The Cinematheque

VIFF 2021

Moneyboys takes a revelatory glimpse at China’s hushed-up gay sex industry. Fei (Kai Ko) works in a second-tier Chinese city as a rentboy to send money home. He’s hot property in the underground gay network, until lover Xiaolai courts danger for Fei’s sake. Fei abandons him in a heartbeat and moves on, but trouble follows him everywhere. When he visits his fishing village, his family rejects him while happily pocketing his earnings. Short-lived joys of youth and material excess can’t abate deeper longings for love and acceptance. Born in China, C.B. Yi immigrated to Austria as a teenager, and studied at Vienna Film Academy under the tutelage of Michael Haneke. Yi dissects social hypocrisy and moral weakness with an incisiveness comparable to Haneke, but boasts his own ravishing aesthetics. Ko’s acting has considerably matured since his idol days, bringing hurt and world-weariness to his bedroom eyes. Shot entirely in Taiwan, its tropical scenery drips with languid, sweaty sensuality.

Cast: Kai Ko, Chloe Maayan, Yufan Bai, JC Lin

Gateway: Journey into the cinematic reaches of East Asia with some of the world’s most compelling storytellers as your guides.