Washington Blade - June 9, 2006
Greg Marzullo

Each year, they have a number of gay-related films as part of the lineup, and 2006 is no different. The festival begins on June 13 and runs until June 18. All films are shown at the AFI Silver Theater, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD. All screenings are $9.25.

One of the most moving films in the lineup is "The Sheriff of Gay Washington," which is all about Sergeant Brett Parson of the D.C. police department's Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit. Directed by John W. Poole, this brief documentary provides a touching and at times revealing glimpse into Parson and his experiences as a gay cop in the nation's capital.

Parson radiates a sense of authority mixed with charm during the on-the-job moments captured on film. These lighter interactions provide for a nice set-up when his story reaches the emotional climax of Wanda Alston's 2005 murder. Parson took the call and headed out to Alston's house where she was found stabbed to death.

Parson's sense of isolation when he says, through tears, "It's down to me," is palpable. He also says that he's had to investigate the deaths of nine other friends while on the D.C. police force, and through his sunny demeanor, the emotional toll of these deaths comes through clearly.

From the completely opposite side of the world comes "The Blood of the Yingzhou District," directed by Ruby Yang. This devastating film follows the lives of Chinese children orphaned by the spreading AIDS epidemic. Some of the children have AIDS and others do not, but the stigma they suffer at the hands of their remaining family and the surrounding community is heart-rending regardless of their status.

The families profiled in the film contracted AIDS through a blood-for-dollars program - an easy moneymaker for the poverty stricken families in rural villages. The health officials take the blood donations, mix them all together and then re-inject a portion of it into the donators to fortify them for their next round of blood drawing.

The story of Gao Jun, a boy who can't be more than four years old, is particularly heartbreaking. Both of his parents died of AIDS, and he, too, has the disease. His entire extended family abandons him, because they don't want the stigma of being attached to someone with the virus. Gao Jun, with blistered skin and listless eyes, wanders among mud-stained walls in an abandoned house and refuses to speak to anyone who approaches him.

All of the children's stories are set against the desolate backdrops of crumbling shacks, dirty pigs rutting through squalid stalls and skeletal, winter trees - a fitting imagistic commentary for the woeful conditions of these children's lives.

FROM ISRAEL COMES "Paper Dolls," a wonderful documentary about drag queens from the Philippines who live in Israel. Director Tomer Heymann delves deeply into the issues of transvestism, gay identity, immigration and the nature of compassion by following the lives of five men who make up the drag performance troupe, the Paper Dolls.

Most of the main subjects work with the elderly, tending them in their sickness, changing their clothes, exercising them and cleaning their homes. Anachronisms abound as Chiqui, the oldest of the group, guides a wizened Orthodox Jewish man to his Torah study session. The queeny Chiqui sits in the room, humming songs while listening to his headphones, and meanwhile, a group of bearded men in black suits debate the ideas in the holy books.

Sally, dressing in women's clothes full-time, works with a man who lost the use of his voice during a bout with throat cancer. She cooks, takes him to the doctor and helps him into bed. He knows that the help is biologically male, but that doesn't affect his genuine care for Sally.

The discrimination they face from much of the Israeli public is shameful considering the amount of work the Filipinos do with the elderly. One cab driver says that it's natural for Filipinos to practice homosexuality, because the Philippines are the cradle of evil. Heymann expertly cuts to Jan, one of the Paper Dolls, feeding her charge and settling him into bed - a biting commentary on the previous vitriolic display of bigotry.

All of the Dolls live in fear of deportation. Once they lose work, they are subject to the authorities' whim. There is no time to look for a new job. If they're caught by the immigration authorities who raid homes, clubs and cultural events, they will be immediately sent back to the Philippines. With the recent immigration debates in the U.S., it's hard not to see a disturbing connection between the "undesirables" of ethnicity, nationality, sexuality and gender identification.

ANOTHER TRANS-RELATED FILM is the excellent "La Persona De Leo N.," from Italian director Alberto Vendemmiati. Nicole, the film's subject, is in transition from male to female, and she's also in a limbo state with her mother, who refuses to see her son as a woman.

Vendemmiati's approach is more like a feature film than a documentary. His use of imagery, flashbacks and a strong dramatic arc ignites the story with vibrant colors and metaphorical visions, drawing you deeply into the life of Nicole.

The film starts as she boards the train from Venice, her current hometown, to Bologna, where the surgery will take place. She gazes out the window at the passing countryside, her reflection revealing a pensive look as her life unravels before her.

Interestingly, Nicole works in a shop that sells masks for Carnevale, the Italian Mardi Gras celebration. Vendemmiati layers images of the highly painted masks with that of Nicole's face, a mask in transition. She undergoes laser hair removal on her face, leaving small pinpricks of blood; she meets with doctors about the arch of her brow; she shaves her head and wears different wigs depending on the occasion and her mood. All the while the color-saturated yet impassive masks of Carnevale look on seemingly without care or interest.

During the course of the film, Nicole rejoins an acting troupe she used to be a part of when she lived as a man. She plays a transvestite role in a play by the master of French Restoration comedy, Moli re. She dresses as a woman in one scene and then changes her makeup to that of man for the following. Nicole's dualistic life is truly a reflection of her artistic surroundings.

One of the more poignant moments in her story is when she has to quit the shop, because her surgery and her new life will be in Bologna. She decides to become a prostitute to pay for any of the extra expenses involved in the move - the surgery process in Italy is free - and a transgender friend advises her on how best to sell herself. The friend wryly notes that they're all ostracized by day and desired at night.

The film ends on a note of triumph as the now full woman Nicole visits her mother, and the two strike up some kind of a balanced compromise over their relationship. The mother, 76, will never be able to go to the lengths of understanding desired by Nicole, but the relationship does reach a truce based on the love of family.

Other gay-related films include "Love Me Do," a look at what love is and what's love's role in relationships. "Railroad All Stars" is about a group of Guatemalan hookers who form a soccer team - one of the players is a lesbian and their coach is gay.

"Muskrat Lovely" is worth checking out. Although there are no gay characters in it, it's a witty portrayal of a small-town high school beauty pageant. Teen girls vie for the title of Miss Outdoors during the annual muskrat skinning festival. It doesn't get more campy than that, and remember, folks, its a documentary.

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