a bad breakup with ex-girlfriend Sook-Yin Lee — at which point he made the surprising decision to publicly write about it in a graphic novel. Even more surprising is that Lee is the one to adapt that story for the screen. Come for the intensely intimate tell-all, stay for the fun '90s Toronto references."[8]
Courtney Small of That Shelf wrote that "wrapping all the various connections in a simple but effective aesthetic, Lee's film truly feels like a graphic novel come to life. One could easily see the film playing in a double bill alongside Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World or even, to a certain extent, Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy, which also involves a cartoonist who finds himself in a complicated relationship. Make no mistake though, Lee crafts a film that stands firmly on its own richly constructed merits. Whether finding humour in each new encounter Chester has with a sex worker, or observing the sparks that ignite Sonny's passion for her new lovers, each section of the film feels fully realized."[9]
References
edit- ^ Megan LaPierre, "John Cameron Mitchell Boards Sook-Yin Lee's 'Paying for It' Film as Executive Producer". Exclaim!, May 31, 2024.
- ^ Megan LaPierre, "Sook-Yin Lee Is Directing a Movie Adaptation of Ex-Boyfriend Chester Brown's 'Paying for It'". Exclaim!, July 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Wildling, Hawkeye wrap adaptation of novel Paying for It". Playback, May 31, 2024.
- ^ Peter Howell, "This Toronto pair put their unorthodox sex lives on film in ‘Paying for It,’ premiering at TIFF". Toronto Star, September 5, 2024.
- ^ Anthony D'Alessandro, "Atom Egoyan, Hur Jin-ho & Jane Schoenbrun To Preside Over TIFF Platform Jury; Sidebar Unveiled". Deadline Hollywood, July 23, 2024.
- ^ Jamie Casemore, "Loco Films boards Sook-Yin Lee’s Paying For It". Playback, September 6, 2024.
- ^ Alex Hudson, "TIFF 2024: 'Paying for It' Is a Wonderful Bit of Oversharing". Exclaim!, September 6, 2024.
- ^ Alex Hudson and Rachel Ho, "The Best and Worst Films We Saw at TIFF 2024". Exclaim!, September 16, 2024.
- ^ Courtney Small, "Paying for It: TIFF 2024 Review". That Shelf, September 7, 2024.