Emily Le

“Romantic love is bullshit, and I’m not spending more time chasing it.” This is Chester Brown’s (Dan Beirne) declaration to friends when pressed about his romantic endeavors, presenting the central thesis of Paying for It, the latest feature from co-writer and director Sook-Yin Lee. The film is holding back. If it presents itself as an honest, no-holds-barred look at sex, it has to mean more than just nudity—where are the stakes? Where are the consequences? The film sets expectations for a clever meditation on why “romantic love is bullshit,” but as the plot progresses, it fails to deliver answers to the questions it raises. A strong thesis with no defining conclusion is a classic writerly mistake, made all the more ironic given that the film is based on the real-life Chester Brown’s own comic book chronicling of his dating experiences.