Men for Sale

Very interesting doc about men in sex trade in Montreal Canada. It truly shows the sad reality of the life young men endure when they choose that route in life at a young age purely because of the quick money they can earn...

INTERESTING DOCUMENTARY STYLE FILM, INTERVIEWS WITH STRAIGHT MEN WHO ARE OFTEN "GAY FOR PAY" TO SURVIVE THE STREETS AND SUPPORT THEIR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE TO WATCH SINCE THE FILM IS FRENCH AND SUBTITLED, BUT PROVIDES VIEWER SOME INSIGHT INTO THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS THESE YOUNG MEN HAVE FACED. INTERVIEWER SHOWS GREAT EMPATHY AND KNOWS THE KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK, TO ILLICIT OFTEN INTENSE AND REAL RESPONSES.

Two hours of interviews with no real point. Very repetitive as the men all have similar stories and the film is just a compilation of the interviews.

Men for Sale is candid in its presentation of the lives of these sex workers, and there is a distinct sense that the participants were allowed to tell their own unexpurgated stories. Despite this, the viewer oftentimes needs to consider how honest each participant is being. Director Jean carefully includes some tangential moments among the story telling, such as an interviewee's concern about being able to be seen through a window in the filming space, which provides context, flavor, and insight. At times, I wished that M. Jean would have been more directive or pointed in his interviews, although it may have been an artistic choice not to do so. The subtitles were excellent, capturing nuances in the monologues well.

Bored me to no end. Nothing new covered here and while it is sad to see life is the way it is for these individuals, I see no reason to become engaged.

If you watch it closely, as in from a computer screen a foot and a half away, it is easy to read the subtitles and still see the expressions, verbal and non-verbal, that tell their stories more completely. If you are looking for a redeeming quality to the stories, I think only in a philosophical sense will you be rewarded. But, mostly, it is a difficult but important documentary full of wisdom to be gleaned from the human condition. The guys are often interesting and especially in regards to the timeline of their developments over the course of the film. The experiences they have are a human story, a story of pain and pleasure, of sadness and mostly dashed hopes, but with many drugs to mask the journey.

Very sad, but very real.

Documentary overview of the hustler milieu in Montreal. There is no plot to speak of and violence and the threat of violence hangs over the young men who are pouring their hearts out as they describe their continuing poor choices. It is a litany of loss and addiction from people who seem to know better - many long tales of missed opportunities and lost hopes.