FEATURE FILM / 1999

Paradise Bent: Gender Diversity in Sāmoa

An exploration of the Samoan fa'afafine, boys who are raised as girls, who fulfill a traditional role in Samoan culture. In the past they have shared women's traditional work but today are becoming more westernized and look more like drag queens. Several anthropologists comment on the phenomenon examining issues of culture and gender and the complexities of sexual identity.