In the wonderfully precise opening to Eastern Boys, a group of teenagers traverse Paris’ Gare du Nord train station as they attempt to seduce the lonely men nearby, while also avoiding the grasp of police. They weave throughout the locale, presenting, yelling to each other in words we can’t quite understand and hoping they’ll catch the eyes of a paying customer before they get caught. We don’t know who these boys are, yet they could be anyone. In Eastern Boys, everyone code-switches—going from threatening gang leader to father trying his best, or con artist to lover. No one is exactly who they seem and no one is just a single dimension.
Well-to-do fortysomething Parisian Daniel—Olivier Rabourdin of the Taken franchise—sees the young Marek (Kirill Emelyanov) and propositions him for his services. The two plan on meeting up the next day at Daniel’s apartment, but when the appointment comes, Daniel’s home is taken over by the members of Marek’s gang, who wreck his place and steal whatever they can of value. Surprisingly, Daniel is less than horrified. He’s almost happy he has someone to share his space with, so lonely is he that he doesn’t mind the intrusive ransacking.
When Daniel finally sees Marek, there’s obvious disappointment because of the deception, but almost more so due to his hope for an honest connection. Marek mentions he wouldn’t mind continuing their original agreement and plans to return for the promised sex. What started as a con quickly blooms into something far more intimate than was planned.