A highly stylized and arch dramedy about a peculiar intersection of art and male prostitution, Postcards from London boasts an interesting premise. When a small-town 18-year-old named Jim (Harris Dickinson) arrives in London seeking his fortune, he falls in with a stylish group of intellectual male prostitutes called The Raconteurs. With his sculpted body and tendency to faint in the presence of great art, Jim is quickly recruited by the group, where he is tutored in fine arts and literature—the better to please older, wealthy clients seeking stimulating conversation following sex. Oddly, more men seem interested in using him as a muse who can keep his mouth shut and pose as a model, blurring a border for Jim between hustling and his own private passion for great paintings by Caravaggio and others. Filmmaker Steve McLean has fun composing witty tableaux of The Raconteurs, making them look very much like the subjects of formal paintings with bright backgrounds. Postcards from London ultimately offers nothing particularly profound in the realm of ideas, satire, or reflection, but is often stimulating visually and features a great set-up. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)
Postcards from London
Strand, 90 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $27.99, Jan. 29 Volume 34, Issue 1
Postcards from London
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