Eastern Boys (2013)

Here's a film that promises to deliver - and it delivers much more than it promised.

The film is the brainchild of Robin Campillo, who wrote, directed and edited. A one-man-band who comes with serious credentials: the other film that he wrote, directed and edited was They Came Back (2004), which was the basis of celebrated French TV series "Les Revenants", itself the basis of US remake "The Returned". He also edited the acclaimed "Time Out" (2001), as well as being the writer and editor of multi-awarded and foreign Oscar nominated "Entre Les Murs" ("The Class"/2008).

The film employs amazing symmetry. It begins with a scene which works at a leisurly pace, consisting mainly of long shots. The scene introduces the protagonists of the story, a gay middle-class professional in his late 30s or early 40s, Daniel (Olivier Rabourdin) who's observing a bunch of Eastern European teenagers in the train station of Gare du Nord in Paris. The framing and pace of the scene allows the audience to closely examin the behaviour of said teenagers, with the dispassionate interest that an entomologist would observe a rare insect. One can feel their youthful innocence at the same measure that one can feel the corruption they need to immerse themselves in, in order to survive. Are they a gang of male prostitutes or are they a gang of thieves? Or are they both?

Daniel works up the courage to ask brooding Marek (Kirill Emelyanov), a boy in his late teens, for a date. They arrange to meet the following day at Daniel's place. Then the 2nd part begins.

I won't spoil the plot for you by giving too many details away. I'll say that the 2nd part turns into a chilling psychological thriller, like a milder "Funny Games". Still, even though it retains the suspence quite like "Funny Games", it doesn't share the former's nihilistic view of mankind and existential despair. Daniel is a potential victim, but he's calm and collected. Marek is rather embarassed with the role he was made to play, while the gang's boss, a man in his early 20s (Daniil Vorobyov) is menacing but not in an altogether unlikeable way. We have seen thousands of scenes of home invasion in the movies, this however manages to feel original.

The middle part is about the evolution of the relationship between Daniel and Marek. It feels neither false nor forced, in fact it flows organically but not predictably. It's good.

The 4th part becomes a thriller once more. This time it's Daniel who invades the youth's lair, in order to free Marek. It is more predictable, but its pace is excellent and the artistic choices of the writer/director all work.

The film part finishes as it began: the last part is made at leisurly pace and uses lengthy takes and long shots. The audience becomes immersed in the space where the action is taking place, it's like we accidentally found ourselves eavesdropping at these people's conversation and our interest was aroused enough to follow their movements through space as far as we could see. And then the story continues, shielded from the audience's gaze. But the film is over, leaving us to fill in the gaps - a mental exercise that will surely be to our benefit.

As Stephen Holden writes in The New York Times: "The film explores interlocking themes of sexuality, immigration and power dynamics with a cleareyed sensitivity and refuses to demonize even its shadiest characters."

Grade: 9/10

Here's the trailer: