Eastern Boys (2013) Reviews

• A layered love-story with emotional depth

  spaceman882014-04-21

  I had no expectations going into this film. And the first few minutes made me doubt my choice. 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. Hopefully this movie will get a wide enough audience and recognition. Go watch it with an open mind.

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• Be Careful what you pick up at a station

  t-dooley-69-3869162015-04-04

  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.

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• Intense and moving film - Recommended.

  TrevorJD2014-06-09

  I saw this at the Sydney Film Festival 2014. The film is engrossing, funny, moving and often very intense. 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. They of course steal from Daniel at his home, when he gives Marek his address to hook up. 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. Recommended.

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• Enticing and Romantic

  a_ga_tha2014-09-04

  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.

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• Patience is required

  bigmystery232014-05-05

  I had heard some things about the film before I went to see it, otherwise I had no idea what to expect. From the synopsis, there is a minor spoiler. So if you don't think about the synopsis too much, then you will enjoy the first 20 minutes of the film even more. Just an FYI, there are no subtitles when the characters are not speaking French. I don't understand why they did that, but it doesn't harm the movie. 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. You think it's going in one direction, then suddenly it does a 360 without any warning. I know that can be bad at times, but for this movie it's actually executed very well. 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. I'm sorry I can't say a lot about the film because saying one thing would spoil something important about the film.

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