Fucktoys (stylized as F*cktoys) is a clever, sexy, pop-punk, grindhouse adventure. Writer and director Annapurna Sriram crafts a raucous fantasy world that is unafraid to play in its smutty little sandbox. It is one of those surprise festival darlings that reminds jaded filmgoers why we find magic in celluloid.
The film finds AP (Sriram) discovering that she has a curse that can be lifted if she can raise $1000. So, she hops onto her scooter and sets out to make that money in Trashtown, USA via sex work. Her quest leads her to an array of absurd characters and situations as things escalate to a very unexpected ending.
Is This My Barbie?
Fucktoys is even fun on a stylistic level. It is a 16mm pastel romp that understands sex work is work. Its vibe is Broad City-ish with heavy John Waters and Lisa Frank influences. This campy world explores the intersections of intimacy, exploitation, and class through an intersectional feminist lens. It’s actually funny because it knows humor should never be about punching down. The film also sees it’s subject as a human being so it manages to avoid the pitfalls other movies eagerly leap into.
As someone who started dabbling in tarot a few years ago, I love that AP is on The Fool’s Journey. It is a Major Arcana card that I know all too well and can confirm is the one that would best sum up her misadventures. Sriram’s performance beautifully captures AP’s vitality, curiosity, and sense of excitement. She makes the character feel more lived in than this story should allow. We understand AP because most of us have been down on our luck but still managed to live life to the fullest. We have also learned to not let our jobs or circumstances define who we are. Who isn’t on a winding path, looking for our places in the world and the light at the end of the tunnel? Fucktoys feels like an alternate universe version of Girls my generation deserved. Better late than never, I guess.
Sex Actually
This movie is also a breath of fresh air because it is not another sex worker story mishandled by men. AP seems to be having fun for most of the movie as she stumbles in and out of sitcom-like shenanigans. Her accidentally making things awkward as a man is going down on her is endearing, cringe, and human. AP is not a dumping ground for someone who thinks they are celebrating sex workers by painting another anti-sex work narrative. While that might be what gets movies Oscars, Fucktoys is actually interested in doing the work and offering a better perspective. This is cool because we do not have enough sex-positive media that is actually sex-positive.
The film paints a world where people can be Queer without having to explain their identity to Midwest audiences. Sriram’s script does not make characters give a monologue about getting fisted. Nor does it treat the act like a taboo topic. The movie celebrates kink and understands its part of the human experience. Which is why AP can invite non-binary friends/love interests to take part in giving a client a golden shower and then go get breakfast together. Fucktoys is more focused on the playfulness and joy of sex than the actual deed.
There is not even that much nudity because it is not interested in letting the audience think that sex is ever the main event. Although, it is not done in the conservative way that is sweeping through social media alarmingly fast. It does it to highlight that sex is a thing that happens with people you meet along the way. However, most people are only as important to your story as you let them be.
Overall, Fucktoys is fun, wildly important, and aimed right at millennial hearts. It is a loud reminder that sex and life are messy. However, both are also a great time if you do it right.
