Paying for It

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1:46

Paying for It

Jan 2026

1h 25m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

When an introverted cartoonist's girlfriend wants to redefine their relationship, he begins sleeping with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy in the process.

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Chris Azzopardi

New York Times

Jan 29

Paying for It keeps its narrative tight, perhaps overly simple.

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Adam Nayman

Sight & Sound

Dec 18

Paying For It may be a modest movie, but it’s not prudish or squeamish in the least; it’s got a humane spirit.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

01/29/2025

It doesn’t matter which prism you view Lee’s film through -- they all intersect and add up together so seamlessly and confidently that you can choose your own adventure without sacrificing the whole.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

May 6

This is one of those offbeat, low-key relationship dramedies that don’t aim for any big payoff, yet ingratiate with its smartly insightful script, character delineation and performances.

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Joseph Neff

Spectrum Culture

Feb 5

An adaptation of a graphic novel covers a mostly-true and controversial story with depth and breadth.

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Mark Dujsik

Mark Reviews Movies

Jan 30

2.5/4

Sonny's presence in this story is an unnecessary complicating factor to a tale that is already complicated and odd enough without it.

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Sook-Yin Lee

Director

Dan Beirne

Actor

Emily Lê

Actor

Andrea Werhun

Actor

Noah Lamanna

Suzo Jones

Chris Sandiford

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Paying for It: Trailer 1

1:46

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Synopsis

When an introverted cartoonist's girlfriend wants to redefine their relationship, he begins sleeping with sex workers and discovers a new kind of intimacy in the process.

Director: Sook-Yin Lee
Producer: Matt Code, Sonya Di Rienzo, Aeschylus Poulos
Screenwriter: Sook-Yin Lee, Joanne Sarazen, Sook-Yin Lee, Joanne Sarazen
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Wilding Pictures, Hawkeye Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2026
Runtime: 1h 25m