At its core, Sauvage is a portrait of the aforementioned Leo, a 22-year-old gay hustler in a non-descript small city somewhere in France. Along with a slew of other prostitutes he spends his days on a side street away far from the beaten path where men looking for their services drive by. Even in this modern age of online apps and escort sites, it seems picking up tricks in public is still more common than you might think. And Leo knows he’s just cute and sexy enough to make it through another day selling himself as needs be.
As Vidal-Naquet follows Leo on his business, it’s painfully apparent that beyond money Leo is looking for any signs of affection he can find along the way. The age of his client doesn’t matter, nor their appearance really. He’s looking for a brief connection, somewhere, with someone. Where his affection truly lies, however, is with Ahd (Éric Bernard), another hustler on the pickup street who dreams of escaping his current live and training to be a pro boxer. Ahd identifies as straight, and Leo knows it, but love is blind, right?
The pair dance the night away at the aforementioned gay club, Ahd’s forcefully helps him get his money after a couple stiffs him and they share a bed together in a flat Ahd squats in. That sympathetic and flirtatious friendship only muddles the emotional waters especially when Ahd appears to abandon Leo by moving in with a rich older man.
Sauvage (English: Wild) is a 2018 French drama film, directed by Camille Vidal-Naquet and produced by Emmanuel Giraud and Marie Sonne-Jensen. It stars Félix Maritaud in the lead role, Eric Bernard, Nicolas Dibla and Philippe Ohrel.
Sauvage (2019)
Directed by: Camille Vidal-Naquet
Starring: Félix Maritaud, Eric Bernard, Nicolas Dibla, Philippe Ohrel, Pavle Dragas, Mehdi Boudina, Hassim Mohamed Saleh, Camille Müller, Lucas Bléger, Laurent Berecz, Lucas Bléger
Screenplay by: Camille Vidal-Naquet
Production Design by: Charlotte Casamitjana
Cinematography by: Jacques Girault
Film Editing by: Elif Uluengin
Music by: Romain Trouillet
Distributed by: Strand Releasing
Release Date: April 12, 2019
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