Eastern Boys

Plot synopsis:
Marek, a young Ukrainian immigrant in Paris, works the street in front of the Gare du Nord with his friends, other Eastern European 'toughs'. He is approached by Daniel, a businessman in his 50s, self-consciously cruising at the station, and agrees to visit him at his home at 6pm the following day.
The next evening, Daniel is unnerved to find a 14-year-old boy at his door, declaring himself to be 'Marek'. The boy pushes past him into the apartment and proceeds to chide him for allegedly inviting him, a minor, to his home for sex. A while later the door knocks again and the boy lets in two other Eastern European young men. Soon, to Daniel's horror, they are joined by the rest of the gang, including 'Boss', their Russian leader. Daniel stands by helplessly as the men mount a full-fledged invasion. As they disperse around his well-appointed apartment, helping themselves to its facilities, Boss taunts Daniel about his helplessness, before suggesting to him that it was he who invited them over. He soon launches a raucous party in Daniel's living room, as the other young men strip the apartment of his belongings.
Later in the evening the real Marek arrives, and joins in the dancing, seemingly unclouded by guilt. The next day, Daniel wakes to a trashed and emptied apartment.
As Daniel slowly begins refurbishing his home, and life seems to be returning to normal, Marek visits again. After Daniel yields to his repeated entreats for entry, and opens the door, the young man bluntly offers sex. Daniel agrees after some hesitation. They move to the bedroom, where Marek coldly lies on his side, as Daniel thrusts into him before quickly finishing. Daniel hands Marek a 50 euro note before he hurriedly leaves.
To his surprise, Marek returns a few days later. This time, after they undress, Daniel brings Marek to climax, before he silently climbs under the covers, and goes off to sleep. Daniel wakes to find Marek no longer beside him, but finds him in the kitchen, eating leftovers. Wordlessly, Daniel gathers items from the refrigerator, and they end up sharing a meal.
Over the following weeks, Marek becomes a regular fixture in Daniel's life. Daniel grows fond of him, in spite of himself, while Marek arrives more often and stays longer. Grocery shopping one evening, Marek tells Daniel that he grew up in Chechnya, that both of his parents were casualties in the war, and reveals that his name is actually Rouslan. Back at the apartment, Rouslan tells Daniel that he trusts him, before accusing him of not caring enough to trust him in return. That night, Daniel refuses Rouslan's advances for the first time. When that makes him upset, he tells him that he's 'such a kid'.
Shortly after, Daniel suggests that Rouslan look for a job, saying that he can't live only on his 50 euros. He asks Rouslan to begin sleeping in a bed in the office, rather than in his own. Rouslan grudgingly complies but has a nightmare triggered by fireworks going off nearby. He wakes fearfully, and Daniel finds him dazed, in the living area. Rouslan breaks down, demanding to know why Daniel no longer wants him and afraid that he will make him leave. Daniel assures him that he will not, that he merely wants them to stop sleeping together. He reveals that he wants Rouslan to begin a new life, one that he can help establish. He invites Rouslan to move into his apartment and tells him to break ties with the gang.
Rouslan's passport (along with other gang member's papers) is held by Boss at a cheap, city-limits hotel that serves as the gang's base. Rouslan ventures to the hotel to retrieve it. Although he steals Boss' key to the locker that holds the documents, he is discovered by Boss while trying to find the locker. He is muscled back up to their floor, where Boss assaults Rouslan, smashes his cell phone, and has the other boys tie him up — leaving him restrained in a private storage room.
Daniel becomes worried when he can't reach Rouslan by his cell phone, and drives out to the hotel. When the concierge is unable to confirm Rouslan's whereabouts, Daniel takes a room, at her suggestion, on the second floor, where the immigrants are housed. As she escorts him to the room, they both hear a faint groaning coming from the storage room. Although the concierge brushes this off at first, when Daniel calls down to the front desk shortly after, she explains that the immigrants are managed by Social Services and, as such, are out of her jurisdiction. As Daniel becomes increasingly concerned, she suggests that they call the police. Daniel explains that he must find another way that will not result in Rouslan being arrested and deported.
Daniel ventures back into the hotel corridor and calls out to Rouslan at the door to the storage room. Rouslan, bound and gagged, responds with muffled cries. Realising he must act swiftly, Daniel moves his car into the underground parking lot, then uses the stair access to return to the front desk. With a sense of unspoken agreement, he and the concierge return to the second floor, where she uses her pass key to unlock the storage room. Having played her vital role, the concierge quickly returns to her work, as Daniel moves Rouslan, still tied-up, to his hotel room before the gang members can discover them.
