Femminielli

Overview

In the Spanish Quarter, right in the heart of the oldtown of Naples, there is still the phenomenon called the „Femminielli“. Men biologically, but similar to Drag-Queens embody a certain type of „Hermaphrodite-Cult“, with its rituals firmly in the tradition of the ancient past, which totally disappeared in the rest of Europe. They fulfill several functions of society ranging from the profane to the sacrosanct. As fetish oriented harbingers of fortune they satisfy the heathencultural desire for expression of the subaltern proletarian. By means of their androgyny, they represent, in the eyes of their own environment, a traditional connection to the supernatural. This experimental film documents the four Femminielli-protagonists by describing their personal circumstances. This is done by short intensive film cuts which depict many details of this cult and its social-cultural relevance.