The comic-to-film adaptation of Chester Brown’s work begs the question: can money actually buy happiness?
By John Vo
Young Canadians growing up in the aughts can attest to learning about Canadian political figure and activist Louis Riel, a leader of the Métis community in Western Canada who advocated for the rights and freedoms of Métis and Indigenous peoples under the rule of John A. Macdonald. A lot of the classrooms growing up featured a series of comic books that kids could learn about Riel’s upbringing and impact on Canadian history.
Now, could you imagine the same person who made those series of comics also wrote and illustrated an autobiographical comic book depicting how his love and sex life turned upside down one random morning?
Sounds oddly specific and impossible? Well if that initial idea sounds a bit wacky, it gets worse when looking through who worked through the film.
Paying for It is a film adaptation of the ‘comic-strip memoir’ of the same name by Chester Brown (a Canadian comic artist known for the Louis Riel comic series) that premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 5.
The film begins as the character of Chester wakes up one morning next to his girlfriend Sonny (Sook-Yin Lee in the comics). It’s clear as day that the two do not have the typical “happy couple in a romantic comedy” dynamic. Sonny then just blurts out that she is in love with someone else. Arguably one of the top five worst ways to start a morning conversation? The two agree that an open relationship can work for them but their subtle facial expressions are subtle foreshadowing that this promise won’t last.
Helming the film in the director’s chair is Lee, a filmmaker, former video jockey for MuchMusic and a radio host at CBC. She also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Brown, who was the muse for “Sonny.”. Everything that happens in the comic book and the film were things that Lee and Brown endured when navigating the end of their relationship. It’s not a spoiler, judging by this choice to direct the movie, that Lee and Brown have remained close as friends and creative partners and were also seen at the premiere celebrating the final product.
After that first scene, the film begins to paint the daily lives of Chester and Sonny, with Chester (Dan Beirne) also working as a successful comic book artist and meeting up daily at Buddha’s Vegan Restaurant on 666 Dundas St. W, with his equally talented comic artist friends. Meanwhile, Sonny (Emily Lê) works as a video jockey for a Canadian music broadcasting channel and begins to fall in love with different guys she meets at local bars. The two characters lead vastly different lives but still decide to live together in their Kensington Market apartment — even if Chester has to move his bed down the basement floor to avoid the partners Sonny brings over.
The film has distinct plotlines for Chester and Sonny, with both trying to find themselves amid the fizzling of their romantic love. One character denies the idea that love is anything but a facade and the other is looking for her true love in the sea of trashy Toronto men. At their core, these two characters could not be any more different but pivotal scenes in the film depict why they simply cannot live without the other. The chemistry of the two leads perfectly shows an ‘opposites attract’ relationship and the audience grasps how these two former lovers still motivate each other to grow interpersonally. This may be a controversial opinion but this film is the closest we’ll get to a depiction of how Knives Chau and Scott Pilgrim would have ended up in some alternate reality where they became older.
Yet, it can’t be forgotten that the book and film’s title, Paying for It, was chosen with full intent as a majority of the plot becomes dedicated to a key aspect of Brown’s life story. Deciding that he is done with monogamous love, Brown begins to meet with sex workers as a way to fulfill his sexual desires without the need to initiate conversations, begin a platonic connection or go on a date. Simply, without all the things and traits he associates with a romantic relationship. Taking the life up as a “John” (a sex worker’s client and also my name), his first session is awkward, to say the least. He beat a world record of sorts. Something straight out of those 2000s comedies directed by Judd Apatow. Nonetheless, Chester enjoys the experience and begins allotting the money earned from his comics towards paying for it — it referring to sex work.
Not familiar with the source material, the film allows viewers to grasp why Chester views romantic relationships the way he does and what fuels his decision to pay for sex work to the confusion of his friends and Sonny. Everyone else seems to look down on the idea of Chester not desiring love and insinuates it’s a negative coping mechanism on his end. However, the film’s screenplay tastefully portrays a realistic take on the world of sex work and those working in the field. Cinema is wrought with the “hooker with a heart of gold” trope where everyone happens to be a terrible person but one sex worker ends up changed by the main male lead.
Utilizing a “female gaze” as Lee described during the post-film Q&A, the film opts to show that these women are more than their professions. They are women who are in school, working a full-time job and need some side money or are doing so to make ends meet. Throughout the picture, Brown cultivates connections with a few of the women, some he never ends up seeing again and one who — without getting into spoilers — sticks around. The film shows the sometimes rough reality for sex workers, where their livelihood is constantly threatened by law enforcement and judgment from society. After releasing the novel, Brown continuously spoke out for the sex work community and advocated for the rights of sex workers and their autonomy. This representation of sex work was prevalent at the festival with films like Anora and The Last Showgirl.
This core element of the film elevates it from being a typical comedy to something profound. Sex work is not the butt of the joke but a driving force for Chester to learn more about these women and the communities they’ve built out of necessity.
Sook-Yin Lee’s direction of the film manages to capture a down-to-earth lens of Canada during the 90s when music videos were found only on television channels like MuchMusic. Canadian cinema, especially indie films, has gained a reputation for its distinct “Canadian” lighting and production value but those elements elevate the kitschy nature of this story.
The production is entirely Canadian-led, having been produced, set, filmed and premiered in the heart of Toronto. The city becomes its own character and some living near the Chinatown area can point to the screen with glee as they notice the defining streets and restaurants. These local hubs for Torontonians are now brought to life on the big screen and also mirror the key places of Brown and Lee’s journey navigating love and loss in the Greater Toronto Area.
This film is the closest we’ll get to a depiction of how Knives Chau and Scott Pilgrim would have ended up in some alternate reality where they became older.
The mere fact that two ex-lovers could turn what would seemingly be an embarrassing and confessional exposé of their past personal issues into these meaningful projects embodies how art is a tool to navigate pain. Chester Brown’s comic-to-film adaptation, directed by Sook-Yin Lee, ultimately leaves viewers with a comedic romp with themes of modern romance styles, friendships and nuanced portrayals of sex work — based on a mostly true story.
Paying for It, with a runtime of 85 minutes, is slated to be distributed internationally. No official release date has been confirmed.
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