This opus is guerrilla cinema shot on Peking streets without permits, the director and actors risking arrest. I figure the budget at about $9.
But it's well worth seeing. In spite of the reticence and denial of the traditional Chinese, gays are as much a presence and the services of young men for "rent" are as much in demand in big Chinese cities as in New York or London or Moscow. Though disease must be a factor in these guys lives, this is not a story of death from AIDS (prophylactics are as much the stars of this movie as the young men). It is about gay and bi young men making a practical choice: washing dishes for a handful of renminbi or the freedom, money and variety of partners offered by hustling. The downside is the boredom of a slow day and irregular sleep because customers may call at any time.
These guys are nice young people, matter-of-fact, sane. They give us a different and refreshingly non-Western view on practical hustling. These guys know that suffering and death may be the wages of sin but they are also the wages of everyday life, too. At about 76 minutes the film's lack of production values remains tolerable.
Note: The antagonist in this film is the Chinese version of a Christian right proselytizer. Such a waste. He's the cutest character in the film. And he's the one who dies young, not any of the hustlers. Jim Smith
But it's well worth seeing. In spite of the reticence and denial of the traditional Chinese, gays are as much a presence and the services of young men for "rent" are as much in demand in big Chinese cities as in New York or London or Moscow. Though disease must be a factor in these guys lives, this is not a story of death from AIDS (prophylactics are as much the stars of this movie as the young men). It is about gay and bi young men making a practical choice: washing dishes for a handful of renminbi or the freedom, money and variety of partners offered by hustling. The downside is the boredom of a slow day and irregular sleep because customers may call at any time.
These guys are nice young people, matter-of-fact, sane. They give us a different and refreshingly non-Western view on practical hustling. These guys know that suffering and death may be the wages of sin but they are also the wages of everyday life, too. At about 76 minutes the film's lack of production values remains tolerable.
Note: The antagonist in this film is the Chinese version of a Christian right proselytizer. Such a waste. He's the cutest character in the film. And he's the one who dies young, not any of the hustlers. Jim Smith