Eastern Boys

Pretty weird flick... Olivier Rabourdin is "Daniel", who thinks he has picked up a hustler at the train station; instead, things go from weird to weirder. The person who shows up at his door is NOT the person he thinks he hired, and when a whole group of eastern block people show up, things go south quickly. Daniil Vorobyov is "Boss", the chiseled, muscle-y leader of the pack, who runs the show. Then Daniel sees Marek, the guy who lured him into this whole mess (Kirill Emelyanov), and they strike up an odd relationship. The last two thirds of the film is mostly about their relationship, which has its ups and downs.

Written and directed by Robin Campillo, whose other works are related to gangs or different social classes and the issues that come with that. Not much info on any of these actors in IMDb. While this film is a bit off-beat, it's certainly entertaining, and one of the few films where I was not able to guess what comes next. English subtitle translation du français.

Most will be familiar with Campillo's work from the TV adaptation of his film The Returned, Eastern Boys shares many of the same qualities of the TV show; a poetic approach to actions that are usually bluntly handled in cinema. Somehow Campillo manages to seamlessly combine several paradoxical elements and genres and still create an elegant and complete film.

The opening scenes are enough to cement the atmosphere of the film, as you are introduced to the eastern boys of the title, hanging around in the Gare du Nord, but it takes an impressive amount of time before their occupation becomes clear, and even then the plot meanders in ways that you may not be expecting.

Olivier Raboudin and newcomer Kirill Emelyanov are exceptional in the central roles, but Daniil Vorobyev is a revelation as the scene stealing psychotic boss, a performance which easily matches Gary Oldman's Stanfield from Leon. These characters and all the supporting roles are skillfully captured with a minimal and subtle script, that highlights Campillo's peculiar and under appreciated talent to bring cold environments to life.

"Daniel" (Olivier Rabourdin) is a successful gent who cruises the mall and picks up the handsome young "Marek" (Kirill Emelyanov). Rather unrealistically, I thought, he gives him his address and next day - equally unsuprisingly, he has a few unexpected visitors who completely implausibly clear out his house around him after have drank his booze and eaten his food. At this point I was ready to turn this off! I didn't though, and I am glad. Next day, "Daniel" answers the door to the young rent boy - alone, this time - and over the remaining course of the film we follow the two as they begin to bond. The former man realises that his new toy-boy is, at heart, a decent lad who has moved from desperate circumstances in the Ukraine and fallen into bad company in an hostel dominated by the "boss" (Daniil Vorobyov). There is a degree of chemistry between the two here, and we do - after that rather ropey start - begin to feel just a little invested in the youngster as his character develops and his personality and integrity are encouraged by an older man who initially just wanted sex, but who quickly realises that more could be on offer - for both of them, here. It takes quite a swipe at immigration policies, of bullying and of crime whilst offering us performances that emit just the slightest glimmer of hope and aspiration. It's far, far too long - and Robin Campillo really ought to have been far more savage with the digital razor blade at the start, but once it's up and running it develops an impetus to it that makes it engaging to watch.

EASTERN BOYS is the story of a middle-aged man developing a love interest with an Ukrainian rent boy. The boy's still caught up in gang life and his troubled condition as an immigrant in France complicate the relationship. EASTERN BOYS is part drama, part romance, a story told with relatively little words and carried by superb performances.

All of the characters appear to be very real, and even the movie's "villain", the gang leader, is relatable and not one-sided. The relationship between the two main protagonists is similarly multi-faceted and interesting.

Overall, the movie did keep me interested... but at times it just prodded along, bugged down by pacing issues. Especially the middle part of the movie had far too many short scenes with short musical interludes, which made everything seem blur together. Cinematographically, EASTERN BOYS looks decent but it also has a lot of generic shots and cuts... and a pretty bad overlaid images shot in a dance scene.

All in all, a decent gay-themed romance drama that will keep you entertained, but it won't blow your mind.

When a dozen young thugs thugs enter your apartment and ransack it, you would expect some resistance, some violence. But no, in this very French film, everything is very civilised, almost as if it were a social gathering, with the robbers dancing as they rob and the guy being robbed having a drink as we watches all his fancy possessions being lugged away. Though the film has a high degree of tension and pent up violence running through, it never actually manifests itself except in short bursts and in the (relatively) mild form of a boy being roughly shoved to the ground, having a foot placed on his face and then tied up. Which is why these small bits of violence are so impactful and lead to such explosive consequences in the story. This is a very unique film and I really enjoyed it.