The discussion about which older movies wouldn’t be made today because of current sociocultural identities and relations is occasionally debated, but chats about which contemporary movies couldn’t be made “back then” are not discussed enough.  I’m grateful for D. Smith’s Kokomo City, a revealing documentary that belongs in the latter exchange, because of its progressive existence.  It challenges transgressive opinions and uses the medium to address, and bring awareness to, important issues of personal representation and sexual expressions.

Using streamlined cinéma vérité filmmaking, as well as sharp but unnecessary black-and-white photography that screams “arthouse cred”, Kokomo City places the spotlight on four Black transgender sex workers (Daniella Carter, Dominique Silver, Liyah Mitchell, and the late Koko Da Doll) as they explain their complicated lives to Smith’s camera;  with stories that incorporate past hook-ups and scathing moments of clarity that helped mould them into who they are today.

D. Smith doesn’t censor the subjects and allows the film to play as scattered bits of intimate video, intermittently broken up with other interviews of cis Black men stating their observations on the mistreatment of transgender people.  This approach gives audiences a well-rounded and raw perspective with honest language and passionate insights, effortlessly breaking any taboo that may be surrounding Kokomo City and cutting directly to the heart of this incredibly important and empathetic documentary.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie