I’ve heard more jokes about non-orgasmic Jewish American Princesses than I can recall. I’ve also been apprised more than once (wink-wink, nod-nod) that Jewish women are hot-blooded hussies.
The truth lies (or is it lays?) somewhere. It might even be found amid the tease, titillation and temerity of the Israeli documentary “The First Zionist Bunny.”
Sex is front and center and rear in this splashy behind-the-scenes look at the flashbulb-popping competition to determine the on-camera hostess of Israel’s new Playboy Channel.
“The First Zionist Bunny” will have its U.S. premiere in the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in three screenings co-presented by 2nd Saturday at the Cellar.
The movie resembles a fast-moving VH1 special, with moments that dabble in poignant character study and longer sequences that mimic the dimwit trashiness of a reality show.
As with any endeavor involving beautiful women —from the Raiderettes to the movie star on the cover of Vanity Fair to the underpaid, overly made-up girl behind the Lancôme counter at Macy’s — this film makes us ponder who is benefiting and who’s being used. When the women are half-naked a good bit of the time, as they are here, it’s a little easier to figure out.
The 10 finalists for the distinction, culled from hundreds of applicants, predictably dream of the celebrity, money, perks and hot guys that will accrue to the winner. But they’re not all bimbos, and they display a surprising warmth and camaraderie toward each other, though some lack class.
There are a couple of brassy blonde types forever pushing their assets in our face, as well as a slender, self-assured transsexual and a serious brunette with classic Jewish-girl-next-door beauty. All the finalists — mostly models, actresses and gals too young to have formed career plans but old enough to have discovered their sexual power — crave the exposure the winner will receive.
They can’t anticipate, however, that they’ll be used as marathon public-relations barnstormers to generate acres of free press for the channel, then gently steered out of camera range after the hostess is announced.
Director Shiri Shahar chooses to begin at the climax, as it were, with the charged moment when the winner’s name is announced. This robs the film of most of its tension and is intended, presumably, to shift our focus to weightier matters than who lands a TV gig.
When we’re introduced to the parents of various contestants, we watch closely for ethnic or socioeconomic revelations. There’s only one: The Russian mother of a precocious 17-year-old expresses favoritism for her other daughter, who (though born in Israel) speaks Russian and is less assimilated.
That’s a familiar litany of first-generation immigrants everywhere. Then she declares that her husband has a music degree and drives a cab, while she has two graduate degrees and works in a supermarket. The decision to include this extraneous comment is as close to a political statement as this diverting but disposable documentary comes.
It gradually becomes clear that the film has no interest in, say, exploring changing Israeli attitudes toward sex or the varying responses of the secular and religious communities.
Only after the crowning of spiky, short-haired Noga Shahar — when we expect the film to fade to black — does “The First Zionist Bunny” turn serious.
We follow her to Los Angeles to meet Playboy honchos and attend a glitzy bash. The glamour and excitement soon give way to a kind of melancholy, however, hinting that the savvy starlet is beginning to realize that the approval of others, sexual or otherwise, can’t cure loneliness.
“The First Zionist Bunny” isn’t a Cinderella story with a “Warning” sticker, but it does leave us curious for a sequel: Will Shahar turn to toast in the spotlight, or mature into a strong, fascinating woman?
“The First Zionist Bunny” screens 10 p.m. Saturday, July 22 at the Castro Theatre in S.F.; 10 p.m. July 29 at the Roda Theatre in Berkeley; and 8:15 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Century in Mountain View.