Gan

The "Garden" is a very seedy area of Tel Aviv. In the world most of us know, luxury cars would not circulate freely in such a desolate place (this is NOT Hollywood or Sunset Boulevard, or a busy pick up street). Much less probable is the relaxed attitude of upper middle class types opening their doors and letting anyone inside the car and drive off before any negotiation, seemingly unafraid of violence. And that these Israeli "drivers" are picking up drug crazed young Palestinian males in criminal activities with such confidence is eye opening, at the very least.

But I guess that's one more contradiction of Tel Aviv life this documentary tells. Drug addicted, young gay prostitutes and transvestites (Israelis and Palestinians) share the same working space in uncommon harmony; in fact as friend. To bring these points home, and make a few more, the film makers follow two young men who "live and work" in the Garden. Namely, Nino, a 17-year-old Palestinian living illegally in Israel, in and out of jail and reformatories - and Dudu, an Arab-Israeli.

The guys give what we must assume, and seems to be "honest testimony", while their dealings with Israeli authorities, "clients" and even court hearings are shown. Their views on the Palestinian conflict are so superficial and unimportant that it only concerns them as an impediment to stay in Israel proper, where society is more permissive. This allows them to indulge in their "vices and interests," out of the question in the Arab world.

These activities, however, are obviously not sustainable, even while facilitated by many Israelis - some well intentioned, others with greedier intentions. Life in the "Garden" is a one way ticket to death via diverse living hells, and this documentary does a good job of proving that point.

This "documentary" has a pretty exploitative feel to it to me.

You see a bunch of f**ked up street dudes acting out for the camera. So? They have gunshot wounds & torture scars which they show off in a casual way. So? They talk about sex & boredom & meaningless lives & being caught by the Palestinian secret police. So? They are put in the Tel Aviv jail & call out on their cell phones.

So? They never seem to be without cell phones. Homeless, yes, phoneless, no. So? This all looks like agitprop Drugstore Cowboy. Life meets art meets life meets art. When's it stop?

i saw this film at the 2004 sundance film festival and it was BY FAR AND ABOVE the best documentary i saw at the festival. a fascinating look into the world of two young prostitutes living in tel aviv amidst the backdrop of political unrest and turmoil. this film was beautifully shot and very well edited. the story is a compelling and fascinating meditation on the complexity of these two young boys relationship, the struggles they endure and their ability to cope with addiction, prostitution, homelessness and displacement.

Highly Recommended!!!!!!!

This is a raw film that will remind you how hard some gay people have it in the world especially under the Israel/Palestine conflict one to watch, and the end , the end... Its a bleak look into how do kids survive in this when they lose contact with their families and how does one grow and evolve with no support system, a very raw and visceral film , there is no sugar coating, all the better for this also as it depicts a reality.Its just so sweet the fact that the guys are so wild and live on the streets yet in certain points you see a boyish weakness it is very touching and i wonder what happened to them...

i would highly recommend a watch if you like documentaries

Saw this on TV and thought it was pretty good. It shows how everything is stacked against these kids, especially their own self-image. Nothing is simple -- everyone has an angle. Who's straight and who's gay? Hard to tell. Are Nino and Dudu responsible for making things worse for themselves? They seem to screw up every change to improve things. But on the other hand, everything comes with strings attached. The men who give them money and other things are amazingly candid about their mixed motives.

At times, made me wonder about the documentary itself. After all, there must be lots of desperate kids in Tel Aviv, but the film-makers chose two who have sex with men. Of course, that's more sensational than kids who just steal or do drugs. Did the film-makers pay these kids to be able to film them? Probably not. But how does this documentary help them? If this documentary is for our entertainment, then aren't the producers, and the audience exploiting them just like everyone else?