Laakbaar I think the theme is fascinating: How on earth can gay escorts do what they do? And how does it affect them? Apparently many escorts have intimacy and trust issues that stem from the superficial nature of their relationships with their clients.In this movie, our handsome hero is an escort struggling with such interpersonal and relationship issues. His two roommates are both in love with him, but he pushes them away. Not surprisingly, he finds it difficult to open up and have a "real" (i.e. non-pecuniary) relationship with someone appropriate. X had come to think of sex and emotions as having great value, I suppose. Not something to be given away for free.I didn't really get this movie. There were problems with the dialogue, character development and plot. Some aspects of the movie just didn't ring true.Even though he's a highly paid escort, X seemed to be living like a waiter.We're not really shown why X is such a great escort. This movie needed an elegiac sex scene that made clear why X is good at what he does. Why did he love it so much? X falling for Gregory didn't seem right to me. I get it that opening up emotionally to an older man could lead to feelings of intimacy (especially since Gregory was acting like a therapist), but why should that lead to desire? Intimacy and desire are two different things. The sex scenes between them were problematic for me.When Joey offered himself to X both emotionally and physically, it seemed inexplicable to me that X felt nothing. If these scenes were meant to show us X's dysfunction, they worked. X lacks the easy sexuality of most gay men.The movie hinged around X's emotional life, which was in turmoil. Sure, escorts can be prone to self-image problems and depression. Perhaps it's too difficult to show this on film, but we don't really find out why he has such intimacy problems and why he's such an as*hole. Near the end he sobs "I'm a freak", but I didn't really understand why he was feeling this way.By the end of the movie, I was annoyed by X.We were told repeatedly that X was in love with Andrew, and vice versa, but I didn't feel that at all. It didn't seem like real love at all. Maybe lust on Andrew's part. But what was it on X's part? X's emotional turmoil would have been difficult for the most difficult actor to convey on film, especially if the lines weren't right.Perhaps I've not really understood this movie properly, even though I've seen it twice. Maybe this is actually a profound movie with much to say about the emotional life of gay escorts.However, it left me with a disengaged, flat and down feeling afterwards. I wasn't moved at all. I can't say I really enjoyed the film. Worth about 5 or 6 out of 10.

milanpthecharming Got what i expected.The lines of this movie CRAVED to be called smart. I was expecting that the movie will freeze every moment, someone will pop out and state: 'Wow, this was smart'.The character of X was so unconvincing that i wanted to slap him out of the movie. The guy looks like a freaking teddy bear while he was supposed to be an ice queen! I mean come on! (I could talk about how wrong his character is for days, but unfortunately i can't, not here.) The story of him and Andrew was unnecessarily complicated by so called 'tricks' and it annoyed me very much. Andrew never justified the attention and such an important place he got in the whole setting. Gregory's character was quite good, on the other hand. Still a bit too pretentious, but very good nevertheless. Joey was fun to watch, infused the setting with life and created needed quarrel.Now, the thing that annoyed me the most: 'Forgive me father..' SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP Honestly, it didn't feel witty even the first time! I don't know whoever thought that it could be a good, clever leitmotif... It was just a nuisance. Every time X started the sentence with 'Forgive me..', i've had urge to vomit.In the end, i want to admit that this movie isn't a total disaster, cause, after all, i did shed a tear in the end. Cheap shot, Q. Allan Brocka.

jemmytee Well..I finally saw "Boy Culture". It's won awards and is considered a fine example of a gay-themed movie and all that, but this movie depressed me. It's just another shallow story about impossibly beautiful young men having sex with other impossibly beautiful young men while one who happens to be a "very selective" whore (whose "clients/disciples" look like a group of really nasty guys, so how he's "selective" is beyond me) is mentored by an older man who finally gets him to have real sex with him then he finds out the truth and everyone learns a life lesson, and it did little more than bore me, even with the eye candy. It came across as little more than an excuse to have half-naked guys jumping each other's bones without it actually being porn, and the story stands for nothing more than a line upon which to hang this semi-sleazy laundry.The actors playing X, Andrew and Joey don't really fill their characters -- though Darryl Stephens does come close. Derek Magyar has one expression and one tone of voice and one hangdog aura through the whole thing; I cannot see why anyone would think he's worth the huge fees he's supposedly paid. Jonathan Trent's twink was over the top, though his near-moment of confession was nice. The best actor in the whole group was Patrick Bauchau, but to be honest he has a lot of experience behind him.Now to be fair, I DO think all these actors have a lot of potential, it just wasn't tapped here. I think they were let down by the writing and directing. Q. Allan Brocka and Philip Pierce give the actors awkward dialog and dumb situations, and Brocka directs them in the most A-B-C way possible. In fact, the final "meet" on the stairs between X and Andrew, where they work things out, was so hysterically dumb, I actually dropped my glass of Dr. Pepper in reaction.So I'm glad I watched this via NetFlix. If I'd paid to see it in a theater, I'd have been upset, because all we have here is a lot of pretty and not much more.

lee_wood OK I have to admit I thought I was going to hate this film. After reading the synopsis I was dreading it and thought...ah some cheap gay crap full of crap actors getting their kit off to fuel other gays' sexual fantasies. But I was wrong.OK the film has clichés, clumsiness, and pretentiousness. But these flaws are mild when taken in the overall context of the film. Essentially it's a romantic film with gay interest, but the "gay interest" part can really be ignored. The story, cast, screenplay and progress of the movie works...overall! It's charming and endearing. It's never going to be your favourite film or anything wonderful... but you'll like it. It might become one of your faves! Finally, my respect to the actors. Again, not Oscar-winning performances, but certainly commendable and enjoyable.