Eastern Boys
| Eastern Boys | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Robin Campillo |
| Produced by | Hugues Charbonneau Marie-Ange Luciani |
| Written by | Robin Campillo |
| Starring |
Olivier Rabourdin Kirill Emelyanov Danil Vorobyev |
| Music by | Arnaud Rebotini |
| Cinematography | Jeanne Lapoirie |
| Edited by | Robin Campillo |
| Distributed by | Sophie Dulac Distribution |
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Release date
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Running time
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128 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French, Russian, English |
| Budget | €2.2 million |
| Box office | $139,591 |
Eastern Boys is a 2013 French drama film written and directed by Robin Campillo. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
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'.
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