Smothered Centers Transgender Issue on People instead of Politics

Pronouns, gender neutral bathrooms and Title IX in the face of transgender athletes, the disagreements represent the latest episode in the red state, blue state culture wars. But as we hurl insults across the national divide, Smothered reminds us that the people caught in the middle have a beating heart. And as a consequence, the clarification can help center us where we should be - on those that are living the daily travails and struggling through. This instead of on us, and our need to be right.

The Faryar Hosseini 11 minute film begins right in the middle of the said issue. In close up, the young son huffs in oversized heels, and the father can’t help applying shaving cream to his bare chest.

Dad’s story is first. Portrayed by Abraham Adams, he is mindlessly going about the standard morning ritual when he catches himself in the mirror. The stark reality of gender identity leaves a mark, and the actor's face changes in accordance. But the unavoidable downshift of the blade is still a healing touch of self-realization.

Not for long, the resigned look on Adams’ face and the accompanying male apparel says the binary world is too much to ignore, and a lifetime of hiding is further revealed in Adam’s traverse. As if the character is trying to keep all the competing forces from blowing a hole in his stack, Adam’s slow movement aims to conserve his depleted energy reserves, and the same goes for a discourse that wastes no words.

The twists and turns of the internal gymnastics aren’t all he’s up against either. His son (Maceo Obenauf) plays the perfect little imp, and from the start, he serves his father over breakfast. Off camera, the school aged youngster is employing his flash, and the invasive flicker acts as if the boy is digging the previously pictured heels into his father’s back.

Then in view over buttered toast, the star of the show sharpens his incisors. The boy acts out devoid of any remorse, and screams exasperation to any adult who’s ever tried to figure out why children do the things they do.

That said, Obenauf’s steely resolve leaves dad at the mercy of the boy’s machinations. More resignation, the father can only suppress the monumental struggle to not give in to his son’s upper hand.

Of course, Dad is no match at this juncture, and when he blows over, Obenauf confidently gloats like he knew the outcome all along. But the bad behavior is not necessarily coming out of nowhere. