Boy Culture

Plot

A successful escort describes in a series of confessions his entangled romantic relationships with his two roommates and an older, enigmatic client.

The story remains the same as the novel, about a man who goes by only the letter "X" to maintain his anonymity and relationships between his two roommates - one of whom he's in love with - and an enigmatic older client who challenges him to find his heart before he will consent to sex.

The film's differences from the novel include Andrew's character (now an African-American) and the location of the story in Seattle, Washington instead of Chicago, Illinois.

Production

Boy Culture is based on a novel, with a few important differences found between the two. It was decided in the film to set it in Seattle rather than Chicago, and to make substantial differences to the character of Andrew, including his ethnicity. The film is also noted for the careful eye of the director, who managed to turn what was an 18-day production cycle into a fully realized film.

In 2017, a Kickstarter campaign was launched for "Boy Culture: The Series," an episodic sequel to the original, which proposed to star Matthew Wilkas (X), Darryl Stephens (Andrew), Matthew Crawford (Chayce), as well as Stephen Guarino and singer Steve Grand.

Release

The film made its world premiere in the United Kingdom at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (since renamed BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival), on April 1, 2006, and made its debut in the United States at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2006. It subsequently received a very limited theatrical release in the United States on March 23, 2007.

Boy Culture was shown at the following film festivals:

Critical response

Boy Culture currently holds a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 31 reviews; the consensus states: "Eloquent one-liners and quick pacing make Boy Culture sharper than the typical gay indie flick." On Metacritic, based on 12 critics, the film has a 56/100 rating, signifying "mixed or average reviews". Maitland McDonagh from TV Guide wrote “Shrewder than you’d think and not half as dumb as it looks.” Jeannette Catsoulis from The New York Times wrote “A slick and absorbing drama.” Ronnie Scheib from Variety (magazine) wrote “A strong cast, formal visual style and cynical voiceover that propels the action help elevate this Seattle-set gay romp from the ranks of the stereotypical.”

Home media

The film was released on DVD on August 14, 2007, courtesy of TLA Video. The release includes an audio commentary from writer/director Q. Allan Brocka and writing partner Philip Pierce, interviews with Brocka and the four stars, deleted scenes, premiere footage from the Tribeca Film Festival and the film's trailer.