PARK CITY – After almost 40 years, there are actually few subjects in the LGBTQ community the Sundance Film Festival hasn’t put a spotlight on. The fact that Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s “Mutt,” a rare non-coming-out story about a trans man, is part of the annual independent event is therefore noteworthy in and of itself. More noteworthy is the fact the talented Lungulov-Klotz clearly hasn’t taken their directorial debut for granted.
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A selection in this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition, “Mutt” follows Feña (Lío Mehiel, quite good), a twentysomething trans man trying to survive in New York City, over the course of one day. A 24-hour period that sees them run into their ex-boyfriend, John (Cole Doman, super talented), unexpectedly deal with the arrival of their teenage younger sister, Zoe (Mimi Rider), and anxiously attempt to find a car to pick up their Chilean father, Pablo (Alejandro Goic, fantastic), from the airport. Along the way, they are confronted with everyday obstacles to their identity (a slightly transphobic bank teller, for instance) and typical slip-ups that turn any easy excursion into a logistical disaster (hint, never walk out of an apartment without your keys).
Beyond the crazy impressive cinematography from Matthew Pothier, the film sparks when it centers on the complicated relationship between Feña and John. The movie has barely started when the pair have a chance run-in at a Brooklyn bar after having not seen each other for a year and a half.  During that period Feña transitioned and underwent top surgery becoming, in some ways, a very different person from the one who broke John’s heart. Or perhaps they broke both their hearts. As Lungulov-Klotz thematically reminds us throughout the course of the picture, life can be an utter mess, all the time.
As also demonstrated in Ira Sach’s “Passages” at Sundance, a person’s sexuality is often fluid whether or not they want to admit it (maybe that Kinsey guy was on to something). John may identify as a CIS “straight guy,” but he also cannot ignore his attraction to Feña. Even if their body is no longer the same as the person they initially fell in love with. And as for Feña, who identifies as a “gay” trans man who is attracted to men, John still means more to them than they care to admit. Impressively, everything from John’s initial curiosity about Feña’s physical changes to the aftermath of an overnight hookup is handled with grounded compassion and nuance. Much of this credit has to go to Lungulov-Klotz, but Mehiel and Doman are exceptional in their depiction of this very intimate connection. An attraction that might be more common than you think.
Not everything Lungulov-Klotz attempts works, however. Zoe’s arrival into Feña’s busy day is much more of a distraction than it should be throwing in a narrative throughline the film simply doesn’t need. And there are definitely one too many unexpected mishaps to push the story forwards, even for someone trekking across multiple boroughs (and maybe one, in particular, that’s a little hard to believe). And while the film elegantly considers the relationship between Feña and their father in the third act, it still feels like something is missing from that aspect of the picture. Especially after Feña’s anxious build-up to his arrival.
But when the film focuses on Feña and John? That’s something genuinely special. And a reason to put Lungulov-Klotz on your filmmakers-to-watch list. Plus, you know we’ll always give bonus points for fantastically shot dance floor scenes. [B-/C+]
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