O Sexo Não Compra o Amor

I saw Boy Culture yesterday at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, having seen and enjoyed Q. Allan Brocka's last film, Eating Out. Once again we are in the rarefied atmosphere of the buffed and the beautiful - three pectorally perfect young studs with an apartment from the pages of Wallpaper magazine.

But the surface perfection hides a trio of unhappy people. 'X', the un-named narrator is a high-class rent boy with a select group of only 12 clients - the Disciples. Andrew, his room-mate and object of X's affection is a stunningly handsome boy who wants both love and an open relationship. Completing the triptych is Joey (aka Blowy Joey), a cute-as-a-button twink who plays 'son' to the dysfunctional duo.

X has a problem - not only is he in love with Andrew but his life as a hustler has left him able to have sex only when there is cash involved. Enter the enigmatic Gregory - X's newest Disciple - a reclusive figure who isn't quite what he seems.

Once all the protagonists are in play, Brocka does an efficient job of keeping all the plates of the various story lines spinning in an entertaining and engaging fashion. As X, Derek Magyar is not afraid to present an unsympathetic character, albeit one who asks for no sympathy from the audience. Andrew and Joey are a little too cute to be true, but their snappy dialogue and willingness to disrobe at any opportunity are ample compensation.

Indeed, many of the scenes and much of the dialogue have a saucy snap that puts Boy Culture streets ahead of the sweet but rather formulaic Eating Out - and the supporting characters that our boys encounter (especially Andrew's razor-tongued little sister) all play their parts to perfection.

But for me the film came most alive in the conversations between X and Gregory. Inter-generational gay relationships are the missing link of contemporary gay cinema, and the way in which their friendship develops is handled with great poignancy and charm, helped by an impressive performance from the great Patrick Bauchau.

It is rare to see gay cinema that is thoughtful, witty, romantic and sexy all at once. Boy Culture is all that. The actors are great! The photography is rich and evocative. The setting (Seattle) is believable and supports the particular urban attitudes embodied by the characters. The story took me into a world different from my own. I laughed and was moved. It resonates in a larger sense with gay life (or male life) in contemporary society: What are the emotional risks needed in order to live a connected life? Our hard-won freedoms bring up questions -- about choice, and how we limit ourselves to guard our emotional wounds... This story is funny (rare in so-called "romantic comedies"!!) as well as touching and good-looking and sexy and smart! I loved it.

I just came away from a screening of "Boy Culture" at the Seattle International Film Festival (where the director Q. Allan Brocka began his love of film), and thought "that was a very good gay film". The character acting was strong (especially the cameo part of Andrew's little sister "Cheyenne"). The audience all laughed throughout the film, which helped to ease the tension of some very powerful emotions. Derek Magyar pulled off the difficult job of being jaded and emotionally distant and yet a likable and charismatic character. "X" is part strong, silent, and manly and part Dorthy Parker with acidic observations. During the Q&A after the film, I found myself wanting to read more of the source material that Matthew Rettenmund has written in the original novel. IMDb doesn't give credits for Andrew's family but they really helped bring out his character more. While Darryl Stephens didn't have the same level of emotional non-verbal delivery that Magyar did, he was beautiful to watch and gave a strong performance. Jonathon Trent did a great job in the love triangle and made me think of the original "Queer as Folk" series.

BOY CULTURE is a very fine little film and were it being evaluated solely within the confines of gay films, it would easily rate 10 stars. It is well written, well directed, well acted and has messages that cover a fairly broad territory (racism, homophobia, hustler life style, relationships, coming out tales and tales from the closet, etc). There are some technical flaws with the film and some unresolved character problems that prevent it from being what it comes close to being, but finally here is a gay themed film that is wise, entertaining, and user-friendly for a larger population than the community for which it was made.

The story is biographical in nature: "X" (Derek Magyar) is a male hustler who lives off the income from a limited clientèle of regulars, who occupies a living space with two gay roommates - Andrew (Darryl Stephens) and Joey (Jonathon Trent) - and who has what he thinks it takes to make him happy. The missing element is love, and in several ways he comes into proximity with that missing thread: his newest client is Gregory (Patrick Bauchau in a richly nuanced performance as a elderly closeted loner) who introduces X to the finer things in life, including introspection and looking for what is missing in his world. Andrew is a conflicted African American man who still misses the caring he had with a girlfriend whose wedding he is to attend. Joey has just turned 18 and looks to X and Andrew as father figures. The problem is that X and Andrew have deeper feelings of attraction and commitment to each other than either wants to admit, and the story (as narrated by X) is about how this mutual challenging need is resolved.

Q. Allan Brocka directed and co-wrote the film with Philip Pierce and the dialog is snappy at times and gently tender at others. The cast is quite fine: the young lads are top notch eye candy while bringing solid acting skills to their roles, and the older actors bring a since of resilience to the story that keeps it grounded in style. This is a very good little film that deserves a wider audience, one that needs to see this aspect of the population once considered merely peripheral. Movies like this help understanding interpersonal relationships, and everyone needs to address that. Grady Harp

OK I have to admit I thought I was going to hate this film. After reading the synopsis I was dreading it and thought...ah some cheap gay crap full of crap actors getting their kit off to fuel other gays' sexual fantasies. But I was wrong.

OK the film has clichés, clumsiness, and pretentiousness. But these flaws are mild when taken in the overall context of the film. Essentially it's a romantic film with gay interest, but the "gay interest" part can really be ignored. The story, cast, screenplay and progress of the movie works...overall! It's charming and endearing. It's never going to be your favourite film or anything wonderful... but you'll like it. It might become one of your faves! Finally, my respect to the actors. Again, not Oscar-winning performances, but certainly commendable and enjoyable.