I’m always a bit dubious about reports that a film prompted walkouts, as it can’t help but sound like a marketing ploy. However, there were apparently quite a few people who didn’t get through to the end of the screenings of Sauvage at Cannes, due to its graphic approach to its story.
However, many of the reviewers who did watch it all the way through praised its honesty, even is they did say it’s sometimes tough to watch.
Here’s the synopsis: ‘Leo is 22 and sells his body on the street for a bit of cash. The men come and go, and he stays right here – longing for love. He doesn’t know what the future will bring. He hits the road. His heart is pounding.’
No UK release date has currently been set. Take a look at the trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDMn85r8_Ag
I’m dubious about what caused the walkouts by viewers of this movie at Cannes, and my reasoning is different from the two explanations given above [that is, a marketing ploy, or the film’s graphic approach]. I have a hunch that if this movie’s subject was a female prostitute — either lesbian or straight — there would be fewer audience members who were “voting with their feet”. In other words, I’m guessing that many of the walkouts were viewers who just aren’t comfortable with the idea of guys having sex together.