Hustlers, but not the poolroom type

The collection of six gay shorts in “Boys Briefs 4” has much to offer sophisticated straight audiences -- even though the central figures are all male hustlers. With succinct storytelling and strong acting, the emphasis is not on sex but rather on what the experiences of the hustlers and those they encounter reveal about the world in which they live.

In the Australian “Into the Night,” written by Cath Moore and directed by Tony Krawitz, Marcus (Bryan Marshall), a polished older man, picks up a longhaired youth, Damien (Sam Barlow), and takes him back to his residence, which bespeaks of tasteful wealth. All goes well, yet the discovery that Damien has made an incorrect assumption about Marcus has a credibly, if perhaps only momentary, transforming effect on him.

Meanwhile, New Zealand writer-director Welby Ings’ “Boy” is a stunningly near-surreal silent vignette in which Sam (Jesse Lee) comes upon a hit-and-run driver, which places the youth in jeopardy and tests his courage in his rural community.

Bastian Schweitzer cleverly evokes the glittering Paris of a perfume commercial in “Gigolo,” which has become so hellish for Karim (Salim Kechiouche), an Arab from a miserable background beyond the interest, let alone comprehension, of a super-rich, middle-aged and apparently surgically enhanced blond (Amanda Lear). The plight of the reflective Karim becomes that of countless other young Arabs caught in a hostile, indifferent France.

Greg Atkins wrote and directed the crisply told “Build” and cast himself as Crete, a University of Toronto architecture student who flunks out and secretly takes to the streets to support his alcoholic mother and himself and thereby meets a seasoned, opportunistic hustler.

An even more deftly nuanced vignette, Mary Feuer’s “Rock Bottom” stars John Militello as Billy, an overweight freelance writer who hesitantly picks up a wiry hustler, Jason (Timothy Lee DePriest), on Santa Monica Boulevard and takes him home. Jason promptly gets high on drugs, yet moments of fleeting tenderness emerge between the ill-matched duo.

Another Canadian entry, Armen Kazazian’s “Gold,” has Aron Tager as Billy, a sweet-natured hustler kept by a wealthy elderly artist (P.J. Lazic) who takes pleasure in humiliating Billy as he instructs him in exceedingly precise fashion in painting. An incident propels Billy back to the streets, culminating in an ultimate test of character.

*

‘Boys Briefs 4’

MPAA rating: Unrated

A Picture This! release. Various writers, directors, producers and other artists and technicians. In English; in one instance French, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Exclusively at the Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, [323] 848-3500.