Theo ( Geoffrey Couet), who has short brown curly hair, and Hugo (Francois Nabmot), with straight dark hair, start out getting rent-a-bikes and talking exultantly as they wheel through the city. Referencing Agnes Varda’s New Wave classic “Cleo from 5 to 7,” “Paris 05:59” follows the two young guys in real time from the moment they leave the sex club, shortly after 4:30 a.m., till the minute given in the title. They are not simply lustful looks but seem to suggest something more. That story, in fact, is announced and begun in the sex scene, with the looks exchanged between the two guys. The other is that it’s not an end unto itself but a set-up for the story that follows. One is that it is very artfully filmed and doesn’t include close-ups of genitals.

There are two things, though, that set it apart from most pornography. It should be noted that this scene is hardcore, meaning it contains erect penises and sex acts that are shown explicitly.