‘F—toys’ Finds Bubblegum Beauty in the Grime of Survival

It’s a true testament to a creator when the audience can recognize their inspirations without reading a single word about the film. That can be said of Annapurna Sriram’s Fucktoys, a loaded fever dream that feels like what you would get if you took Anora,  marinated in John Waters’ sweat and left to ferment. Shot on gorgeous 16mm film, Fucktoys plunges headfirst into the intersection of intimacy, exploitation, and economic struggle, delivering a campy crusade through a pre-millenium elseworld that’s as absurd as it is unexpectedly poignant. 

The film opens with AP (played by Sriram; Billions) in the middle of the bayou receiving a tarot reading from a psychic (Big Freedia). The psychic tells her that AP needs to dump her boyfriend, who treats her like a yo-yo, and second, and far more dire, she’s been cursed. Naturally, AP’s first priority is to break the curse. All she needs is two things: to sacrifice a baby lamb and $1,000 to pay for the ceremony. To come up with the cash, AP crawls back into the underbelly of Trashtown, where she makes money the only way she knows how. What follows is a sort of grindhouse Thelma & Louise with AP and her maybe-more-than-a-friend Dani (Sadie Scott) as they find themselves in the middle of hijinks that ensue. 

It isn’t always helpful to compare a film to another, though here it feels necessary because what Anora lacked is found in Fucktoys. Anora was hyper-focused on a specific scenario but didn’t really expand to give us a full view of a sex worker’s landscape. And while Trashtown is a fictional place, the powers that rule it are very real and are mirrored in our society. Though the title is crass, the film doesn’t sacrifice emotional texture and, in moments, is surprisingly tender in its portrait of survival.  

Fucktoys is another piece of evidence on the importance of fighting for your creative vision. Sriram shared how hard it was to make this film the way she wanted it, including the choice to shoot it on film and the title. Both decisions sustain the disillusionment that pulses in Trashtown. One moment, AP and Dani are roaming free on the back of AP’s moped. Next, they’re fleeing the house of a married John, hoping not to get shot by his wife. But before we linger there, we see AP floating on a heart-shaped lifesaver in a crystal clear pool like a Barbie. The ebbs and flows of their daily lives are just an average day for some working in the sex industry.  

It’s interesting to see such gorgeous shots of some of the gnarliest kinks. This affirms Sriram’s purpose to make this wild world feel grounded and real, to demystify some of these sexual taboos. In Trashtown, this unnerving adventure is a part of society. This is what surviving entails. Still, AP radiates a sense of hope and joy despite the odds or danger against her. As wild as the film gets, it never feels gratuitous. They fit right into the world that Sriram crafted, and we quickly understand the rules. 

Fucktoys is a solid low-scale debut. It’s rebellious, raunchy, yet thoughtful in its underlying themes. Sriram proves she’s one to watch, already carving out a place for herself among notable trash (complimentary) filmmakers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars