The Polish director Wiktor Grodecki has largely dedicated his filmography to the depiction of young male prostitutes in Prague, and Mandragora is his first feature film after several documentaries. Thus, it seems very realistic, even for those not familiar with the topic/situation, and some unpleasant scenes seeming exaggerated are apparently not...
Prague is considered as one of the finest cities in Europe, but we see only some of its beauty. The main venues are railway stations, cheap hotels, bedroom suburbs... Still, some customers and their dwelling places are wealthy, and so the misery of the boys is particularly stressed, plus the inclusion of AIDS, booze and drugs being accustomed to people in porn and escort business. Due to this and the existence of pimps, the real "workers" never become wealthy, but, contrary to common belief, it is not easy money, particularly if your sexual orientation is different. The plot, however is not smooth, and some performances are excessive, although the main characters are well elaborated and boldly performed (e.g. Marek, David, Krysa). The ending is distinctive and witty, but a bit fictitious to me.
True, I am sure that circumstances have changed with the appearance of the Internet, with less "dealings" on the streets and bigger awareness of dangers and diseases, but still, Mandragora can be regarded as a good warning film to both those eager to engage themselves in prostitution and those eager to take on sex trips to economically less countries.
Prague is considered as one of the finest cities in Europe, but we see only some of its beauty. The main venues are railway stations, cheap hotels, bedroom suburbs... Still, some customers and their dwelling places are wealthy, and so the misery of the boys is particularly stressed, plus the inclusion of AIDS, booze and drugs being accustomed to people in porn and escort business. Due to this and the existence of pimps, the real "workers" never become wealthy, but, contrary to common belief, it is not easy money, particularly if your sexual orientation is different. The plot, however is not smooth, and some performances are excessive, although the main characters are well elaborated and boldly performed (e.g. Marek, David, Krysa). The ending is distinctive and witty, but a bit fictitious to me.
True, I am sure that circumstances have changed with the appearance of the Internet, with less "dealings" on the streets and bigger awareness of dangers and diseases, but still, Mandragora can be regarded as a good warning film to both those eager to engage themselves in prostitution and those eager to take on sex trips to economically less countries.