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Paper Dolls (Bubot Niyar) (2006)

tomatometer

82

Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 11
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 2

No consensus yet.

audience

53

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 864

My Rating

Movie Info

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

Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.

Documentary, Drama

Tomer Heymann

Mar 13, 2007

Strand Releasing

All Critics (17) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (5) | DVD (1)

The transsexuals muddle through, finding their way on the planet in a manner that can only provoke awe, no matter how silly their lifestyle will look to some.

October 13, 2006 Full Review Source: Denver Post | Comment
Denver Post
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Paper Dolls, which tracks a group of [...] workers through their day jobs and drag act, is far from a chronicle of misery.

October 11, 2006 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
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Heymann brings to Paper Dolls not only an engaging poignancy and depth but also a powerful universality.

October 6, 2006 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Comment
Los Angeles Times
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Although the 'weird' factor is very much in play here, director Tomer Heymann does a fine job of peeking behind the curtain and discovering real humanity at work.

September 29, 2006 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
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Moving tale of two groups of people who have found a common emotional ground.

September 27, 2006 Comment
Hollywood Reporter
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Sad, sweet and oddly inspirational.

September 20, 2006 Full Review Source: Salon.com | Comment
Salon.com
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The subject matter of Paper Dolls is fascinating but the film's execution is only so-so. Heymann never penetrates beyond the surface of his subject's lives...

February 20, 2009 Full Review Source: Playback:stl | Comment
Playback:stl

A real human story emerges, and you sincerely root for these unlikely, uncomely souls.

March 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Journal International | Comment
Film Journal International

Israeli filmmaker Tomer Heymann inserts himself into the story, and sometimes it seems, pushes it along certain dramatic paths.

December 14, 2006 Comment
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Paper Dolls is infused with lively and dynamic action, people caring for each other even in the worst of circumstances...

October 1, 2006 Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | Comment
Entertainment Insiders

Paper Dolls seems something of a cardboard cutout, perhaps because in covering so many of the Dolls one never sees clearly into their various inner lives.

September 13, 2006 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | Comment
Boxoffice Magazine

The Paper Dolls themselves are funny and touching and their plight is relevant to any discussion about foreign workers, regardless of the country.

September 8, 2006 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The film only skims the surface of the Paper Dolls' personal lives, barely tapping into the dreams that motivate them on a daily basis.

August 30, 2006 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | Comment
Slant Magazine
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Paper Dolls (Bubot Niyar)

Documentary, concerning gay effeminate men who imigrated to Israel as health care workers. They started a drag troop called Paper Dolls, thus the title of the movie. At times this is appealing but not enough for one to really care of their plight.

September 1, 2008
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Dave Smith

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Foreign Titles

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