Aleskandr's Price

Date of review: 07 April 2017

Gritty, uncomfortable and thought-provoking, Aleksandr's Price follows the downward spiral of a young Russian man living illegally in New York. After suffering hardship and abandonment at home, he seeks help from his best friend who refers him to an acquaintance of hers. Through this acquaintance he picks up a job dancing in a gay club, which at first he enjoys but things gradually take a turn for the worse as he unwittingly comes to work as an escort. We witness his emotional decay as he continues to make harmful decisions and struggles to cope with the consequences of his actions, suffering abuse from his clients and more so from himself. The final event leading up to the ending was genuinely shocking and fit the dark and depraved theme of the story completely.

This is by far one of the best drama films I have watched for some time. I understand the lead actor was also the writer and director for this film, and I applaud his effort in creating a highly polished film that was both uncomfortable to watch and enjoyable for having done so. While there is nothing explicit in its content, the film does show lots of scenes of intimacy and simulated sex between men and thus is primarily suited to mature audiences who are not offended by such displays. The music score was a nice electronica theme that suits the club atmosphere in which many of the scenes take place.

All in all, if you are in the mood for a dark and moody drama that will take you through an uncomfortable yet satisfying journey then this is definitely one to watch.