Fucktoys
| Fucktoys | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Annapurna Sriram |
| Written by | Annapurna Sriram |
| Produced by | Timothy Petryni |
| Starring | Annapurna Sriram Sadie Scott Damian Young Brandon Flynn François Arnaud Big Freedia |
| Cinematography | Cory Fraiman-Lott |
| Edited by | Lilly Wild Grason Caldwell |
Production companies | Trashtown Pictures Atypical Day |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Fucktoys is a 2025 American independent black comedy-drama film written and directed by Annapurna Sriram in her feature filmmaking debut. The film stars Sriram, Sadie Scott, Francois Arnaud, Big Freedia, Damian Young, and Brandon Flynn.
The film premiered at the South By Southwest Film Festival on March 9th, 2025, where it received the Special Jury Award in Narrative Feature Competition.[1]
Premise
After she is told she has a curse that can be removed for a payment of $1,000 and the sacrifice of a baby lamb, sex worker and ingenue AP sets out on her moped across the pre-millenium alternate reality city of Trashtown, to try and earn enough money to lift it.[2][3] Throughout her journey she encounters a series of bizarre, larger than life characters that force her to navigate the pervasively transactional reality of her world. Sriram describes the film as "Neocamp," a style of filmmaking that repurposes the cinematic language of camp through a 21st century feminist lens. The film's journey through the night structure has been compared to film's like After Hours and Good Time,[4] and its visual iconography of the loosely follows the Fool's Journey of the Tarot.[5][6]
Cast
- Annapurna Sriram[7] as AP
- Sadie Scott[7] as Danni
- Damian Young[7] as Robert
- Brandon Flynn[7] as James Francone
- François Arnaud[7] as The Mechanic
- Big Freedia[7] as Tarot Woman
- Marcus Anderson Jr. as The Caterer
- Jowin Marie Batoon as Neon Psychic
- Stevie Cavalier as Brooks
- Todd d'Amour as Negotiator John
- Nikki Dixon as Lisa
- Ellen Harvey as Helena
- Denton Hatcher as Insecure John
- Dan A.R. Kelly as Joe Schmo
- Tamika Lawrence as Dion
- Audrey Medrano as Flea Market Psychic
- Casey Mills as Swingset
- Lorrie Odom as High Priestess Psychic
- Arianna Ortiz as Luna
- Matt Owens as Conspiracy Theorist John
- Don Stephenson as Clause
- Tone Tank as Conrad
- Tam Taylor as Lucy
- Olivia Troy as Hotel Receptionist
- Creek Wilson as The Truck Driver
Production
Sriram was inspired by films such as Angel and Crimes of Passion the works of John Waters, Gregg Araki, Agnes Varda, and Jim Jarmusch.[8][9][10] The film was shot on super 16mm.[11][12] The film was inspired by a previous relationship of Sriram, with her stating: "I had this breakup happen in my late 20s, and it was because a psychic told me that if I didn't dump my boyfriend, I was going to get really sick and wasn't going to have the career I was supposed to have. So I called him and said, ‘OK, the psychic says we have to break up.’ I got off the phone and felt like an insane person, because who has a call with a psychic who's like, ‘Do this life-changing thing,’ and then you immediately do it? So I felt very gullible and naive. I was heartbroken, and I started writing scenes."[8] The film's title was described as reclamation of the term and a dig on the term "fuck boy".[13]
Release
A festival trailer for the film was released on March 6, 2025.[11] The film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival,[11] where it won the Special Jury Award for a Multi-Hyphenate.[14]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 19 reviews,[15] and is listed as one of the 50 highest-rated feature films of 2025 on the social cataloging service Letterboxd.[16]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fantasia International Film Festival | New Flesh Competition: Special Jury Mentions | Annapurna Sriram | Won | [17] |
| 2025 | South by Southwest | Special Jury Award for a Multi-Hyphenate | Won | [14] |
References
- ^ Welk, Brian (March 13, 2025). "SXSW 2025 Awards: Amy Wang's 'Slanted' Wins Narrative Feature Award". IndieWire. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (March 18, 2025). "'F*cktoys' Review: Annapurna Sriram's Bold Blast of a Sex Worker Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Butt, Thomas; Weintraub, Steven (March 20, 2025). ""You Don't Need Balls to Be Ballsy": 'F*cktoys' Director and Cast on the Beating Heart of Their "Sexploitation" Comedy". Collider. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Holm, Simon (July 29, 2025). "Tre tilnærminger til marerittet i Karlovy Vary: Dead Lover, Fucktoys og Sorry, Baby". Montages Magazine (in Norwegian). Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ DiVincenzo, Alex (March 6, 2025). "'Fucktoys' Teaser – A Tarot-Inspired Bubblegum Grindhouse Odyssey Shot on 16mm". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Shatto, Rachel (March 5, 2025). "SXSW 2025 preview: 15 queer films we can't wait to see!". Pride.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Leonard, Megan. "Fucktoys". SIFF. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ^ a b Earl, William (March 9, 2025). "'F—toys' Mastermind Annapurna Sriram Was Sick of Being Pigeonholed in Hollywood, So She Channeled John Waters to Make Her Gonzo Sexual Fantasia Debuting at SXSW". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (March 18, 2025). "SXSW Film Festival 2025: Fu*cktoys, $Positions, Idiotka". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Garner, Glenn (March 19, 2025). "'F—toys' Multi-Hyphenate Annapurna Sriram Talks Non-Binary Co-Star's Passport Scare & "Rebellious Nature" Of Her SXSW Winner". Deadline. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c Minton, Matt (March 6, 2025). "'F—toys' Trailer: Sex Worker Rages Against a Curse on Her in Surreal Adventure Through Trashtown (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Elfadl, Murtada (July 11, 2025). "'Fucktoys' Review: Annapurna Sriram's Saucy and Singular Sex Comedy Tests the Limits of Good Taste". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Whittaker, Richard (March 14, 2025). "Taking the John Waters Route to Female Sexuality in Fucktoys". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b Garner, Glenn (March 19, 2025). "'F—toys' Multi-Hyphenate Annapurna Sriram Talks Non-Binary Co-Star's Passport Scare & "Rebellious Nature" Of Her SXSW Winner". Deadline. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Fucktoys". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
- ^ "Letterboxd's Top 50 of 2025 — Updated Weekly, a list of films by Jack Moulton". Letterboxd. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Jennie Punter (July 26, 2025). "'Mother of Flies' Becomes First U.S. Feature to Win the Top Prize at Fantasia Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
