Paying for It (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Paying for It

| image = Paying For It Poster.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = Sook-Yin Lee

| producer = Matt Code
Sonya Di Rienzo
Aeschylus Poulos

| writer = Sook-Yin Lee
Joanne Sarazen

| based_on = Paying for It by Chester Brown

| starring = Dan Beirne
Emily Lê
Andrea Werhun

| music = Sook-Yin Lee
Dylan Gamble

| cinematography = Gayle Ye

| editing = Anna Catley

| studio = Wildling Pictures
Hawkeye Pictures

| distributor = Loco Films

| released = {{film date|2024|9|6|TIFF}}

| runtime =

| country = Canada

| language = English

| budget =

}}

Paying for It is a 2024 Canadian drama film, directed by Sook-Yin Lee.Megan LaPierre, [https://exclaim.ca/film/article/john-cameron-mitchell-boards-sook-yin-lee-s-paying-for-it-film-as-executive-producer "John Cameron Mitchell Boards Sook-Yin Lee's 'Paying for It' Film as Executive Producer"]. Exclaim!, May 31, 2024. 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.

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

Production on the film was first announced in 2022.Megan LaPierre, [https://exclaim.ca/film/article/sook-yin_lee_is_directing_a_movie_adaptation_of_her_exs_graphic_novel "Sook-Yin Lee Is Directing a Movie Adaptation of Ex-Boyfriend Chester Brown's 'Paying for It'"]. Exclaim!, July 27, 2022. 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.Taimur Sikander Mirza, [https://playbackonline.ca/2024/05/31/wildling-hawkeye-wrap-adaptation-of-novel-paying-for-it/ "Wildling, Hawkeye wrap adaptation of novel Paying for It"]. Playback, May 31, 2024.

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.Peter Howell, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/this-toronto-pair-put-their-unorthodox-sex-lives-on-film-in-paying-for-it-premiering/article_ef43db24-697c-11ef-91ea-2fe0bcee00f9.html "This Toronto pair put their unorthodox sex lives on film in ‘Paying for It,’ premiering at TIFF"]. Toronto Star, September 5, 2024.

Distribution

The film premiered in the Platform Prize program at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.Anthony D'Alessandro, [https://deadline.com/2024/07/tiff-platform-lineup-jury-2024-atom-egoyan-1236018577/ "Atom Egoyan, Hur Jin-ho & Jane Schoenbrun To Preside Over TIFF Platform Jury; Sidebar Unveiled"]. Deadline Hollywood, July 23, 2024. In conjunction with the film premiere, Drawn & Quarterly reissued a new "film edition" of the graphic novel, with a foreword by Lee and special bonus material about the film production.

It has been picked up for international distribution by Loco Films.Jamie Casemore, [https://playbackonline.ca/2024/09/06/loco-films-boards-sook-yin-lees-paying-for-it/ "Loco Films boards Sook-Yin Lee’s Paying For It"]. Playback, September 6, 2024.

Critical response

Alex 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."Alex Hudson, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/tiff-2024-paying-for-it-film-review-sook-yin-lee "TIFF 2024: 'Paying for It' Is a Wonderful Bit of Oversharing"]. Exclaim!, September 6, 2024.

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."Alex Hudson and Rachel Ho, [https://exclaim.ca/film/article/the-best-and-worst-films-we-saw-at-tiff-2024 "The Best and Worst Films We Saw at TIFF 2024"]. Exclaim!, September 16, 2024.

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."Courtney Small, [https://thatshelf.com/paying-for-it-tiff-2024-review/ "Paying for It: TIFF 2024 Review"]. That Shelf, September 7, 2024.

The film was named to TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2024.Carlos Diaz, [https://thatshelf.com/tiff-canadas-top-ten-2024/ "Canada’s Top Ten: TIFF Celebrates the Best in Cinema for 2024"]. That Shelf, January 8, 2025.

Awards

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style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"

! Award

! Year

! Category

! Recipient

! Result

! class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}

rowspan=5| Canadian Screen Awards

| rowspan=5| 2025

| Best Lead Performance in a Comedy Film

| Emily Lê

| {{nom}}

| rowspan=5| [https://academie.ca/medias/files/PEC%202025/2025%20Canadian%20Screen%20Awards%20-%20Film%20Nominations%20-%20v.March%2026%202025.pdf Canadian Screen Awards: Film Nominations]. Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, March 26, 2025.

Best Adapted Screenplay

| Sook-Yin Lee, Joanne Sarazen

| {{won}}

| {{won}}

| {{nom}}

Best Casting in a Film

| Jenny Lewis, Sara Kay, Kalene Osborne

| {{nom}}