Sauvage: the Cannes "shock film" about male escorting

Aug. 27 2018

by Guy Valmy

Described by the press as the "shock film" of the Cannes Film Festival, Sauvage will be released this Wednesday, August 29, in French theaters. Camille Vidal-Naquet's first feature film tackles a subject that has been little exploited in the film industry: male escorting.

The scenario centers on the character of Leo, a 22-year-old man in search of love who sells his body for a little money on streets frequented exclusively by men. With no home or material possessions, Leo lives on carpe diem. However, as time goes by, he realizes that his heart beats more and more for his clients.

Like his first name, Leo is a "lion", a wild animal that survives in the wild. He does not seem to be affected by his social situation and even seems to appreciate it. He does not differentiate between his clients, going from a young man his own age to a much older, more mature man. Every hug, every kiss, every tender gesture he shares with his clients represents the main character's need for love.

Like the lion, Leo also has a pack. Among them is Ahd (Eric Bernard), a straight escort and fellow traveler with whom he would have liked to have a relationship if he did not continually refuse. Unlike Leo, Ahd is looking for a man rich enough to take care of him.

It is difficult to know if the main character is looking to be tamed or to live freely and monotonously like a wild animal. Sexuality is, in any case, a remedy for Leo. The tiredness from the sleepless nights he endures is etched on his face, but he breathes freedom because he is a survivor.

Awarded the Male Revelation Prize in Sauvage by the La Semaine de la Critique jury and a new winner of the Valois for Best Actor at the 2018 Angoulême Film Festival, Félix Maritaud faithfully embodies the film's gay escort. The theme, both touching and surprising, had immediately won over the jury at the last Cannes festival.

The actor, who had already distinguished himself in 120 beats per minute by Robin Campillo, Grand Prix du Jury of the Cannes Film Festival 2017 edition, offers here an excellent interpretation of a young man in perdition. He is not modest when he appears naked in front of his clients and therefore in front of the spectators who watch the film. The way he walks and his various gestures as a gay escort were choreographed by Romano Bottinelli at the director's request, a choreography that Félix Maritaud mastered perfectly.

Sauvage is a maximum risk for Camille Vidal-Naquet, who is directing his first feature film. Without a doubt, this first experience for the director is a masterclass. He neither seeks to despise male escorting nor to promote it. It is a question here of speaking about a subject which is rarely evoked. In an interview with AFP, the director said that male escorts are invisible and that many people think that they do not exist.

Camille Vidal-Naquet met male escorts through an association to get inspiration for the film's script. He explains that he remained too close to reality. Indeed, Sauvage shows a lot of respect for the humanity of the characters, especially Leo. Nevertheless, the director signs an excellent drama in which a young man has made male escorting a norm.

Sauvage by Camille Vidal-Naquet (France, 1h39) was released in theaters on Wednesday, August 29, 2018.