EASTERN BOYS

France, 2013, 128 minutes, Colour.
Olivier Rabourdin, Kirill Emelyanov, Daniil Vorobyov.
Directed by Robin Campillo.

Eastern Boys is surprisingly moving film. While it focuses on teenagers and young men, migrating from Eastern European countries, with no documents, trying to survive in a city like Paris, sometimes working as prostitutes, it portrays its character with quite some humanity.

The film opens in Paris’ Gare du Nord, the imposing exterior, the very busy interior, the passengers going in and out of the station, the mixture of backgrounds, ethnic differences, a situation that ordinary people could identify with. Then the film starts to focus, with its overhead shots, at individuals, their forming small groups, forming larger groups, looking like a gang, which they are, going to enjoy takeaway food, and one of the young men going off by himself, sensing that a middle-aged businessman was loitering, watching him, wanting to proposition him. No words spoken for at least 10 minutes but the audience is strongly aware of what is happening.

When the young man, Marek, agrees to visit the man’s apartment, all seems set for a film about gay men, sexual relationships. While something of this does happen, the film has a lot more going on and a lot more going for it. There is a very disturbing sequence, especially for the businessman, Daniel, when the group of young men come to his apartment, really innovated, and, while dancing to rock music, remove all his possessions to a truck downstairs. The instigator, a Russian somewhat older than the others, nicknamed The Boss, is an intense and possibly psychotic character.

But the film is about the relationship between Marek, who reveals that his real name is Rouslan and that he is a migrant from Ukraine, though his parents worked in Chechnya and were killed there. At first, his response to Daniel is quite impassive, letting himself be a sex object for a client. But, he returns and continues to return so that the relationship becomes far more personal even in its sensuality.

There is a further surprise in the relationship between Daniel and Marek, a change of attitude, a change of behaviour, different kinds of feelings in Daniel, more paternal than sexual.

However, as might be expected, there is still trouble to come, especially from The Boss, who has dominating roll over the group of men as, helped by Social Services, they occupy some apartments in a suburban hotel. His control extends to locking their documents, if they have any, in a locker in the hotel. When Marek attempts to retrieve some documents, The Boss responds with ferocity and quite some brutality.

The film does not end as we might have expected. There is a clash between The Boss and Daniel but the screenplay opts for a non-violent solution, in fact, one that leaves Daniel and Marek – and the audience – with quite some hope and alternate possibilities for the future and their relationship.

Director, Robin Campillo, uses his camera expertly to focus on the central characters, quite sympathetically, meaning that he tells his story with quite some feeling.

1. Acclaim for the film, the European setting, France, 21st century?

2. The title, migrants, undocumented, from the East? From Russia, Ukraine, Chechnya? Their experiences, illegal migrants, the number in France, survival in home countries, the support from a commune, individual survival, prostitution? A humane perspective?

3. Paris, the Gare du Nord, exteriors and interiors, a tone for the opening? Ordinary, the crowds of people, the passengers, audiences identifying and with this railway situation? The comparison with the end, the court, looking at the window, the street? This story in an ordinary French setting?

4. The initial 10 minutes, no dialogue? The boys, individuals, coming together, the big group? Security, the chase? Eating takeaway? The Boss and his behaviour, his influence? The audience supplying words?

5. Marek and his walk, leading Daniel on, Daniel, his age, arrival, luggage, watching Marek, loitering, meeting him, the proposition, Marek’s strong
response?

6. Daniel at home, the knock on the door, the boy calling himself Marek, yelling threats? The others coming in? The leadership of the Boss? Mareck as one of the group? Intimidating Daniel, his reaction, quiet, upset about the ice and the fridge, the Boss and menacing him? The Boss, taking off his shirt, the threats, dancing, the music? The others dancing? Dismantling all the goods, packing them in the truck? The collage of Daniel’s response, the Boss and his smashing the boy on the table?

7. The Asian maid coming in and cleaning, later seeing Marek?

8. Marek and his return, more personal, the several visits, feeling more at home, eating, setting up a routine visits, the payments? The developing relationship, the gifts, installing the television and watching it?

9. The effect on him, on Daniel? The sexual encounters and their sensuality, Marek at first impersonal, later responding? Daniel and his decision not to have sex, setting up a separate room, feeling more fatherly? At the supermarket, listening to Marek’s story, in Chechnya, the parents, his sister and the dream about the headless corpses in the river, the bomb on the house? The decision to have separate rooms, Marek and his worry about rejection? The fireworks, disturbing his sleep, memories of the bombs?

10. Marek wondering whether Daniel believed him? His real name, Rouslan? Issues of trust, belief, change? Marek more at home, setting up the new room? the plan to leave, the Boss having the documents in the safe? His waving happily to Daniel? Hope?

11. His return to the apartment block, buying the milk for the Boss, feeding the baby, the mother and father going to the shower? His getting the key? Accosted by the group at breakfast? His going to the room, trying to find the box, the concierge coming, the Boss coming and taking the key, in the room, questioning him, stomping on his head, his being tied up, gagged? His moaning?

12. The other members of the group, their life together, the young boy, their solidarity together, the storeroom full of the robbery goods?

13. Daniel, arriving in his car, the concierge, the search, the room at the hotel? Persuading the concierge to open the door, saving Marek, taking him to his room, calling the police? The roundup, his car in the garage, warding off the Boss, leaving?

14. The Boss, the key to the apartment, finding it empty, his tears of self-pity?

15. The court, the adoption process, the argument that they did not want a civil union so that the adoption was genuine? Free?

16. Themes of migrants, undocumented, surviving, French authorities, gangs, prostitution, clients, a more humane approach, possibilities for hope?