Paper Dolls (2006) [N/A]
Written by:
Tomer Heymann
Directed by:
Tomer Heymann
Release Date:
October 26, 2006
Original Title:
Bubot Niyar
Alternate Titles:
Bubot Niyar
Genres:
Documentary
Production Countries:
Israel | Philippines
Ratings / Certifications:
N/A
Runtime: 80
Paper Dolls follows the lives of transgender migrant workers from the Philippines who work as health care providers for elderly Orthodox Jewish men and perform as drag queens during their spare time. It also delves into the lives of societal outcasts who search for freedom and acceptance.
A group of transgender and gay Filipinos people emigrate to Israel to take care of elderly religious Jewish men. On their one day off per week, they perform as drag performers in a group called the Paper Dolls. On the political level, it explores the perils of global immigration. In this case, after the second Intifada, the Israeli government unofficially opened its doors to illegal workers to replace the Palestinians who were no longer allowed in the country. As tensions with the Palestinians eased, the government changed its policy and began to forcibly deport these foreign guest workers with dramatic consequences for our characters. On the human level, the film is about people who are rejected by their own families for being gay or transgender and who emigrate and end up with jobs taking care of other people's parents who have been rejected by their own children because they are old, difficult, etc. They work grueling hours to send money back to the Philippines to support the families that have rejected them. As unbelievable as it may seem, these very different people (old religious Jews and transgender people from the Philippines) form very deep, quasi familial bonds.
