Hot Docs 2025 - Paul Review

 

Film Festival regular and Canadian art legend Denis Côté returns with a documentary of expectantly

out-of-the-ordinary proportions. A film about submissive relationships and self-fulfillment through acts of service.

It immediately feels very inspired by the Castaing-Taylor and Paravel Harvard documentaries

(The Fabric of The Human Body, Caniba, Leviathan)–- the film operates as an entirely observational piece that

spends its time exploring every nook and cranny of the dominant/submissive relationship dynamic within Paul’s

unique hobby and its associated universe. The subject matter is graphic, and does not hold back (breath play, impact

play, bondage, food play, and potential twig penetration (oh yes, you read that right, twig penetration) is just scraping

the surface), all of these acts are shown blatantly and without cutting/panning away, truly throwing you into the

psychology of these people.

Côté has an incredible ability to put Paul - a relatively shy and introverted man - right in the drivers seat of this

narrative, with confidence and genuine charm being heavily present on nothing sides— he is a very active person

that constantly grows throughout the piece, never remaining stagnant in mood and perspective— always gaining

more insight from one session to another. As a documentary and a piece of visual filmmaking, it functions inherently

well on every fundamental level and then some; it always feels like it’s firing on all cylinders, begging you to

seriously consider and reflect upon the imagery it’s showing you and daring you not to squirm in your seat.

It spends its 90-minute runtime relishing in its taboo topics, making snow angels in the conversations related to grief

and trauma cognizance that it spawns throughout the narrative. After the halfway point, the acts of service Paul found

himself providing and submitting to began to escalate and differentiate. This caused a reaction of sporadic walk-outs,

most likely by folks who couldn’t handle the extreme subject matter that is italicized and thoroughly examined.

However, despite the intense nature of some of these moments, they are essential pieces to the puzzle of Paul’s

journey of self-improvement and self-love. After engaging in acts of submission, Paul is commonly seen bonding in a very genuine manner with his various dominatrices. Their conversations highlight the progress of his domestic

relationships, personal outlook, and consistency in regards to these topics. While these conversations serenade the

scene, the camera will commonly explore the houses of the dominatrices that Paul assists and submits to,

juxtaposing the dominant landscapes of suburbia with the modest layout of his own apartment.

While observing the logline, it’s easy to understand how this movie could’ve spiraled south in a drastic manner

if certain topics were handled without proper care, consideration, and dissection. Aside from some sporadic bursts of

uncomfortable laughter (as well as a huge crowd reaction for the Scrub Daddy reference), you could hear the

audience taking the film seriously and thoughtfully. This actively operates as a substantial achievement for the film,

getting a mainstream audience almost entirely hooked on its taboo and potentially uncomfortable wavelength is no

easy feat. Everyone involved should be deeply proud of the informational and timely work of art. A true 2025 film.

Hot Docs 2025 runs from April 24th to May 3rd. Tickets can be purchased at hotdocs.ca. Paul screens once more on Monday, April 28th, at the TIFF Lightbox at 7:45pm.