Middle Eastern promises

Just 18 films spread out over 11 days doesn’t sound like much of a festival. But  when three of those films are LGBT-focused, suddenly those numbers look pretty good. Following on the heels of high-profile Israeli fare like The Bubble, a trio of pink celluloid delights will screen this week at the 2007 Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema. If Reeling Film Festival (Chicago’s LGBT film fest, opening in November) gets you hot, consider this your warm-up. For more on the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema, see “Small is good”.

Paper Dolls
80mins. In Hebrew with subtitles.
Sun 21, 9pm. Pipers Alley. Mon 22, 8:30pm. Wilmette Theatre.
Oh, no. Not another film about Filipino transvestite immigrants who care for elderly Israeli orthodox Jews. That’s exactly the subject matter in director Tomer Heymann’s spirited documentary about a troupe of Filipino men who work as health aides for senior citzens during the day and perform as a drag ensemble after dark in the swinging nightclubs of Tel Aviv. Living in fear of deportation, bombings and street thugs, these gals still bust it out big time to follow their dream of becoming world-class entertainers.

Things Behind the Sun
110mins. In Hebrew with subtitles.
Sat 20, 9:30pm. Pipers Alley.
Mon 22, 6:30pm. Wilmette Theatre.
Turns out, America did not invent the dysfunctional family. Yuval Shafferman’s directorial debut tells the story of introverted Itzhak, a beaten-down middle-aged man who agrees to break his ten-year silence with his father, now that old dad is on his deathbed. Meanwhile, Itzhak has to contend with faltering relationships with his own brood, including his artist wife, deadbeat son and 25-year-old—wait for it—angry lesbian daughter.

Tied Hands
90mins. In Hebrew with subtitles.
Tue 23, 8:30pm. Wilmette Theatre.
You may remember actor Gila Almagor as Eric Bana’s mother in Steven Spielberg’s Munich, but in her native country her star wattage is ten times brighter. The first lady of Israeli stage and cinema took home an acting award from the 2006 Jerusalem Film Festival for this portrayal of a mother and caregiver to her estranged son, who’s dying of AIDS. Her quest one night for marijuana to ease her son’s suffering brings her closer to his world and, ultimately, to him.