“If you’d never experienced this, it would be hard to understand.”

That’s the first line of Boys for Sale, a documentary that had its North American premiere in July 2017 at Outfest Los Angeles. The film follows 10 urisen — mostly straight Japanese boys who sell sex to men — as they discuss their working conditions, how they ended up making money this way and what it’s like having sex with 70-year-olds — some of whom piss, spit and shit on you — when you’re not even gay, writes Melma Magazine.

The action takes place in the Shinjuku 2-chrome section of Tokyo, which one male prostitute or urisen notes is “The gay center of Asia.” Someone adds, there are over 800 gay businesses in Japan. The ‘boys’ ranging in age from 19 to 30 are interviewed, apparently for cash. Some don sparkling, Mardi-Gras-like masks to hide their identities. Others don’t care. The majority here insist they are either straight or bi, often with girlfriends. (Please note: all their reminisced sex acts are depicted with animation.)

Ian Thomas Ash, executive producer of Boys for Sale, was born in the U.S. but has lived in Japan for 17 years, where he directed two award-winning documentaries about children living in areas of Fukushima contaminated by the 2011 nuclear meltdown.

One young gay man, Tamura Hisanori, 28, in fluent English, notes why there is such a big need for male prostitutes: “Japan is an island with a very conservative kind of mentality. If you are ethnically or sexually different, they tend to discriminate against you, but not in a homophobic way as we know in the Western countries. They won’t hit you. They won’t aggress you, but they will morally aggress you.” Hisanori then explains how his teacher mistreated him on learning of his sexuality.

The film reflects upon the dark world of gay prostitution in Japan where the sex workers had no idea how AIDS is transmitted. Others admitted they started out bare-backing, then switched, but it’s hard for some to insist on condoms when the customers are adamant, stronger, and pay more. The revelations mount up. “Sex is still something the Japanese cannot talk about… This is one of the only developed nation where HIV is growing,” an interviewee explains.

Without argument, here’s an eye-opening, unflinching take on the exploitation of sex workers, even though admittedly several admit they enjoy the job and the money. In the end, Boys for Sale delves into its chosen topic with unbridled finesse, unearthing the country’s hypocritical attitude towards gays and sex in general.

As far as the critics are concerned the film has been praised a lot. ‘Boys for Sale’ is absolutely fascinating. It asks – and gets answers to - so many questions anyone would have when faced with someone doing this type of sex work; particularly considering the asserted heterosexuality of majority of the tricks", writes Diva Velez (film critic).

Another critic, Jennie Kermode, calls the film an intriguing piece of work that captures an underexplored side of modern Japan and provides sex workers with a rare chance to speak for themselves, this is a gem of a documentary, and well worth seeking out.