Aleksandr's Price (2013)
Directed by Pau Masó, David Damen

Film Review

Pau Masó both directed and played the lead role in this sensual and darkly compelling psychological drama in which a young man with a fragmented personality falls prey to the sordid underbelly of New York's gay culture. It's a poignant but harrowing character study that Masó crafts for us, portraying the title character with a startling sense of realism that compels us to sympathise with him, a fragile lost soul in a world that mercilessly exploits him. Masó's New York is like some Stygian nightmare, mired in cruelty and savagery as predatory monsters indulge their sexual needs by corrupting innocents, such as the title character. It's a film that more than vaguely resembles Patrice Chéreau's L'Homme blessé (1983), which was as provocative in its time as Masó's film is today.

Suffering from a split personality disorder, which is aggravated by the death of his mother and his inability to find work, Aleksandr is a tragic character that comes to symbolise the victims of a vile industry. The price that he must pay to secure an identity and stable background for himself is one that few of us would be willing to pay, but then mercifully few of us are in Aleksandr's position. With its daring subject matter and uncompromising realism (thankfully the sex scenes are relatively mild), Aleksandr's Price is both a powerful exploration of the human psyche and a grim indictment of New York's sex trade - not a comfortable viewing experience, but definitely an insightful one.

Film Synopsis

When his mother commits suicide, Aleksandr, an illegal Russian immigrant, finds himself alone and friendless in New York. Unable to find legitimate work, the young man ends up dancing at a gay club. It is here that he meets Keith, a wealthy older man who lures him back to a hotel for sex. Aleksandr is shocked when Keith gives him money; all he was looking for was friendship. As his emotional state deteriorates, Aleksandr finds himself drawn into a life of male prostitution, where he is frequently abused and raped. As he does so, a new identity begins to emerge...