A Brilliant Conflict

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Terrible, awful movie starring Pau Masó as Aleksandr, a character I couldn't care less for. Apparently, I was supposed to feel sorry for, but I soon didn't. Poor, poor Aleksandr, who had all these terrible things happen to him, abandonment, dead mother, and more. But any sympathy I had for him was soon lost. I got so tired of that pathetic expression on his face through the entire movie I wanted to scream!Yeah, yeah, prostitution is bad, and it leads to all sex-workers wanting to kill themselves. Whatever. Except I think Dan Savage for one would disagree.Poor rambling script. Poor acting. Annoying "hero" who cried and threw up so many times I wanted to scream. Mediocre acting. I don't even think the main actor's accent was real. Poor filming. Poor sound. Only Josh Berresford as Keith (the client with a heart of silver, if not gold) was really any good and even his part was cliché—he had to struggle to get anything decent out of the part he was given. The therapist was decent but we don't even know how our guy got there. Keith Dougherty was absolutely terrible—and his part worse as he made no sense. Was he a nice guy or a jerk? Who knows? Did even the writer? The twist ending was ridiculous. And the sudden turn around after that in about two minutes totally unbelievable. I also highly suspect the couple good reviews for this movie. I'm not saying they're fake, but I wouldn't be surprised. They praised a bad film so highly, I can't help but be suspect. Brilliant? Not in any way. What a total waste of my time! I'm downright angry. And while one reviewer's thought that he wished the protagonist would just kill himself seems harsh? Well.... I sure stopped caring about the "hero." So hmmmmm.....

A moving story about Aleksandr (Pau Maso who is so good in this film) a young Russian who is illegally bought to New York (USA) by his suicidal mother and a sister who ran away with all their money when their mother died......So he has to fend for himself and in the process become a male whore......It's also a story of longing for love, shame of being paid for the first time when he thought the very first man to f*** him would take care of him, unknowing incest (watch this and you know what i meant)My heart went out for Aleksandr especially every time he masturbate when he is depressed (one would not find this erotic but wrenching)Pau Maso can write, co-direct and act in front of the camera well and this is where he is different from Todd Verow (who have more trashy films especially when he's starring in it than the okay ones) and actor/writer Matt Riddlehoover who's being compared to Woody Allen which is an insult to Allen (There is only one IMDb user who gave positive reviews to his movies)

Before watching this film, "Aleksandr's Price," I was expecting a typical gay themed film with a lot of exploitative sex and nudity, and little else. This is nothing of the kind. Instead we have a brilliant character study, of a Russian immigrant being slowly destroyed by the harsh NYC hustling scene. Having seen many films on the subject of prostitution, i cannot remember any other film that so accurately documents what this lifestyle does to the human soul and sense of self-worth. Aleksandr is a young, and very naive Russian immigrant, who finds himself alone in a big, harsh city, after his mother commits suicide. Aleksandr is an illegal alien, unable to secure a legal means of income. It doesn't help that he has no friends to guide him or help him out. Being very good looking, he soon finds himself in a job as a go-go dancer in an NYC gay bar. When a man takes him home for a night of sex, Aleksandr is both surprised and disgusted when the man hands him an envelope with $500 inside, and promptly kicks him out. This is where the fascinating psychological study comes into play. After being abandoned by his father, and then told by his mother that he is worthless garbage who ruined her life, Aleksandr is desperate for someone..anyone to care about him, or to recognize some worth in him. Sadly, the kind of love or friendship that he searches for is not to be found in the world of prostitution. For Aleksandr meets an unending stream of the most vile, jaded men you can imagine. And with each humiliation, his sanity slips away, along with his sense of self, until he no longer believes that he is worthy of anybody or anything. After a while, he becomes addicted to the sex, and the rejection, until he comes to the point where he becomes sexually aroused by the abuse, and by the idea that he somehow deserves this vile treatment.This pattern is so accurate; prostitution often leads to self loathing, and self annihilation. The tag line for this film is "Love isn't free," but the truth is, money isn't free either. It comes at a very steep price. I was really amazed that this film touched on all these facts, and it did it without being the least bit exploitative; the sex scenes, of which there are many, are filmed in a way in which the viewer doesn't see anything 'sexy.' Rather than showing naked bodies, the camera focuses on facial expressions, and the least erotic elements of sex. It focuses on the pain and sadness of the act, the psychological aspects of sex for cash. I'm not quite sure who the intended audience for this film is; I can't imagine many gay men liking this film, as there is such a lack of eroticism. not to mention the way the gay scene is portrayed here is very negative; every gay character is the most vile, reprehensible pig imaginable. In fact the gay scene is shown as downright evil. I don't know what to make of that. But at last here is a film with gay themes (it is not really a "gay" film, and Aleksandr's own sexual orientation isn't ever clearly defined) that can be watched by straight guys; the kind of sex in this film is not the kind that would make a straight guy uncomfortable to watch. "Aleksandr's Price" is a low budget film that is every bit as good as "Shame," starring Michael Fassbender, another film that deals with similar issues. I recommend this film highly, for viewers that can deal with dark subject matter; and this one is very dark, and totally devoid of humour or hope. But it's the most "real" film I have seen on the subject of prostitution.

WARNING: SPOILERS.Incredible and compelling character study about a young Russian immigrant man (Masó, in an unforgettable performance) who is forced into the world of male prostitution, while trying to cope with his inner demons.Since "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) I hadn't seen a movie that completely draw my attention due to the main characters (I'm an action films fan) development, and Masó is very impressive in his film debut (his mainstream film debut as he made a pretty good experimental film called "Haunted Poland" before) as the naive Aleksandr who succumbs (Literally) to the dark side of his personality, the "Mr. Hyde" that every human has inside.Masó carries the film well (I'm sure he'll be starring in mainstream films very soon), both as an actor, director and editor, according to IMDb, for which he delivers tremendously good. This was shoot on a shoestring budget, and it's admirable how it looks like a million dollar flick, with excellent music and photography. The supporting cast is very good, with special mention to Keith Dougherty, as the kind hearted Tom.Even though it's a great film, it's not for all tastes, as some scenes may be too hard for some viewers, most of them are completely justified to feel the descent to hell of Aleksandr, so you can relate to this poor man's pleas. The shocking ending will haunt you a long time afterwards. For discerning and adult viewers.