Paper Dolls

After closing the border to Palestinian workers, Israeli authorities sought to fill gaps in the job market by encouraging emigrant workers from other parts of the world. Among those who answered the call were Filipinos in various stages of gender transition. These individuals who see themselves in a female persona, shunned by their families and communities at home, build new lives in Israel as caregivers for elderly, orthodox Jewish men, many of whom come to look upon them as substitute children. On their nights off, the workers perform as a drag queen ensemble, "Paper Dolls," in Tel Aviv nightclubs. Although the troupe's members enjoy Israel's liberal atmosphere, they are still outsiders and are always treated as such. Tomer Heymann's moving documentary explores the role of immigrant workers in Western culture, and delves into the lives of societal outcasts seeking freedom and acceptance, however tenuous.