Paris’ scruffy Gare du Nord train station forms the backdrop for writer-director Robin Campillo’s gripping opening. The camera hovers high over a gaggle of young men, immigrants from the East, and the would-be johns tentatively scoping them out.

One middle-aged man, Daniel (Olivier Rabourdin), sets up a home visit with Marek (Kirill Emelyanov), a young Ukrainian. Huge mistake: Marek brings his buds, who strip the place almost to the floorboards. Afterward, Marek returns and begins a (paid) relationship with Daniel.

While Campillo does graceful work — the way he draws focus in a scene is a pleasure — the script drags and the pseudo-romance is hard to believe, especially when one plot point concerns Daniel asking for a bulk-purchase sex rate. “Eastern Boys” never quite fulfills the promise of those first few minutes.