"Mutt" -- Movie Review

 

On the Closing Night of the New Directors/New Films Festival, I attended a screening of the new drama “Mutt”. 

Synopsis

When a young trans person confronts people from their past, is there any hope for these relationships to be reconciled?

Story

Despite being anxious about their father visiting from Chile, Feña (Lío Mehiel) is nevertheless looking forward to have him see how they are flourishing in New York City.  Feña’s anxiety largely comes from the family’s shock that Feña came out as trans a while back, transitioning from female to male.  This has caused a strain on Feña’s relationship with her mother, from whom she’s estranged, despite the fact that she lives in New York City, too; she has not only kicked Feña  out of her house, but she has also forbidden any contact with her or Feña’s younger sister Zoe (MiMi Ryder). 

One night while out with friends, Feña runs into John (Cole Doman), an ex-boyfriend.  When Feña was a female, they were together; her transition to male is what caused them to break-up.  Later that evening, they spend some time with together; clearly, they are still drawn to each other, despite the fact that the break-up was over a year and a half ago.  After revealing Feña’s top surgery (i.e., breast removal), they wind up, perhaps unwisely, spending the night together.  The next day, Zoe finds Feña, who’s now also on the outs with their mother over school.  They haven’t been in touch with each other for a long time and it’s clear both wish to reconnect.

Just when Feña has to drive to the airport to pick-up their father, a series of calamities occur.  First, she gets locked out of her apartment and is also without her cell phone.  Second, the person who was going to loan Feña a car has reneged, so Feña is awkwardly forced to ask John to borrow his car.  Ultimately, Feña gets their father (albeit late) and brings him back to the apartment.  But when old wounds suddenly resurface during the ride home, will the two still be able to resolve their conflicts or will they discover that they can no longer have any kind of relationship with each other?   

Review

One of the problems with “Mutt” is that while we are clearly supposed to be sympathizing with and rooting for Feña, the character is written in such a way that obstacles are constantly thrown in the way that make it difficult for the audience to do so.  Specifically, Feña seems to be obsessed with constantly making bad life choices or having poor judgement.  While it’s true that fate is being particularly cruel to Feña and one may feel that the character has suffered enough, you get the impression that Feña brings about some of their own bad luck by going out of their way to do so. 

There is one scene late in the movie between Feña and John where this seems to be brought out; they get into an argument at one point and he blasts Feña for being a jerk both in the way the transition occurred and in the way Feña treats people once they began the transition.  Understandably, John still feels hurt, embarrassment and abandonment; although Feña attempts to apologize, it is clearly far too late.  One gets the sense that Feña might have found more allies in their life had the transition been handled more deftly.  Some relationships may be repaired, others not. 

An interview with writer/director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz took place after the screening; he was joined by cast members Lío Mehiel, Cole Doman & MiMi Ryder.  Lungulov-Klotz said that the casting process took about two years because it was difficult to find young trans actors that could carry off the role.  He and Mehiel spent quite a bit of time with each other prior to shooting the film in order to become familiar with each other.  Likewise, when Doman was cast, he also spent an evening with Mehiel for the same reason.  Lungulov-Klotz believes that New York City is the perfect setting for this movie because so many trans people flock here because they feel accepted and comfortable.