Paying For It, the live-action adaptation of Chester Brown’s best-selling graphic novel, “a comic-strip memoir about being a john”, co-written and directed by Sook-Yin Lee (Octavio is Dead! Year of the Carnivore) had its world premiere in the Platform programme at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

Paying for It stars award-winning comic actor Dan Beirne (Twentieth Century, Priscilla), emerging actor Emily Lê (Riceboy Sleeps), and acclaimed activist/author/performer Andrea Werhun (Modern Whore, Thriving: A Dissociative Reverie). The screenplay is co-written by Lee and Joanne Sarazen (Backspot, Tammy’s Always Dying). Dylan Gamble (Hot Garbage) and Lee compose the original score.

The film is set in the late 1990s. We meet Chester and Sonny who are a long-term, committed, romantic couple. When Sonny wants to open their relationship to include other romantic partners, Chester, a shy and introverted cartoonist, decides he will explore sleeping with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy in the process.

Throughout the film we witness the evolution of Sonny and Chester’s relationship over the year, we also learn about the nuanced dynamics required to sustain a truly loving connection. Sonny has some difficulties with some of the new men in her life while Chester tries to educate his friends on his new approach to sex and intimacy.

As Chester Brown’s real-life ex, Lee adapts his graphic novel memoir into a compassionate movie, especially in its handling of sex and intimacy. It is told through the female gaze and it depicts non-monogamy for adults re-considering hetero-normative lifestyles in an honest and caring way. Like Lee, I hope the film challenges & creates new perceptions around sex work, and affirms what most of us already know… adult relationships are complex, complicated and come in many permutations that can be fulfilling in their own way when consent and open communication are a central part of these.

Leading to film’s premiere at TIFF 2024, I spoke with Sook-Yin Lee to learn more about working on adapting this personal story. She shared some great insights in terms of writing, casting, and the community effort involved in making this film.

For updates on Paying For It screenings coming at a cinema near you, go to payingforitfilm.com.