When Boss discovers that someone has unlocked the storage room door and allowed Rouslan to escape, he accuses a junior hotel staff member, before punching him. Hearing the commotion, Daniel sees an opportunity and calls the police to the hotel. As the concierge confronts the immigrants, Daniel uses a fire extinguisher to break into the locker and retrieve Rouslan's papers.
The police arrive and swarm the hotel, while Daniel carries a badly beaten Rouslan down the stairwell to his car in the underground parking lot. As he is lowering Rouslan into the rear of his hatchback, Boss attacks the two of them, pushing Daniel aside and pummeling Rouslan with his fists. Daniel scrambles back to his feet before launching at Boss and choking him up against a concrete pillar.
As the police round up the last of the immigrants, Daniel and Rouslan drive away to seeming safety. Boss avoids arrest and discovers Rouslan's apartment key in the pocket of a leather jacket. Seeing an opportunity to exact revenge, Boss travels to Daniel's apartment, only to discover that just the shell of the rooms remain — Daniel and Rouslan have left the apartment behind.
Months later, the two men sit in a court room, as a committee hear their case, as Daniel seeks to adopt Rouslan. They are told that because of the unconventional circumstances of their association, they'll receive a decision in the fall. As they leave the courthouse, their solicitor encourages them to be patient — telling them that it is a routine adoption and that there is no reason for their plea to be denied. The men walk out into the daylight, towards new beginnings.

Tags: violence

Review:
But as the slow narrative starts to develop, it sucked me in and kept me captivated until the very end.A very realistic, raw image of illegal immigrants and a very sensitive story of deception, love and protection.
I won't spoil the story, but if you are not homophobic and if you like movies such as Stephen Frears's "Dirty Pretty Things", this is a great cinematic experience.
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.
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..
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.
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.
I was only prepared to give this film just half a chance (which I'm glad I did), and bail out as soon as it got too "Euro" for me.Aside from one semi-painful and overly long techno-music / dancing scene early on, the film was perfectly palatable to this particular Mid-Western American's tastes.As others have noted, it starts off a bit slowly, and you're left wondering if there will ever be any dialogue.Turns out there is, and in multiple languages too.
I loved the realism of the two initially only being able to communicate through their own broken English, instead of their native tongues (each being unfamiliar to the other).Really well acted by all, and beautifully filmed.
It had a documentary feel to it, without the obnoxious jittery camera work that some directors think that look requires.There are some mildly graphic gay sex scenes, so if that's too much for you, consider yourself warned.
It's hardly gratuitous though, and nothing you haven't seen between heterosexual characters in other movies over the last thirty years.The story could have used a bit more background on the primary characters, which is what prevented me from giving it an 8 or a 9.
I can see how time constraints might have gotten in the way of the film maker's doing that however.Anyway, it's a breath of fresh air from the usual formula and is much recommended..
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.
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.
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.
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..
Most people in the West know that being gay in Eastern Europe isn't easy.
However, the most difficult aspect of being a gay Eastern European - like yours truly - isn't the danger of the situation, or severing the ties to your family, or finding an opportunity to work in a Western country.
No, the most difficult thing is that, once one is there, one is constantly confronted with the stereotypes pictured in this film and many others.Here, we have a well-off man in his 40s cruising a hustler in a station, foolishly giving him his address because he isn't free that day.
The man falls in love with him but the boy's motives remain unclear.The way the story plays out gives very good testimony to older Western gays' fantasies of very young manipulative (or manipulable) Eastern rent-boys.
In their media, they ignore that rent-boys of Eastern origin are usually straight, in reality it's actually very important to them, as they consider paying for sex with other gays unnecessary.
Since this is (fortunately) unlikely with the more liberated gay generation of today, they project this fantasy on poor refugees.If 'Eastern Boys' can be interesting for straight audiences, then because it shows how superficial gay men can be, and that stereotypes in our community can be just as pervasive and mean as those women are often subjected to.
It is beautifully paced and tension builds throughout and I would say that the last act is quite thrilling.I felt I was in for a good film when I saw how the opening scene was shot and constructed so well.
The whole film is very well directed.There are different acts which are given titles and each has a unique feel and this variety helps to maintain interest.The character development is impressive.
