74
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Village VoiceDiana ClarkeVillage VoiceDiana ClarkeWhat a relief to watch this small, expert film — a pane of glass in a concrete wall — that whispers, that dares to stand still and witness ordinary human pain.
- 88Slant MagazineClayton DillardSlant MagazineClayton DillardA ferocious plea for character salvation within a milieu where money and bodily affect are the raison d'être for human existence.
- 80The GuardianCatherine ShoardThe GuardianCatherine ShoardRobin Campillo’s drama is sweet and neat, as ambitious as it is gripping.
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenExplores interlocking themes of sexuality, immigration and power dynamics with a cleareyed sensitivity and refuses to demonize even its shadiest characters.
- 75Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezEastern Boys explores whether these lost boys are damaged beyond repair or are still capable of being saved.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijCampillo thankfully refrains from offering on-the-nose explications for behavior and decisions, instead letting audiences infer psychology and motivation from on-screen behavior, with the entirely naturalistic performances of Raboudin and Emelyanov beautifully tuned in to each other and the material.
- 70VarietyGuy LodgeVarietyGuy LodgeCampillo’s original screenplay demands any number of trusting leaps from its audience and characters alike, yet maintains credibility thanks to the studied assurance of its most elaborate setpieces, and the wealth of socioeconomic detail in its portrayal of both Daniel’s aging-yuppie lifestyle and the nervous group dynamic of the immigrants.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinBold and unsettling, Eastern Boys is a long, strange trip of a film that touches on myriad social, economic and sexual themes.
- 63New York PostFarran Smith NehmeNew York PostFarran Smith NehmeWhile Campillo does graceful work — the way he draws focus in a scene is a pleasure — the script drags and the pseudo-romance is hard to believe, especially when one plot point concerns Daniel asking for a bulk-purchase sex rate. Eastern Boys never quite fulfills the promise of those first few minutes.
- 60Time Out LondonDave CalhounTime Out LondonDave CalhounIt’s an uneven work, mysterious in its refusal to tell us much at all about Daniel, but it has a ring a truth to it even when it slips into less enigmatic thriller territory.