Eastern Boys

2013

2h 8m

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

89%

37 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A middle-aged Frenchman solicits a younger foreigner and has no idea his life is going to change.

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Critics Consensus

Thoughtful, unpredictable, and overall gripping, Eastern Boys fills its sprawling running time with compelling themes and sharply drawn characters brought to life by powerful performances and deft direction.

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

This is a tough, important film, and one that wields ambivalence like a cudgel.

Aug 25, 2018

Full Review

Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

Writer-director-editor Robin Campillo has crafted an unruly yet pointed drama that should intrigue patient viewers.

Apr 30, 2015

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Rene Rodriguez

Miami Herald

The movie argues that these teens' lawless, selfish mentality is a by-product of having grown up in war-stricken countries such as Chechnya, where they lived through horrors that permanently skewed their moral compasses.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 2, 2015

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

How this all sorts itself out is a nail-biting treat...

Jun 16, 2020

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Maryann O'Connor

CineVue

Eastern Boys cleanly escapes any accusation of blandness. An emotional uppercut of a film, Campillo's latest is one which may take several days to fully recover from.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 3, 2019

Full Review

Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

Wholly unsatisfying, interminable in length with marginal acting, at best, there is little but the opening 15 minutes and the mesmerizing Daniil Vorobov to recommend this film.

Sep 15, 2017

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david l

Eastern Boys is an interesting genre-bender that mixes drama, romance and thriller into an uneasy, but wildly ambitious and original mixture. Exploring sexuality, immigration and gang dynamic, the movie is thematically very interesting, but its highly implausible first act made no sense and it presented a serious narrative flaw that the film never overcame. It's a unique, but messy film that features numerous plot holes and that left too many characters underdeveloped.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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johann m

A businessman makes a regular arrangement with a Ukrainian prostitute, despite the youngster's involvement in a controlling street gang. It is a well-structured movie with shocking moments, especially the second part when the Daniel is robbed and he can't do anything about that. It is a good depiction of real life things that makes up an excellent film about the evolution of relationships and the danger of gangs.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Unusual, quirky and gritty.....

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Strange opening act, but interesting and unexpected story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

Truly genre-bending. Is it a love story? Is it a crime thriller? Is it both or is it neither? The dialogue is often in three languages per conversation, spoken by competent actors. It is intelligent, it is tense, and it is touching. I could go on and on about the details that this movie gets right, but suffice to say that it's worth viewing even for people who normally wouldn't entertain the idea of watching a gay movie (though its sex scenes could make them uncomfortable).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Objective Picture about immigration and French Society before the attentats.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

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Robin Campillo

Director

Olivier Rabourdin

Daniel

Kirill Emel'yanov

Marek

Daniil Vorobyov

Boss

Edéa Darcque

Chelsea

Camila Chakirova

Camila

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Critics Consensus: Focus is Sleek and Slick But Too Twisty

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Synopsis

A middle-aged Frenchman solicits a younger foreigner and has no idea his life is going to change.

Director: Robin Campillo
Screenwriter: Robin Campillo
Production Co: Les Films de Pierre
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.2K
Runtime: 2h 8m

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