In addition to the main characters we get a very good feel for the nature of the secondary characters in the film even though they don't do a lot of speaking.Overall I think anyone will find this to be rewarding to watch except those unfortunate enough to have hang ups about gay relationships..
This movie lingers so much that it's running time is filled with nothing substantial, which is a great shame as the premise feels like it could have grown to more had the pace been quickened to include more meaningful interaction.
A bit of depth is given during a scene with fireworks, but it's the one time we're given insight into a character's inner mind and emotions.
The story concerns an older man, Daniel, who picks up a young male prostitute from Eastern Europe at a train station in France.
The young male prostitute, Marek, is there illegally; living with a gang of other illegal Eastern Europeans, mainly young men, who survive through criminal activities, particularly stealing.
The opening half hour that introduces us to the characters at the train station and the scene where Daniel has his property stolen while he is in the house is mesmerizing.
As the film progresses, Daniel develops, extraordinarily, a relationship with the young Marek.
Through this relationship we develop an understanding of Marek's background and the problems faced with illegal migrants; particularly in regard to being manipulated and susceptible to criminal activity in order to survive, as seen through Marek's relationship with his gang of young men.
The performances are very good, particularly from Daniil Vorobyov, who plays 'Boss', the leader of the gang - he makes you believe the magnetism he holds over this group of young men.
A caution to any people interested, the movie does begin slow for the first 10 minutes.
Following that is a slow, tense build though, which works well.What makes this movie excellent is the twists and turns the story takes.
The acting is great, particularly the main character, the leader of the gang and the female hotel manager (she is very important to the film).
One of the most interesting parts of the story is its take on love and trust.The only issues I have are the technical aspects, such as dark lighting and some odd cinematography.Overall, I would recommend this film.
But, I also appreciated its honest portrayal of hustling as it relates to age and isolation in gay male culture.The choice to make Daniel, the middle aged gay client of Marek/Rouslan, a white-collar depressive who is not a slick English-speaker was brilliantly spot on.
The interchange of language when the two main characters begin to forge a meaningful relationship from prostitution is paralleled artfully with the interchange of sexual positions between them.
The plot and the Boss character's personality take interesting turns which balance the subdued portrayals of Daniel and Marek/Rouslan.As an older gay man who came out at 17 on a hustler strip of an American city in the 1960s because I could not get into bars, I was impressed by how some things really haven't changed despite the progress in developed nations for middle class and wealthy gay men.
The Eastern Boys were familiar to me, as was Daniel, the john.
This is a very well-told story about a young illegal Ukranian immigrant boy called Marek, who is cruised by a 40-ish gay male at Paris' Gare du Nord train station.
and has now - at least according to the film - been taken over by bands of illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe.
Daniel makes a date to see Marek the next day, but he gets a lot more than he expected when the entire band shows up and basically takes everything of value.
Little by little, the film becomes a discussion on love, trust and loyalty, not to mention a realistic portrayal of the problems faced by a lot of illegal immigrants trying to eke out a living in Paris through whatever means possible.
The film is well paced, although a touch slow at the beginning, and the tension continues to mount until near the end when it becomes almost unbearable.
The actors are all fine, especially Olivier Rabourdin as Daniel and Daniil Vorobyov as Boss, the leader of the pack.
The main problem with the film is that it occasionally lacks credibility for some of the characters' motivations.
More important, how does Daniel know where to find Marek when he goes looking for him?
This is a major problem as it is not explained at all, and even worse, when Boss returns to Daniel's apartment, the surprise that awaits him makes no sense at all as it would have been impossible to prepare in advance.
In this compelling drama from former editor turned director Robin Campillo (The Returned, etc), a group of young former Russian youths linger around the main Paris railway station, looking for potential victims.
He invites Marek back to his lavishly furnished apartment, but is surprised when a gang of thugs turn up, who party hard while systematically looting the place.
Shortly afterwards, Marek turns up alone, and a relationship begins between the two.
Eventually Muller develops a more paternal concern for Marek and convinces him to leave the gang and start a new life.
An exploration of gay male sexuality, xenophobia, and the immigration problems plaguing Europe in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Eastern Boys begins slowly and undergoes a number of tonal shifts.
Eastern Boys: Far Beyond a Love Story.
I got a little worried about certain issues in this movie, mainly the elitism that was the choice of privilege the view of Daniel (a successful man with economic power and that, in some way, dominates and subjugate Marek) about the events.
This choice, if not looked critically, may seems like a xenophobic Manicheism (Daniel = the man who "salves" Marek from the degeneration/ Boss = the bad guy that preclude the "happiness of the lovers").
