With influences being pulled from everywhere; the grime of Troma, the humour of John Waters, the style and look of Anna Biller (particularly The Love Witch) and the melodramatics of Pedro Almodovar, they are responsible for the chaotic baby that is Fucktoys. Written, directed and starring Annapurna Sriram, this film is very much a labour of love and grime. Her odyssey of a sex worker who travels around on a moped going from job to job as she scrapes money together to perform a ritual that will lift the curse on her is above all, inspiring. Though it’s not a perfect work of art, a work of art it is none the less.
After being told by a psychic that she’s cursed and needs $1000 to perform a ritual to lift it, sex worker AP, heads out to make that money. Along the way she is reunites with an old friend/flame Danni, encounters numerous strange clients and three other psychics who tell her she’s cursed. But on her journey will she finally find a way to lift this curse?
This is not the happy go lucky sex worker story who is just trying to get by. Thankfully most clichés are left at the door here. Any stereotypes are leaned into and for weird comedic purposes only. Most of what happens throughout the film is to be taken with a pinch of salt, whether its watching two old friends connect while urinating in a guy’s mouth (he likes it) or believing AP’s place is just furniture in a field, or AP and Danni really badly pretending to be robbers when taking shelter in one of her client’s homes. There is plenty of fun to be had throughout but Sriram doesn’t shy away from the darkness that surrounds AP. The more serious moments are at first gently peppered in and do make you stop, step back and have a reality check, especially the rather off kilter and unhinged ending, even if it does provide an ‘oh my god I understand it all’ moment.
Sriram is absolutely a talent to watch. The B Movie feel of Fucktoys does make me anxious as to what might happen to her comedic timing and style if she was given a bitter budget. However, there is much to enjoy on screen here in the meantime.