Paper Dolls (film)
Paper Dolls (Bubot Niyar) | |
---|---|
Directed by | Tomer Heymann |
Written by | Tomer Heymann |
Produced by | Claudia Levin Stanley Buchthal Tomer Heymann |
Starring | see Participants |
Cinematography | Itai Raziel |
Edited by | Lavi Ben Gal |
Music by | Eli Soorani |
Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
Countries | Israel Switzerland United States |
Languages | Hebrew Tagalog English |
Box office | $36,089[1] |
Paper Dolls (Hebrew: בובות נייר, Bubot Niyar) is a 2006 documentary by Israeli director Tomer Heymann, which 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.[2]
In 2013, the story was adapted as a musical and produced at the
Story
The documentary followed five
A main story told in the documentary concerns the relationship between Sally and her elderly ward Chaim, who lost his voice due to
Participants
- Salvador "Sally" Camatoy
- Chiqui Diokno
- Giorgio Diokno
- Francisco "Cheska" P. Ortiz Jr.
- Toran "Jan" Jacob Libas
- Efrenito "Nits" Manalili
- Jose "Neil" T. Datinguinoo
- Eduardo "Rika" Javar (died during production)
- Chaim Amir (died during production)
- Noa Heymann
Production
The documentary, shot for a span of five years and 320 hours of
Releases
Paper Dolls was shown around the
Before its second release in the Philippines at the 2007 Israeli Film Festival, Paper Dolls was given an
Reception
Critical reception
Film critics have mostly-positive
Meanwhile, Russell Edwards of Variety wrote that Paper Dolls "mostly fails to transcend its ramshackle structure or penetrate the inner-lives of its subjects".[8] Ed Gonzales of Slant Magazine gave 2 out of 4 stars, while lamenting that the documentary "only skims the surface of the Paper Dolls' personal lives, barely tapping into the dreams that motivate them on a daily basis".[23]
Awards
Paper Dolls won three awards from independent juries in 2006 Berlin International Film Festival: Panorama Audience Award for a Feature Film; the Manfred-Salzgeber Prize; and the Siegessäule Reader's Jury Award.
Aftermath
Chiqui, Giorgio, and Jan went to
After Chaim's death, Sally's visa became invalid, and she returned to the Philippines to take care of her mother,
Stage adaptation
A stage adaptation of the same name by Philip Himberg was workshopped as part of the
The piece received mostly mixed or negative reviews, although the relationship between Jue's Sally and Harry Dickman's Chaim was praised by most reviewers. The Daily Telegraph thought that Himberg "tries to include everything, and in the process, loses focus and tension. ... The raucous performances of musical numbers ... occupy an uncomfortable hinterland between deliberately amateurish and slightly painful. Richard Kent’s designs are handsome. ... Jue gives a haunting performance as Sally ... but both play and direction are compromised by a cloying sentimentality."[37] The London Evening Standard, observed: "It’s a curious confection: part surprising study of cultural contrasts, part affectionate portrait of the world of the drag queen, and part exploration of some knotty ideas about homeland and identity. ... [The] production is both intimate and vigorous, with lashings of campness and a few genuinely moving moments. ... But along the way it seems a bit clunky, as if straining too hard for sincerity and interest."[39] The Stage felt that, while the play has an "episodic, plodding sincerity", "it feels as though the inner lives have been drained from these characters".[40] The Times, however, gave the piece four stars out of a possible five, writing: "As an illustration of the fragility of global immigrants, amplified by the no man’s land between genders and set in a land itself founded by a diaspora, it is hard to better. ... [It] is both achingly intimate and rich in universal themes: the courage of exile, the security of culture and religion, the moral beauty of tolerance. At its heart is the relationship (which repeatedly made me cry) between Chaim (Harry Dickman) ... and the wonderful Francis Jue as Salvatore – 'Sally'."[41]
See also
- Homosexuality and Judaism
- Trembling Before G-d (2001)
- Keep Not Silent (2002), a documentary about lesbian Orthodox Jewish women in Jerusalem
- Say Amen (2005), a documentary about a gay man coming out to his Orthodox family
- Orthodox Jew and gay
References
- ^ "Paper Dolls (2006)". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Strand Releasing. "Paper Dolls synopsis". StrandReleasing.com. Archived from the original (DOC) on 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ a b c d e Curtis, Nick. "Boys, boas and a big issue: writer Philip Himberg on his new play Paper Dolls", London Evening Standard, 20 February 2013