But, on the other hand, if we analyze the film without being get stuck by this romantic bourgeois superficiality, the movie can be very rich, extremely delicate and complex, because it allows to the spectator have several reflections about the issues of immigration, oppression and all the problematics the main relationship covers (precisely for the way it was conducted).
The movie puts the spectator in a dilemma: the immediate impression is that the picture is about a fair and emancipator love story of an honorable middle-class man and a lost boy with no future.
But, if we were not hurried, complicated issues arises: Daniel was egoist, he used from your supposed love (or caprice?) and from his power of French citizen to get what he wanted (his beautiful, young, mysterious and economically and emotionally fragile lad) and he didn't give a f**k for the other immigrants.
So, Eastern Boys can be read as a dark portrait of oppression and exploration from the French people to the immigrants.
Maybe, more than showing his love to Marek, with the end of the picture, Daniel showed him his power and became Marek a "good boy", dependent and subjugated to this power of his in order to Marek no longer be a "marginal" who "terrifies" the good French citizens.
The first thing you must understand about this movie is that there is hardly any back story to the characters.
Daniil, the well-off French man, wears a suit, has dinner parties at his house, and desires young men to have sex with.
He finds one named Marek, who is part of a large group of (illegal) Eastern European guys, none older than 26, that cruises and hustles, and ultimately looks for ways to get over on people.
The arrangement is made between the two and disaster happens the following day when Marek's crew shows up instead and ransacks Daniil's place and takes everything.
Daniil, in turn, offers up no story of his own but shows a desire to take care of Marek.
It still makes sense until Daniil's attraction for Marek, who he is getting to know so much about, changes from carnal to paternal.
So by the end of the movie, when Daniil is now trying to adopt Marek as his son, I was very confused.
It just seemed that the maker of this movie wanted to create a relationship between the older man and the younger guy that would be more palpable to audiences.
The plot is not something you would get from a gay May-December affair story.It started and ended like a thriller but at the heart of the film is a love story of a different kind.
This is the relationship of Daniel, a 50's something French career guy and a young Ukrainian hustler.
One gets to know the histories of a person, or why he acts that way, like using sex to interact with people or gain trust, or learn to understand that he might need something else, like guidance and paternal love.It would be easy to miss out symbolism on what led to this change - the airplanes, fireworks, how they dress up and their antics, etc.
The night scene after the fireworks is crucial as the couple showed acceptance of a new kind of bonding.The movie dealt with other realities like the dangers of prostitution, gang behavior and undocumented illegal migrants.
In the beginning I was very confused, there is almost no dialogue for the first ten minutes of the film, and then, what little dialogue there was I did not understand the language.
In Daniel's world, his attractions to the younger "Eastern European Boys" must be conducted in secret.
At first we see them only as caricatures, stereotypes of what (American) society would expect of Daniel, as a man who desires sex with much younger men.
We see Marek as the person who is paid to provide that service, and that's it.As the movie slowly (yes, slowly) unfolds so does their relationship.
Marek returns after his friends completely strip Daniel's home of literally everything they can carry.
It is representing the opening of his heart.For, perhaps the first time in his life, Marek experiences a love from Daniel that asks for nothing in return.
It took me a lot of time and many viewings to give this movie room to breathe in my heart.
After Mr. X, obviously a seasoned professional, picks up a moody youth-hustler in the train station and makes arrangements for him to come to his apartment the next day, a motley gang (of which the youth is a member) shows up instead and ransacks the apartment.
While the portrayal of Eastern European teen prostitutes as predators may be spot on, in this instance their victim's passivity makes us wonder about the whole set up.The movie is well photographed and the actors are good, convincing even.
His initial reaction when a child bursts in accusing him of illegal sex is good, but once an entire gang of prostitute thugs takes over his apartment, his inaction is ridiculous.
A man like that would have cut and run, admitted his bad judgment to the police and had the gang busted.After his apartment has been stripped bare, the gang's lure shows up and the guy lets him in and initiates what we are to believe is a tender, loving relationship.I'm not buying it.
I could see someone acting like a complete fool for a raving beauty with testosterone to spare, but this kid wasn't one by a long shot, IMO.This movie isn't worth watching guys.
This is a review of the first 70 minutes of the 129 minute movie.The movie begins just showing life as you pass it by in any public square, deceptively focusing on a group of characters who turn out to be the main prota/antagonists as the movie progresses.