The film of Boy Culture builds
very nicely on the novel

by Anthony Glassman

There are rules about reading novels and watching the films based on them.

For science fiction, always read the novel first, since moving it to the more visual medium of the screen often results in a more vivid experience, and that way one is not disappointed when reading the source material.

With more general fiction, watch the movie first. Odds are that the filmmakers took horrible liberties with the novel, making it a far more mass-market affair than it originally was.

This might mean that Boy Culture is secretly a science fiction story. After seeing the movie and reading the book, it is safe to say that the screenplay by Philip Pierce and director Q. Allan Brocka (Eating Out, another successful gay flick) outstrips the novel by Matthew Rettenmund.

Originally released in 1995, Rettenmund’s book has been re-released by St. Martin’s Griffin imprint. The $13.95 paperback is a good read, interesting and accessible, but the story really shines after being polished by Pierce and Brocka.

The movie had successful screenings at the Cleveland International Film Festival this spring, and is now getting its theatrical run courtesy of TLA Releasing.

Boy Culture is the story of X, a high-priced gigolo in Chicago. (At least in the novel; in the film the location is less clear.)

To hide some of his illicit income, he has two roommates. Joey is young, dumb, and full of energy. He lives with X for free since his parents kicked him out when he came out.

Andrew is a manager at Blockbuster Video, paying a slightly discounted rate to keep the IRS off X’s back.

Joey loves X but X loves Andrew. Andrew wants to love X but can’t really deal with the whole prostitution thing.

Add to this X’s latest client, Gregory, who will only have sex with X when the young hustler can return his desire fully. To that end, the two have their “dates,” but spend the time chatting about Gregory’s life.

Gregory was madly in love with Renaldo, who worked in the apartment building in which he and his parents lived in his youth. They began a torrid relationship, which ended with Renaldo’s death a few years before.

Or did they?

Gregory’s story might not be totally true, but his lies could finally bring X out of his impenetrable armor and into the embrace of a true lover.

There are a number of changes between the novel and the film, most of which result in a recommendation to read the novel first, then see the movie to avoid any trace of disappointment.

First of all, the character of Andrew is completely changed. In the book, he is a corn-fed kid just coming out of the closet, while in the film, he is a Nubian god played to the hilt by Darryl Stephens (Noah’s Arc) who knows what he wants, but would like it at least a little bit on his own terms.

Gregory (Patrick Bauchau) changes from a British expatriate to something more continental, a touch of a German or Polish or Russian accent giving his words a sharper edge, a more worldly air. The resolution of the Renaldo relationship sub-plot is far more engrossing in the film than in the novel.

Andrew and X (played engagingly by Derek Magyar) at one point take a trip to the wedding of Andrew’s ex-fiancée. In the film, there’s sexual tension up the wazoo and another subplot with the ex’s brother, none of which is in the novel. Rettenmund simply has them making snide comments about the bride and groom.

There are other differences between the two versions, probably too many to mention here. Suffice it to say that Pierce and Brocka took a book that was enjoyable, and turned it into a film that really kicks ass, adding depth and drama while leaving the original story intact.

So, while there are no laser guns a-blastin’, no aliens dripping ichor onto the heads of unsuspecting victims-to-be, read the book first. It shouldn’t take too long, but seeing those subtle differences creating a whole new world is interesting in itself.

Boy Culture is doing the art-theater circuit, so its release dates are scattered. Cleveland gets it on May 18, when it will start playing at the Cedar-Lee Theater, but Columbus’ Drexel Gateway won’t have it until July 13. There are no dates yet for either the Esquire or Mariemont in Cincinnati, or for the Neon in Dayton.

Toledoans can make the 40-minute drive to the Main Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan starting on May 18, though.