Sook-Yin Lee on adapting Chester Brown's comic strip memoir about sex work into a film

Cutaways is a personal essay series where Canadian filmmakers tell the story of how their film was made. This TIFF 2024 edition by director Sook-Yin Lee focuses on her film Paying For It.

Paying For It is a live-action movie adaptation of Chester Brown's graphic novel memoir. It's about a couple who agree to open up their relationship when the romantic side of it fades. She develops crushes and goes out on dates, while he — a shy and introverted cartoonist, disillusioned with romantic love — eventually pays for sex. They live together in a tiny row house, unable to break up, while pursuing love, connection and sex — and discovering a new kind of intimacy in the process.

The humdinger is that the story is based on what really happened to Chester and me in Toronto at the turn of the millennium.

When his graphic novel Paying For It came out in 2011, Chester made a compelling argument for the decriminalization of sex work, illustrating how consensual sex workers are in harm's way with no rights or protection. It was a brave and important account that drew parallels to labour rights, 2SLGBTQ+ rights, POC rights, women's rights and essential human rights. I asked Chester if I could adapt his memoir into a movie, and he agreed because he trusted me.

I wrote countless drafts, and it took years to adapt. Chester's episodic comic was more like a political treatise than a movie. The key that unlocked it as a work of cinema was when I expanded the canvas to encompass my perspective. Chester had excluded details of our life together and the sex workers' lives to protect our privacy, but I wanted to imagine who they were. And as a counterpoint, I incorporated what was happening to me during that time when I was a confused young person, working as a VJ at MuchMusic, dating and getting into a lot of trouble. At last, the movie iteration of Paying For It began to take shape.

Now, years later, it's premiering at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, the sole Canadian feature film selected for the Platform program, a "competitive program that champions bold directorial visions."

Looking back on how the movie was made, I realize Paying For It is built on meaningful relationships. It is a handmade movie rendered with love and care. I am indebted to intergenerational communities of friends and artists in the Canadian underground and our D.I.Y. ethos.

I assembled a cast and crew with sensitivity for the subject, which included working with non-actors who are my peers from independent art scenes. They are sex-positive musicians, performance artists, political activists, comedians and filmmakers. I made an impassioned plea to ACTRA explaining my casting choices. To my relief, ACTRA allowed me to move forward, provided I cast union actors for all the non–sex worker roles. 

Among the actors who portray Chester's inner circle of cartoonist buds is comic genius Chris Sandiford. I met him one night at karaoke through Dylan Gamble, my partner who co-composed the original score of Paying For It with me. I have been friends with Rebecca Applebaum since directing her in an outlandish play when she was a few years out of high school. Lead actor Dan Beirne, who plays Chester, recommended Ely Henry for a role, but the producers were doubtful because he lived in Los Angeles. I followed Ely on Instagram, and he followed me back. I introduced myself, pitched the idea and he accepted right away. It turns out Ely was also a Canadian ACTRA member, and he could stay at his parents' place during our shoot. 

For years, Dan and comedian Becky Johnson have helped each other with auditions. Becky has been a good friend to me too, keeping me company when I was struck down by the death of my soulmate, Adam Litovitz. When I was housebound with a broken leg, she brought me food.

I remember burlesque dancer Dainty Smith at Café Pamenar, her manner quiet and intense, writing in her journal, while her friend Tanya Cheex, another striking dancer, sold vintage clothes half a block from where I live. As I searched for actors for Paying For It, Tanya introduced me to her friend Rubie Magnitude.

I have moshed fiercely to feminist bands Slutcode and Slash Need, led by Jamie Whitecrow and Dusty Lee respectively, and first met exuberant Chinatown activist and artist Hannia Cheng at a Black queer DJ night when she lit up the dance floor. I am a loyal fan of performance artist Lisa Smolkin, who creates the most unusual situations. She is an event in herself. 

Through social media, I discovered Becca Willow Moss and Kitoko Mai, gifted filmmakers who deal with sex work in their own movies. Emotive musician Des Das Gupta appeared in my last two films, and stunning Dot Starkey caught my attention at the Ottawa Art Gallery.  

Through a traditional audition process, I found Emily Lê to play my alter ego, Sonny. Standing out from hundreds of actors, Emily embodied the alternative culture that she is a part of. Emily and I are also both first-gen Asian Canadian. We have a shared understanding of intergenerational trauma that informs many of Sonny's choices in the film. 

Chester introduced me to underground movie star Lea Rose Sebastianis and Andrea Werhun, an inspiring performer, author, activist, friend and collaborator. He acted in Andrea's short film Modern Whore and designed the poster. Andrea stars in Paying For It and worked as a story consultant.

The crew of Paying For It are mostly emerging artists in their 20s and 30s, and abundantly talented. Production designer Olivia D'Oliveira saved the day on an art-horror movie I acted in, and costume designer Cameron Lee — a fashion stylist and expert in all things 90s — hails from my longtime indie arts community. 

Cinematographer Gayle Ye brought a focused camera team of artist-scientists, and mighty editor Anna Catley — Andrea Werhun's editor — pretty much demanded I work with her. Anna runs a feminist filmmaker's coven, so how could I resist? 

It takes a village to make a movie. In portraying the 90s, I leaned on my neighbourhood of Kensington Market. Daniel Vila, who runs Market Video micro-cinema, and musicians Lukas Cheung and Daniel Lee lent me their spaces, and I shot much of the movie in my home where the real events took place. I tapped into places that are the essence of late-90s Toronto and have managed to stave off gentrification, from Sneaky Dee's dive bar to Buddha's Vegan Restaurant. To recreate MuchMusic as "MaxMusic," my former boss, Moses Znaimer, let me shoot at Zoomer Hall on a weekend.

Which leads me to the bands and music videos from an exceptional era of Canadian independent music that are a big part of Paying For It. Ian McGettigan from Halifax legends Thrush Hermit is my back-door neighbour, and Robynn Iwata from the band cub is the sister of Randy Iwata from Mint Records, who put out my last album. I have known members of the band Gob since teen times, while Pointed Sticks are beloved 70s punk icons from Vancouver. Without hesitation, Nick Jones let me use the Pointed Sticks anthem Real Thing, and Toronto OG hip-hop innovators Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo of Ghetto Concept lent me their incredible music video for Krazy World.

American auteur John Cameron Mitchell is an executive producer of Paying For It. He is a dear friend and mentor. I have acted in two of his movies: Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. John taught me about reciprocity and respect on set, and instilled in me the aim to hit the heart, head and funny bone in filmmaking.

Matt Code, an early fan of Chester's graphic novel, Sonya Di Rienzo and Aeschylus Poulos (Wildling Pictures and Hawkeye Pictures) are hard-working veteran film producers who supported my unconventional process and obsessive drive. 

All of my collaborators dove into Paying For It and gave it their all.  

And then there is Chester Brown, a very rare soul who offers me unconditional love and unwavering care. I shot second unit camera in his cramped apartment full of books. Those are his hands you see in the opening credits of the movie, drawing and assembling the titles. Those are his plentiful yellow sticky notes on the bathroom door and his plaid shirts bursting out of the closet in his apartment. 

Chester is my extended family. He is still the last person I call up at night and the first person I call in the morning. I'm happiest engaging in life and art with him.

Paying For It screens at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 5-15.