- ^ a b c Scott, A.O (September 6, 2006). "Paper Dolls (2005): In Search of a Better Life, and a Place to Be Accepted". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ a b Buchanan, Jason. "Plot synopsis of Paper Dolls". AllMovie.com. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ a b Noh, David. "PAPER DOLLS". Film Journal International. Retrieved 2008-02-22.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Morris, Wesley (September 8, 2006). "Paper Dolls cuts below the surface". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ a b Edwards, Rusell (February 11, 2006). "Paper Dolls". Variety.com. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ a b Marketing Communication Office, De La Salle University, Manila. "DLSU-M hosts Israeli Film Fest" (PDF). 2401, Vol. 39, No. 5. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ International Filmfestspiele Berlin. "Berlin International Film Festival 2006 Programme". Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ American Film Institute. "Paper Dolls". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Austerlitz, Saul (August 29, 2006). "Border Crossing and Cross-dressing". The Jewish Daily Forward. Archived from the original on 2006-10-18. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation. "Tomer Heymann: Film Director, IcExcellence chosen artist since 2006". Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ a b c d "Celebrating life at the 8th Israeli Filmfest". Manila Bulletin. December 16, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-23. [dead link]
- ^ Metblog.com. "Cinemanila last call". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ CD-DVD Limited. "Paper Dolls". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ IGN Entertainment. "Paper Dolls (2006)". RottenTomatoes.com. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ CNET Networks, Inc. "Paper Dolls". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Rothkopf, Joshua. "Review: Paper Dolls". Time Out New York, Issue 571. Retrieved 2008-02-23.[dead link]
- ^ Fox, Ken. "Paper Dolls: Review". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Booth, Michael (October 12, 2006). "Transsexuals find tolerance in Israel". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (October 6, 2006). "Paper Dolls: Living on Israel's margins". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Gonzales, Ed. "Paper Dolls". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ 56 Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin. "Berlinale 2005 Award Winners" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-04-15. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Festival de Cine Judio de Barcelona. "PROGRAMA OFICIAL FCJBCN 2007" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2008-02-22. [dead link]
- ^ "Publikumspreis 2006". PinkApple.ch (in German). Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ "2006 Los Angeles Film Festival Award Winners Announced" (PDF). LAFilmFest.com. July 3, 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-23. [dead link]
- ^ Cinemanila International Film Festival. "About Cinemanila". Archived from the original on 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ DV-8 Film. "Awards at identities 2007". Archived from the original on 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ 22nd Turin International GLBT Film Festival. "Awards List" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Abdullah, Afkar (November 22, 2007). "Hairdresser found dead in Sharjah". Khaleej Times Online. Archived from the original on 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Ozaeta, Arnell (December 3, 2007). "Noli asked to intervene in death of Pinoy hairdresser in Dubai". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 2008-02-23. [dead link]
- ^ Documentary New Zealand Film Festival. "Paper Dolls—Lead Character Murdered". Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (2011-05-12). "Telly Leung, Francis Jue, Matthew Wilkas to Workshop Paper Dolls for Sundance Institute in NYC". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ Chang, Lia. Feb. 28–Apr.13: Ron Domingo, Francis Jue and Jon Norman Schneider Set for Paper Dolls at the Tricycle Theatre Archived 2016-01-17 at the Wayback Machine, AsianConnections.com, 9 February 2013
- ^ "Paper Dolls Casting Complete at the Tricycle Theatre", Westend.BroadwayWorld.com, February 6, 2013
- ^ a b Shilling, Jane. "Paper Dolls, Tricycle Theatre, review", The Telegraph, 7 March 2013
- ^ Smith, Amy. "A clash of cultures handled with care" Archived 2013-04-07 at archive.today, Camden Review, 21 February 2013
- ^ Hitchings, Henry. "Paper Dolls, Tricycle - theatre review", London Evening Standard, 7 March 2013
- ^ Shenton, Mark. "Paper Dolls", The Stage, 7 March 2013
- ^ Purves, Libby. "Paper Dolls at the Tricycle, NW6", The Times, 8 March 2013 (subscription required)