Kokomo City

Though not the most balanced, this is still a fascinating, well paced, documentary that follows the lives for four black trans-sexual women who make their living in the sex industry. Each of them has a story to tell illustrating what initially drove them to this lifestyle, what keeps them earning their money this way - and, ultimately, what they might care to do were they given a decent kick at the ball and an opportunity to escape their cyclical - and often dangerous - existence. The narrative is left to the women, and though they reach the centre of the wheel using different spokes, their conclusions about sexuality amongst the black communities is consistently and often wittily poignant. The roles that society might attribute to the archetypal alpha male being turned on it's head when curtains are drawn and typical bedroom roles enhanced and/or reversed. At times their deliveries can verge on the rant and one, specifically, needed editing but for the most part this is quite an eye-opening introspective from people who don't weep into their coffee cups, but who extol their own virtues clearly, succinctly, very earthily and ultimately I found engagingly. There are a few contributions from others but they seem there just to allow the audience to take a breather from the intensity of the four who have plenty to say - and agree with them or otherwise, it's well worth listening to.

Such a powerful documentary at the intersection of race, sexuality, social class and, obviously, gender identity. The pace is not slow and the interviews offer a great balance of anecdotes, humor, introspection, and philosophical/social observations.

The level of comfort and trust from the main actresses allows them to share intimate and original insights about their odyssey. It is not enough known that black transwomen in the USA face an alarmingly high mortality, including hate crimes related to sex work. However, and that's the strength of this film, Kokomo City does not portray its actresses as victims but as magnificent and inspirational hustlers who deserve our admiration, our respect, and above all our help to achieve their goals.

I hope some of the main women from Kokomo City will write their memoirs. This documentary pairs well with two books: Redefining Realness, by Janet Mock, and Bad Girls (or Las Malas), by Camila Sosa Villada.

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"Kokomo City" is a documentary about a raw depiction of the lives of four black trans sex workers as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves. This is director D. Smith's first film and I gotta say this is one impressive debut project.

The film does a pretty good job exploring black trans individuals and how their lives are impacted, work experiences and the situations they have dealt with in their lives. Smith's direction was well documented as the film was both funny and sad at the same time. The main four participants of this film were incredibly interesting to listen as many of them were able to speak with humor and truth.

The camerawork, production and sound design is pretty good especially for a very low budget type of documentary. The soundtrack choices were purposeful and the pacing is great. Smith clearly understands how to make an interesting documentary and throughout, the mixture of different kind of emotions were shown to me that I was able to connect with.

Overall, this was one of the surprises from this year's Sundance and I do recommend it.

Rating: A-

April 25, 2023 Edit: In the light of one of the main participant name Rasheeda Williams. Rest in Peace Williams.

I often find it fascinating when a documentary provides viewers with an in-depth, inside look at a world seldom seen by those who aren't part of it, yet that's clearly the greatest strength of this debut feature from filmmaker D. Smith. This captivating examination of the lives of four African-American transsexual sex workers in New York, Atlanta and Miami shares stories of their experiences, their outlooks on their vocation and how they view themselves in relation to the Black community at large. It also features interviews with the clients and supporters of these individuals and how they relate to one another, both as objects of desire and sometimes as loving, adoring friends/partners. Beautifully shot in black-and-white, the film holds little back in telling the stories of its subjects, both in terms of dialogue and images (so sensitive viewers take note). And, for its efforts, the picture has been widely honored by film festivals and critics associations, as well as a recipient of best documentary nominations by the Independent Spirit Awards, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and the Directors Guild of America. That's quite an impressive pedigree for a film that might not have even been made not all that long ago. It's a real testament to how far we - and cinema - have come over the years.

This 'documentary' provides no true insight into black trans sex workers. In fact, it plays into every single perception of who and what you think they are. There was definitely creative license (aka: exaggeration/ lying) taken during the filming of the lives and relationships that are featured. With that being said, the film makers are literally just letting these individuals be whoever they want to be. Their lives and attitudes will make you very sad; they balance their days on a tightrope of love and hate for who they are and what they have to do to survive. They all subsidize their emotions with mood enhancers - which makes sense because they live a very difficult life. This is probably one of the saddest documentaries I've ever seen, primarily because of the illusion almost all of them portray to the camera of being confident, satisfied with their position in the world, and being strong enough to survive it. These are also true in many senses - but not how they think. What IS impressive is their ability to acclimate to horrific circumstances that eventually become 'normal' . What surprised me about a couple of them is their obvious intellect; had they been born under different circumstances they could have been successful business owners, doctors, lawyers, etc. The circumstances of their birth put them on a trajectory where tragic survival or brutal death were their only options and they had to chose, at a VERY young age. Also what is perpetuated is the black on black violence that is so common. There is a caste system in place from birth for this race, whether they want to admit it or not. But it's very much a system they themselves have put into place.