Paying For It

Even in the wildly varied career she’s led in this country’s overlapping worlds of film, television, music and art since she first made her mark in Vancouver’s music scene in the ‘80s, Sook-Yin Lee has never done something quite as unique — or as uniquely personal — as her third feature. In adapting the 2011 graphic novel by her former romantic partner Chester Brown, she puts her stamp on an eventful period in her history during the 1990s. Unhappy with her work as a VJ for a music-video station much like MuchMusic (for whom Lee was indeed a very public face), the director’s fictional alter ego Sonny (Emily Lê) pursues new romantic connections even as she hopes to sustain her current one. Meanwhile, Chester (Daniel Beirne) conducts an odyssey of his own through his encounters with sex workers, a journey that elicits provocative questions about labour, freedom and desire. Funny, daring and astute, Lee’s film maintains a playful sense of humour even as it lays bare potentially discomfiting truths about the things we want and how we go about getting them.

Director: Sook-Yin Lee

Cast: Dan Beirne, Emily Lê, Andrea Werhun, Noah Lamanna, Chris Sandiford, Ishan Davé, Rebecca Applebaum, Stephen Thomas Kalyn, Sabrina Saudin

Language: English

Runtime: 85 minutes

Content advisory: sexual themes, nudity, coarse language

Sook-Yin Lee, director

Sook-Yin Lee is a Canadian filmmaker, musician, actor, multimedia artist, and acclaimed broadcaster known for her work with CBC, BBC, and MuchMusic. She gained international recognition for her performance in John Cameron Mitchell’s groundbreaking film Shortbus, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Lee made her feature film debut as a writer-director with Year of the Carnivore, starring Cristina Milioti, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Now showcasing her more recent directorial work Paying For It at the Kingston all Canadian Film Festival.

Matt Code, producer

Matt Code is a Canadian film, television, and digital media producer, and the founder of Wildling Pictures. A 2015 graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Film Program, Producer’s Lab, Code has worked in various production roles, including as a producer, post-production supervisor, and production manager. He is known for his work on award-winning television programs and short films.

DYLAN GAMBLE, COMPOSER

Dylan Gamble is a musician, and film composer. A graduate of music studies, he brings his expertise to the stage as a member of the band Hot Garbage. Gamble’s cinematic work includes notable contributions to Death and Sickness (2020), Rest and Relax (2024), and Paying for It (2024), showcasing his versatility both on-screen and behind the scenes.

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