#Lío Mehiel

[moviemosaics]

Mutt

directed by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, 2023

[cinema-tv-etc]

Mutt 2023

Fena, a young trans guy bustling through life in New York City, is afflicted with an incessantly challenging day that resurrects ghosts from his past. Laundromats, subway turnstiles, and airport transfers are the hectic background to this emotional drama that overlaps past, present, and future. Settling the disharmony of transitional upheaval in relationships familial, romantic, and platonic is Fena2s task at hand, and his resulting juggling act is equal parts skillful, fumbling, and honest. In negotiating his obliqueness, the poignant moments he finds between himself and others as the distance between them closes are warm, true, and touching

Q&A with MUTT Filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz and Stars Lío Mehiel, Cole Doman & MiMi Ryder

Chilean and Serbian immigrants, he was raised between Chile, the US, and Serbia. As a transgender storyteller, he hopes to expand queer narratives. His work focuses on intimate moments we often miss if we're not looking. Mutt is his debut feature film. With his feature film script, MUTT, he is an alum of the Sundance Institute Labs, the Inside Out Financing Forum, and was a top five finalist for the Tribeca / AT&T Untold Stories Grant. His award winning trans-themed short film, "Still Liam," played at festivals internationally and earned the attention of celebrated queer filmmakers Ira Sachs and Silas Howard, who have both become mentors. Vuk is also an alum of the Ryan Murphy HALF Initiative Program, where he completed a mentorship under director Janet Mock on the FX series POSE. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lío Mehiel is a Puerto Rican and Greek artist, actor, and filmmaker. Their work spans film, television, multimedia installation, theater, and events. They are fascinated by the inherent contradiction of the trans experience — one deeply rooted in the body while also transcending beyond the body. Lío began their career as a professional salsa dancer and child actor on Broadway. They can now be seen on shows like WeCrashed (Apple+) and Tales of the City (Netflix). MUTT is their feature film debut. As a filmmaker, Lío produced Chaperone, a queer short film which premiered at Sundance 2022. They wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Disforia, a short film which premiered at Outfest Film Festival in 2018. They are now stuck inside of a psychomagic act with this story as they write the feature script version and confront their own medical transition. As an installation artist, their immersive piece Arcade Amerikana was included in the list of 10 Best Immersive Shows in NYC by Time Out and GOTHAMIST. Lío is currently the producer and creative director of Angels, a developing collection of stone sculptures of transgender humans. The works were first featured as part of a pop-up installation at Outfest LA in 2022, and will be debuted in full at SIZED Gallery LA in 2023. Lío is a co-founder of Voyeur Productions with Russell Kahn and Dulcinee DeGuere. They attended Northwestern University, and are an alumni of the Emerge NYC residency program for artists and activists. Photo credit: Jordan Rossi

Cole Doman is a trained stage and film actor living in Brooklyn, NY. During his time in Chicago, he studied at the School at Steppenwolf under Amy Morton, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Michael Patrick Thornton, and more. Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune named Cole among the "Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater" in 2016. He made his film debut as the titular role in the critically acclaimed HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY directed by Stephen Cone. He has profiles with IndieWire, Brooklyn Magazine, OUT, Milk.xyz, and was featured as one of "Best Breakout Performances of 2016" by The Film Stage. He can also be seen in Alan Ball's UNCLE FRANK (Sundance 2020, Amazon Studios) as young Frank Bledsoe played by Paul Bettany. On television he has appeared in Let the Right One In, Gossip Girl, Modern Family, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago PD, Equal, and Shameless. He developed & stars in the short film Starfuckers (MUBI) directed by Antonio Marziale which was presented in competition at Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale, and Telluride Film Festival. Other forthcoming films include: Matt Fifer’s sophomore feature TREATMENT for AMC’s Shudder and Zia Anger’s debut feature MY FIRST FILM for MUBI. Mostrecently, he starred in the world premiere of Your Own Personal Exegesis by Julia May Jonas at Lincoln Center Theatre, directed by Annie Tippe, for which his performance was lauded by The New York Times and even cartooned by The New Yorker.

