Last seen on screen in Close To You but more famous for her groundbreaking performance in John Cameron Mitchell’s sexually charged Shortbus, Sook-Yin Lee tries to match Mitchell’s knack for tender confrontations with her directorial effort Paying For It. The Shortbus filmmaker must approve. After all, Mitchell serves as an executive producer on this adult flick.

The inspiration for Paying For It also comes from Chester Brown’s graphic novel that Lee is adapting, which drew inspiration from Lee and Brown’s real-life romance. In the film, Sonny (Emily Lê of Riceboy Sleeps) is falling for another man and wants to explore this avenue, complicating her relationship with steady boyfriend Chester (Dan Beirne of Great Great Great and The Twentieth Century). Chester trusts Sonny and wants to show full support for this experiment, even though opening up their relationship is discouraging for him. However, considering sex has become infrequent for Sonny and Chester, this change makes him curious to test the bounds of a loveless, physical relationship. Chester seeks out sex workers, and finds each experience to be gratifying. Inevitably, he gets to know them on a personal level before and after they “knock boots”.

Some exchanges in Paying For It feature actors in various stages of undress when they’re not having sex. However, I kept forgetting people were naked because the interactions were so investing. That’s a partial point to Sook-Yin Lee’s maturity as a filmmaker; she subtlety breaks taboos while holding the audience’s attention. Similar to what we saw in Anna Kendrick’s assured true crime drama Woman of the Hour, the small ensemble who portray the sex workers are given proper character work to flesh out (no pun intended). They’re not treated as mere eye candy or used to garner a snap reaction from movie goers, but rather to personalize an industry that is negatively labelled or dehumanised.

Chester’s personal journey doesn’t sit well with me in retrospect. Sonny’s curiousity with other men often result in outbursts and breakups that intimidate or scare her. Meanwhile, Chester finds new favourites to sleep with and receives no consequences. Co-writers Lee and Joanne Sarazen (Tammy’s Always Dying, Backspot) may offer a female perspective to this real-life story, but they can’t penetrate (again, no pun intended) Chester’s experience, which is always portrayed as a male fantasy. Luckily, Paying For It works its way towards a nice ending where Sonny and Chester learn more about themselves. While the results still feel one-sided, Lee manages to send audiences away on a wave of sweetness.

Releasing this movie close to Valentine’s Day is a “choice”; considering this indie seems as though it sparks doubt in relationships. But don’t get it twisted: Sook-Yin Lee’s Paying For It is the right pick for adults looking for an elevated rom-com.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie