Moneyboys

If you're wanting for a film that avoids the tired cliches of so much current gay-themed content, I highly recommend Moneyboys. It is a very assured debut from director CB Yi, who displays incredible restraint in telling the story of a young Chinese sex worker dealing with the trials of work, love, family and displacement.

The cinematography is absolutely stunning with each scene beautifully composed. The camera perspective is often at a distance, which adds to a feeling of remoteness and detachment. This is the same feeling projected by the main character, played with restraint and empathy by Kai Ko.

There are many scenes where few words are spoken but much is said in the pauses and silence. Some may find the tone of Moneyboys too formal and the pacing too measured, but with patience you'll be treated to a moving story of compassion and acceptance.

This is a beautiful movie which reflects amazingly the life of a taiwanese gay prostitute who is unsatisfied, sad and dehumanized.

It is a wonferful thing that this movie shows the contrast between the city, that represents the modern, the new ways of life, which sometimes dehumanize people, and the countryside, which reflects the tradition, the conservatism, and also, the hypocrisy about the homosexuality.

Mobeyboys was for me a film, which I enjoyed very much for three reasons:

• camera - i would like to have each scene as a poster in my room
• sound - both music and the sound itself
• the character of the main character - Fei

Fei is a mixture of a narcistic and selfless person. Between love, to family and his partners, and awareness of his beauty and erotic power. Never have I seen before such a complex mixture - between egoistic moves and offering himself to others. Fei will stay will stay with me for long.

The clue may lie in the title. "Moneyboys" is about male sex workers in Taiwan and one sex worker in particular. Liang Fei, (Kai Ko), is gay and has moved from his village to the city where he can be himself or at least use his body in ways he couldn't back home and it's there he finds love but not happiness. C. B. Yi's feature debut is a slow, depressing film with an unsympathetic hero. It's certainly well made and Yi uses the widescreen to good effect but without what we might call a 'story' or characters we can identify with or feel anything for this is something of a long haul and a dull one at that.

The film was wonderful to watch. It covers the topic of male prostitution in Taiwan/China, and the trauma that many gay/bisexual/MSM men face in society. A large part of this is due to the familial pressure to marry and have children, which is something many young people in Taiwan and China may relate to.

The film was deliberately slow paced. It relied on body language, situational context and reading between the lines. The story was dark, impactful and meaningful. The film shines light on the greater societal issues of sexualization, homophobia, and poverty. Not an easy topic to explore.

The cinematography was simple and beautiful.