Kokomo City – Film Review
by Hugh Maguire

Director – D. Smith
Stars – Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell

Telling the story of four African-American Trans women sex workers in New York and Atlanta, it is certainly not the story of Mary O’Hara playing the harp!  Packed full of energy, one might say exhaustion, it is an insight into a world beyond the experience of many but nonetheless present.  It is one of the striking aspects of cultural production how the low-budget features can so frequently trump the big-spend bells and whistles effort.  Sitting through the lavish West End musical (over-amplified) can feel tiresome when contrasted with the edgy piece of pub theatre where the actors give their all.  The cinema is no exception!   And, in Kokomo City, we can see belief, commitment, and innate artistic flair, coupled with a strong narrative and something to say – indeed something crucial to say.    All of this is filmed on a shoestring and regardless of the narrative content is something beautiful to behold.

The director, the trans-woman D Smith, has first and foremost striking empathy with her subject matter.  She knows of what she speaks, and the death of one of the subjects as a result of gun crime, has given her work added urgency and poignancy.  There is no smooth voice-over or statistics setting the scene.  Instead, we are straight into the lives, the bedrooms, of African-American Trans Women sex workers. The camera rushes us up the stairs to the bed-sit / apartment where the action happens and there is no making excuses for our sensitivities – if we have any.  There is no dialogue as such but a lot of language and throughout it is intimidatingly articulate and colourful!    It is one of the ironies of the piece that if any reviewer used the same language there would be an outcry and a tribunal of some sort.  This is no drag show camp fun escapade.  It is not the late Lilly Savage or Ru Paul, not to mention Panti Bliss. There are no witty, nudge nudge asides to the viewer.  This is raw and forceful.  There is a no holds barred confrontational critique of African American culture and a toxic masculinity that denies, and yet exploits, sexual difference.  We are in two cities only – New York and Atlanta – and somehow it evokes the whole of the American experience.

Although only a handful of subjects speak to the camera we gain insights into multiple lives and the multiplicity of sexual practice and preference. It is a sobering reminder of how complex life and sexuality can be.  And while there are sad tales to hear there is a refreshing lack of rancour and bitterness – the death knell of so many plays and films which address issues of difference, be it sexual or racial.   This film leaves the viewer with as many questions and answers.  It encourages lively and stimulating discussion – best seen in the company of friends and analysed afterwards.