Eastern Boys

The Gare du Nord, Paris. A group of Eastern European "toughs" work the streets, searching for wealthy businessmen to invite them back to their lavished apartments. Daniel, a white-collar worker, notices a young "minor" he finds attractive, Marek. Eerily following his footsteps until he encounters him. Cornered. They exchange address details, arranging a time for a meet. The next evening, Daniel prepares himself and the apartment for Marek's arrival. Polo shirt. Denim jeans. White sneakers with laces tied tightly. The phone rings. "It's Marek". "Come on up". A gentle knock on the front door echoes around the polished abode. Daniel nervously unlocks the entrance, but what waits on the other side will change his life forever.

Campillo's dramatic thriller has an unpredictable direction that maintains an unforgiving ambience throughout. Amalgamating two opposing classes of society into an eventful invasive situation that tests the boundaries of both parties involved. Daniel taunted for his repressed homosexuality by the entity that invites themselves into the apartment. Helpless to the scenario that crudely unfolds. The next morning arrives. Daniel, silenced by the aftermath, encounters Marek again. Clouded with guilt or exploiting Daniel further? Marek confidently applies himself to the prostitution that was promised originally. Daniel hesitates but proceeds.

What follows for the remaining runtime is a "Good Samaritan" narrative, with Daniel granting Marek a chance at embellishing the adult world without restrained by the impoverished limitations of immigrants living in hotels under the jurisdiction of social-services. Campillo insightfully provides a harrowing portrait on France's uncontrollable level in immigration whilst intricately crafting a tender relationship in the process that challenges the maturity levels of both individuals. The thematic veneers that Campillo layers upon the furnished walls of Daniel's apartment, astonishes upon every nail-biting turn provided in his screenplay. Every sparse line of dialogue. Every nullified murmur of displeasure. From teaching Marek the French vocabulary of body parts to Marek himself detailing his war-torn past to a befuddled Daniel. The script provokes a monumental amount of care from each character. Not love, but supervision.

What initially commences as a protruding thriller unravels to become a mature drama perceiving change. How one well-intentioned soul can provide an opportunity for a less fortunate individual to better themselves and integrate their intuition into a society that discards them. Replenishing a system that accepts immigrants by granting them a life they can lead. Not trapped by the confinements of four walls that surrounds these helpless souls. Campillo also illustrates loveless intimacy, with Marek offering himself to Daniel for a few euros, amplifying the modern issues of gay culture in general. The explicit scenes of sexual nature were difficult to watch given the circumstances these characters find themselves in, highlighting an insufficiency and inadequacy between the two of them.

It's an incredible piece of cinema that relies on character intervention and sublime direction. Fortunately Rabourdin and Emelyanov produce two of the finest performances queer cinema has to offer. The dimensionality they provide in every situation, from awkward conversations to the conclusive rescue mission, is outstanding. Manifesting pure yet flawed souls into their performances. Rebotini's score occasionally overwhelmed the dramatic endeavours on screen, but supplied a hefty bass during the initial home invasion sequence. Notable praise must be awarded to Lapoirie's gorgeous cinematography. She utilised the confined environment around her to accentuate the thrills of both the first and third act. Even a simple shot of the neighbouring apartment blocks, day or night, contributed to the class segregation theme that Campillo deftly analysed.

The only noticeable criticism was with the chapter titles acting as transitions between human drama and unpredictable thrills. Their abrupt tonal alterations unfortunately felt out of place and less seamless than removing them entirely. It may liken the feature to a journal, yet hinders the pacing occasionally.

Oscillating between genres is no easy achievement, however Campillo's versatility proves that it can be done without regressing the feature. Eastern Boys is a testament to thematic cinema. Embedding a surplus of apt themes into a tender character-driven bond that rarely treads through cliches. Powerful, palpable and quite simply near-perfect. Eastern Boys proves that, when given the chance, we can take control of our lives for the better.

"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.

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.

Around the Gare du Norde railway station groups of East European lads gather and seek opportunistic chances for an easy buck. Daniel Muller (Olivier Rabourdin 'Of Gods and Men') is a gay man who is attracted to one of them - he is not sure if they are for rent but approaches Marek and a date is arranged at Muller's apartment. Only when he answers the door he is not prepared for the visitor he gets.

That is the start and what develops goes way beyond what I was expecting. We have quite a few issues being explored here from migrant integration, crime, pay for sex and affairs of the heart. I was at times feeling uncomfortable, angry, concerned and even happy. The main thing is that it is always engaging.

Great performances from all the cast but Olivier Rabourdin was totally convincing and Krill Emelyanov as Marek as the confused yet caring Ukrainian was brilliant. This is for those who enjoy an intelligent gay themed film, but a lot of the issues here are very universal and as such I can highly recommend.

This film is not for the faint hearted - it's fairly full on - powerful and moving. The language bar is very low. Shot in French, English and Russian - you don't really need to know much of the other languages to understand it. It's tense and moody - especially the first half.

Strong performances from the leads and from main supporting actors.

Recommended