Directed by Sook-Yin Lee, Paying For It tells the story of Sonny (Emily Le) and Chester (Daniel Beirne), a couple who are no more. As the film opens, Sonny explains that she has found the arms of another and she wants to ‘see where it goes’, leaving Chester feeling alienated. Shy and introverted, Chester decides to start sleeping with sex workers in order to satisfy his basic needs yet discovers a new kind of intimacy in the process.
In many ways, Paying for It is a brave piece from Lee. Although she may be using Chester’s book as a framework to explore sexuality, it’s Lee’s life that is also somewhat on display. To be clear, Sonny isn’t Sook-Yin. Brought to life by the delightful Le, Sonny is a character. But she’s also very real. These are events and feelings that she had herself and Paying feels as personal as it does professional. So, one must give Lee credit for writing from her heart as she attempts to offer understanding to Chester’s decisions.
Lee paints sex workers with a brush of respect. In Paying, the only stigma attached to them is from outsiders. This is a film that allows them to share their perspectives about sexual freedom in the modern world. What they do with their bodies is their choice and they—well, most of them—are portrayed as confident women who feel no shame in their profession. (It should be argued that, despite its strengths, Paying doesn’t entirely know how to handle young women who are being sexually trafficked. As one of the more serious social issues of the day, it seems to be glossed over here in favour of a more positive view of those who do so by their own volition.)
Wisely, Lee’s film doesn’t simply empower the sexual profession. There’s a conversation taking place about what it really means to find joy in another person’s arms that extends beyond sexual pleasure. In short, Paying knows that sex is fun but it also asks if that’s all one needs.
There will be those who struggle to get past Paying’s premise but there’s also something both empowering and encouraging about a film such as this. In a world that wants to celebrate individual freedom, Paying does so while still acknowledging the benefit of something more.
Paying for It is available at TIFF ’24. For more information, click here.