[warningsine]

A compelling character-based drama that reveals the interior life of a young trans man over roughly 24 hours in New York City, “Mutt” follows Feña (Lío Mehiel) as he tries to navigate a series of events that would be stressful for anyone. Piling on setbacks that specifically challenge someone still working out how to reintroduce himself to old friends and family members, writer-director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz — who is also trans — makes audiences acutely conscious of Feña’s emotional state at every turn. “Mutt,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, sees the first-time helmer creatively using the medium to illustrate how small incidents can chip away at a trans person’s self-confidence and the strength it takes to stay true to that identity.

Feña’s day starts simply enough, focused on trying to borrow a car to pick up his Chilean father (Alejandro Goic) from the airport. Before long, it becomes a day from hell. He gets locked out of a friend’s apartment. His teenage sister (Mimi Ryder) decides to skip school, experiencing her first menstrual period while spending the day with him. As brothers go, Feña’s uniquely qualified to help her handle the situation. In fact, the night before, Feña hooked up with an ex-boyfriend (Cole Doman), sparking a pregnancy scare that also calls for a visit to the pharmacy, where he hopes to acquire a morning-after pill for himself.

Could so many problems befall a single person in such a short period? It’s a tad unrealistic, perhaps, but easy to forgive, as Lungulov-Klotz cleverly demonstrates how seemingly mundane activities can be uniquely complicated for a trans person like Feña — as when a bank clerk misgenders him and refuses to cash a check that doesn’t match the name on his driver’s license. Each encounter feels genuine and moving, such that everything resonates emotionally. Feña’s identity is constantly on his mind as these mishaps occur. It’s also on the minds of everyone he interacts with because his transition has affected them too.

Lungulov-Klotz has an authentic grasp of New York City — its streets, buildings and locally owned businesses. Each of the locations that Feña visits rings true as a real place and not a film set. Collaborating with cinematographer Matthew Pothier, they create a vision of the city that’s unlike what is usually presented in so many American indies, giving audiences images that are tangible and instantly recognizable, rather than trying to show the city in attractive light.

Mehiel, who’s in almost every scene of the movie, carries it with aplomb and is always immensely watchable. However their performance becomes even stronger when they are playing off other actors with whom they have noticeable chemistry, particularly the charismatic Doman and the heartbreaking Goic.

In an affectionate but also palpably sensual scene, Feña reconnects with his ex-boyfriend, who last saw him before the transition. Fraught with both tension and heat, the encounter begins with discomfort as Feña tries to avoid revealing his body. But as the lovers recall their strong physical connection, the moment becomes as much about discovering Feña’s new identity as it is about two lovers falling into old habits.

There’s a charge to this interaction, which is sensitively filmed and portrayed with tender affection by Mehiel and Doman. Beautifully shot and romantic in its setup, as the two lovers escape the rain to seek shelter in a laundromat, the scene becomes a transfixing moment of movie magic, a modern twist on those larger-than-life moments from the golden age of Hollywood that mixes old-fashioned romance with a sexuality that defies labels.

In queer narratives, the gruff unapproving parent is commonplace. “Mutt” presents something different: Feña’s father is skeptical and questioning of his son’s transition, but also supportive. Adding complexity to the characterization is the culture clash between a traditional Chilean father and his American son. Goic toes the line between those differing states so well, elevating his scenes with Mehiel and making them the most resonant of the whole endeavor.

While Feña’s journey may contain some contrivances, the way this young man adapts to each predicament feels authentic and emotionally potent. That’s a testament to Lungulov-Klot, who succeeds in placing vivid characters in slightly heighted situations — amplifying our connection in the process — without sacrificing the sense of realism that makes “Mutt” so relatable.

[suchananewsblog]

Director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, Actor Lío Mehiel On Their Nuanced Portrayal Of Trans Experience In ‘Mutt’: “I Tried To Place All Of My Fears Into This Movie” – Sundance Studio

The Deadline Studio at Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-23 at Hotel Park City, where the cast and creatives behind the best and buzziest titles in this year’s lineup sit down with Deadline’s festival team to discuss their movies and the paths they took to get to Park City. Mutt Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition  Director: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz Logline: Over the course of a single hectic…