376 words, 2 minutes read time.
“Moneyboys” is a 2021 film directed by C.B. Yi that explores the life of a young man named Fei who moves from a rural Chinese village to Austria as a teenager. The film depicts the struggles of gay life in China, where stories about gay life are few and far between due to the government’s strict censorship regime. The film is a rare depiction of contemporary gay life in China, filmed in neighbouring Taiwan, and uses an exploration of sex work not only as a way of addressing attitudes towards sexuality in a conservative country, but the increasing gulf in prospects for young people between rural areas and cities. The film is a melancholic character drama and a grander study on simmering economic and cultural tensions, be they regional or generational. Through Fei’s various interactions with other characters, a clear theme rings throughout the film: the sacrifice of one’s happiness for the sake of others. Lovers sacrifice for the ones they love, young adults sacrifice to meet family expectations, LGBTQ+ sacrifice to fit the moulds of society.
In “Moneyboys”, Fei’s family is initially accepting of the money he sends them from his work as a sex worker, but they are unwilling to accept his sexuality. When Fei visits his home village to see his dying grandfather, his family struggles to hide their shame that their son makes money sleeping with other men. This complicates things, as Fei has kept donating significant chunks of his paycheck to his family. Fei realizes the hypocrisy of his family who are happy to take the money he makes from hustling on the street but unwilling to accept his sexuality.
The film covers the topic of male prostitution in Taiwan/China, and the trauma that many gay/bisexual/MSM men face in society. A large part of this is due to the familial pressure to marry and have children, which is something many young people in Taiwan and China may relate to. The film was deliberately slow-paced, and it’s a curious film that doesn’t feel culturally specific in its approach to the subject matter, as the heart of the drama appears to be a universally relatable tale of gay self-acceptance in the face of homophobia from family and wider society.
Reviewed by Pat Harrington
satyam rastogi said
Nice 👌