Garden

Ruthie Shatz, Adi Barash
2003. Israel. vo Arabic, Hebrew. s English. 90’

Nino and Dudu are young male prostitutes working in the "electricity garden" in downtown Tel-Aviv. The film follows their lives for a year, revealing the intricacies of their daily lives, the way their reality is transformed and their friendship evolves. Both youths experienced abuse at the hands of family members, both found themselves on the streets, prostituting for a living. Nino and Dudu are both survivors, and their intelligence, wit and a strong will make them the "elite" of the garden's young prostitutes. Nino and Dudu lead the narrative of the film. They met in 2002 in a street fight. The two lead characters share a remarkable story of friendship that exposes not only a harsh reality of teen-aged prostitution but also illuminates the complexity of being a Palestinian, an Arab-Israeli and an immigrant in Israel. They are always on the run...