LAID TO REST

Unveiling shadows of a bygone era, a photojournalist stumbles upon a mysterious reel of photos. Who is the enigmatic woman captured within its frames? As layers of secrecy unravel, suppressed tales of taboo emerge from Buenos Aires’ cobblestone streets, hinting at the city’s perilous past. Within La Boca’s historic port neighborhood, the struggles of women, notably within the Jewish community, come to light: Rosa, lured by love, embarked on a journey with her groom from Poland to Argentina in 1899; Perla, seeking job opportunities, ventured to Buenos Aires. As whispers of courage and resistance resound, distant memories resurface: actor Max Berliner recalls his childhood in the brothel-strewn Once neighborhood, while actress Shifra Lerer reminisces about her role in a forgotten Yiddish play about a Jewish prostitute that once stirred controversy in the Yiddish press and theaters. But who was Raquel, the fearless voice that dared to challenge the clandestine world of Jewish sex trafficking in 1930? With a raw, gritty camera style and an unscripted, reportage-like montage, the documentary “Laid to Rest” endeavors to give voice to women who dared to defy their fate, echoing the historic fight against exploitation within the Jewish community. Chronicled in salvaged women’s aid archives, buried headlines of Yiddish newspapers, and in the silent remains of the secluded old Jewish cemetery, these stories shed light on the enduring struggle against the historic sex trade, serving as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. As the echoes of the buried past reverberate in the present, the film resurrects a forgotten history that was never laid to rest, showcasing the power of a marginalized community in confronting ongoing universal concerns of global sex trafficking.

ornit@tinro.com