ArticleMany of the films from Israel that show up on movie screens abroad - and most of the documentaries - deal obliquely or directly with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this context, "Paper Dolls" is both a surprise and something of a relief.
The film, directed by Tomer Heymann, is part diary and part human-interest story. It examines the lives of a group of transsexual Philippine immigrants who work as home attendants for elderly Israelis and perform in Tel Aviv nightclubs. It also records the filmmaker's friendship with them, including his efforts to bring them to the attention of an influential club promoter.
Mingling interviews with observations of daily life, "Paper Dolls" is a modest film, less interested in advocacy or analysis than in sympathy. Not that politics is entirely absent from the story Heymann has to tell. Most of the men who appear in the movie, described as being in various stages of sex transition and known by the feminine names they have adopted, came to Israel in the wake of the second intifada to fill jobs traditionally done by Palestinians. Their status can be precarious since they are ineligible for citizenship, and their visas can be revoked if they lose their jobs.
Still, they fit in as best they can, speaking pretty good Hebrew and ignoring the occasional stares that come their way, especially in the Orthodox neighborhoods where they work. Most have mixed feelings about their temporary home, which is a more open, less sexually repressive society than the one they left, but also one they find to be cold, materialistic and bureaucratic. Like nannies and nurses around the world, they are expected to provide boundless care - even love - for a modest wage.
Posted on: September 07, 2006, 12:37:10 PM
Nursing homes are a dragOpening this weekend at the Coolidge Theatre, Paper Dolls is quickly becoming a surprise international hit. Following a group of transvestite Filipinos who moved to Israel to care for sick, older orthodox Jewish men, the documentary's premise isn't the only interesting thing this film has going for it. With raw direction and open emotion, Paper Dolls is more than a chronicle of a group of social outcasts. It also addresses powerful issues like global immigration, sexism and sexuality, and a country trying to make a change in the face of tradition and history.
