Mutt
September 22 - October 4, 2023
Feña (Sundance award-winner Lío Mehiel), still early in his transition, must navigate how he’s perceived by people from his past, including his ex-boyfriend, his half-sister, and his out-of-touch father over one long, hectic summer day in New York City. New American Cinema Competition: Grand Jury Prize (Seattle International Film Festival 2023).
Winner of the Sundance 2023 Special Jury Award for Acting, Mutt touches down on a mere 24-hour span in the life of one man, Feña (Lío Mehiel), as he course-corrects post-transition through a desultory landscape of misunderstandings, broken hearts, and terse conversation. Realistically touching and as tender and gangly as a newborn calf, it follows Feña as he continues his journey towards fulfillment as a trans man in a relatable and moving way, attempting to mend as best as possible his relationships with family and an ex-lover while also having his very being picked apart by the legal semantics and uncomfortable personal interrogation that arise from it. Occasionally humorous, mostly understated, and perfectly imperfect, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz choosing to use the sweaty abandon of a hot summer's day in New York City adds a welcome texture of grit to his debut feature.
—Marion Bailey
- Director: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz
- Principal Cast: Lío Mehiel, Cole Doman, Mimi Ryder, Alejandro Goic
- Country: USA
- Year: 2023
- Running Time: 87 min.
- Producer: Alexander Stegmaier, Stephen Scott Scarpulla, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, Jennifer Kuczaj, Joel Michaely
- Screenplay: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz
- Cinematographers: Matthew Pothier
- Editors: Adam Dicterow
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: New American Cinema Competition: Grand Jury Prize (Seattle International Film Festival 2023), U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting (Sundance Film Festival 2023)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: English
- US Distributor: Strand Releasing
- International Sales: Best Friend Forever