Stiges 2025: ‘Fucktoys’ Review
Stars: Annapurna Sriram, Sadie Scott, Damian Young, Brandon Flynn, Big Freedia, François Arnaud, Tamika Lawrence, Lorrie Odom, Tone Tank, Jowin Batoon | Written and Directed by Annapurna Sriram
Writer-director-star Annapurna Sriram makes a delightful debut with this riotously raunchy, wildly entertaining and sublimely surreal sex worker comedy. Trashy, titillating and thoroughly entertaining, this feels like the lovechild of John Waters and early period Almodovar.
Set in fictional Trashtown, USA, Fucktoys stars Sriram as sex worker AP, who’s introduced getting a Tarot card reading by Madame Krystal (Big Freedia) in the middle of a Louisiana swamp. She’s told that she has been cursed, and she needs to raise $1,000, in order to lift the curse with an expensive ritual that involves slaughtering a lamb.
AP doesn’t think she’ll have too much trouble getting the money together, so she lines up a string of clients, including married man Robert (Damian Young), famous actor James Francone (Brandon Flynn) and a wealthy DJ (François Arnaud). Along the way, she receives help from old flame Danni (Sadie Scott), a leather-clad biker who likes to take part in Fight Club-style punch-ups in their free time.
Throughout the film, AP’s quest-like journey takes the form of a series of vignettes depicting her various sexual encounters. These range from the cheerfully outrageous (a golden shower scene) to the playfully satirical (a send-up of celebrity entitlement with the Francone character) to the nightmarish (a trippy party scene) to everything else in between.
Similarly, the script is packed full of great lines (“Abandon me harder, daddy” is one of several stand-outs) and superb gags. One particularly good running joke is that AP keeps getting second opinions on her curse from other psychics, and they all seem in complete agreement.
Sriram’s direction is thrilling throughout, displaying a control of tone that is often jaw-dropping. A perfect example of that comes in the beautifully blocked blowjob scene with Damian Young’s character, which manages to be playful, laugh-out-loud funny, erotic, sweet, and surprisingly moving, all at the same time.
The comparisons to John Waters are extremely apt, as his influence is palpable here, not least in the way Fucktoys is totally non-judgemental, warmly embracing the sex and depravity while proudly walking on the wild side. (Incidentally, according to Sriram, Waters has seen the film, and he loves it).
The influence of Almodovar is apparent too, not just in the colourful characters, but in the look of Fucktoys as well, which is full of pastel shades and vibrant combinations of pink, yellow and red. The production design is full of gorgeous details as well, from the retro red moped that AP and Danni ride through the streets of Trashtown to the various gaudy interiors, from the fancy drugs party venue to the strip club that gives the film its name.
As if Sriram’s script and direction weren’t already impressive enough, her lead performance as AP is an absolute joy – she’s laugh-out-loud funny, effortlessly sexy and utterly charming. She also has palpable chemistry with literally EVERYONE, from Scott’s Danni to the smallest support character.
The supporting cast are equally delightful – Scott has a punky charisma that works well, while Young is wonderful as Robert, and the unexpected relationship he develops with both AP and Danni is another one of the film’s many highlights. Similarly, Flynn is very funny as James Francone (it’s not hard to guess which real-life actor he’s spoofing), while Arnaud is superb in a role that’s part dangerous charm, part fragile male ego nightmare.
Put simply, Fucktoys is the most exciting writer-director-star debut in years, a wild ride of sex, drugs, love and laughter that announces Annapurna Sriram as a thrilling new voice in American cinema. It will be fascinating to see what she does next.
***** 5/5
Fucktoys screened at this year’s Stiges Film Festival.
