Sauvage/Wild

Filmmaker Camille Vidal-Naquet presents an unflinching portrait of a gay hustler in his debut feature, which follows 22-year-old Léo (Félix Maritaud) as he prowls the streets of Strasbourg, France, or takes a spot along a lonely road with his colleagues in the trade, hoping to turn tricks. Léo also has regulars: the opening sequence is set in what is ostensibly a doctor’s office where he is being examined, but the doctor turns out to be a client who gets off on role-playing. Although Vidal-Naquet does not go to extremes in an effort to shock, he does not romanticize the sex scenes or shy away from dramatizing the more sordid aspects of Léo’s work: in one instance, Léo has to endure what amounts to torture as two men insist on trying out a sex toy. But Léo also has a soft side, not only showing some sympathy for older clients, but also carrying a torch for Ahd (Eric Bernard), one of the other hustlers, who might be leaving the city. Perhaps the most notable thing about Léo is his complete disregard for any thought of changing his lifestyle. He dismisses a kindly doctor’s offer of help in getting off drugs, and turns down a free cell phone from another hustler who has feelings for Léo, saying that he has no one to call. In short, he prefers the life he leads to the alternatives, whatever discomforts he might suffer. The sexually frank Sauvage/Wild is not an easy film to watch, but its unvarnished vision is certainly effective. Recommended. (F. Swietek)