The Gigolos

I've just watched The Gigolos at the Durango Film Festival. It was completely delightful. Sly, sad, and comic by turns. Newcomers Trevor and Sacha were excellent. I especially loved the development of Trevor's character: the 'office manager', his date with Lady James, the pick-up, the poaching, the life modelling, the reconciliation with Sacha, and the grocer girl. There is a gentle, atmospheric, bemused tone to the direction and camera-work; very unusual, highly original. A floating, timeless atmosphere. There's no sense of a measured passage of time; intervals could be hours or months. And similarly there is a curious placelessness: it's London, but there are almost no references to neighborhoods or landmarks. The hand-held camera work - the cinema verite tone - produces a documentary's sense of immediacy and viewer presence; but this was combined with the timelessness and placelessness to produce an enjoyable disorientation, a euphoria. The pace is deliberately slow. So many scenes are street shots and interior shots of the two gigolos just living: walking, waiting, bathing, sleeping. This works really well. The plot is an occasional pattern within real lives. I'd love to know if there really is a Gigolos Club in London's Mayfair!

I don't know if The Gigolos is yet on general release, but if you like original films then this is a must-see. I still can't believe this was the first feature for the director and for Trevor and Sacha.

The Gigolos was recommended to me by a friend who caught it at the Cambridge Film Festival. He told me that he hadn't been sure about it at the time but that it had stuck around in his head for at least a week. It's not hard to see what he means: the subtlety of the story and the camera-work is beguiling, but it is only afterwards that the brilliant set-pieces and innocent conversations return to you with their full force.

Filmed in a mockumentary style, and with very low key acting on the part of the two male leads, The Gigolos carefully draws you into it's smooth, suave, subtle atmosphere like a 3am conversation in a private inner-city bar. This is balanced by the cameos of the more famous actresses, who steal each scene they're in, before you're returned to the murky, dark relationship between Trevor and Sacha.

There are moments of good comedy, but the real draw of The Gigolos is the way it draws you into their world. Much like the vintage Mercedes that should earn its own credit in the film, it is measured, balanced and deliberate, aware of its class and its potential but designed not to show off. It takes you on your journey, with a grace that makes you forget that you're travelling.

I found the Gigolos to be light hearted, as well as having a subtle undertone of dark humour throughout. As someone who hasn't seen anything apart from big American blockbusters recently, I found it was an interesting film about a world and lifestyle I previously knew little about. It managed to keep my attention for the duration which is no mean feat. Artistically, I liked the way the film was shot, and for some brief moments I forgot that the two lead characters were in fact actors. The lack of harsh lighting helps to keep the venues and circumstances fairly moody and atmospheric. The music,clothing and styling had retro influences which I like. The film gave off an air of "cool" without trying to - nicely done!

Not really, but the Three6Mafia song (title) just was a adequate start for this movie (imho). A movie that shows us the little known (to most of us I believe) life of a gigolo. And his valet and their relationship of course!

It begins slow and the (recorded) audio isn't near the one you're used to from big budget movies. Being a low budget movie, that isn't something you'd expect. The shaky camera adding to that feeling of rawness and the bleakness of a life, that can break you down. Speaking of feelings, that's something the movie never quite achieves. Yes you will get to know the characters a little bit and yes you will like them and care for them. But you never really get deep ... now that's something that could be intentional and would fit the mood/character of a gigolo. Still it disconnects you quite a lot from the main characters. Another thing that wasn't fleshed out, are the subplots. Some starting, but having no conclusion. Some might like that, but it didn't felt right to me. An average movie then, that could've been better!

The Gigolos had its first UK screening at the excellent Cambridge Film Festival last week. It's an amazing debut feature film from writer/director Richard Bracewell and writer/actors Sacha and Trevor. First, I was expecting it to be about the glamorous life of a male escort in the West End. Instead, it is a film about the search for love in a world of aching loneliness. Every character - the clients and the gigolos themselves - are disappointed and lonely, but it's temporarily forgotten for one magical evening. This was brilliantly done by Bracewell - you don't know whether to laugh, cry or cringe. It's got the same edge as The Office or Curb Your Enthusiasm - these guys have taken the "comedy of embarrassment" and applied it to film with great success.

Fantastic also to see Susannah York on the big screen again - for a fan of Tom Jones, The Killing of Sister George and Superman her cameo as a bored West End fashion agent who finds the "London men are boring" is a real treat.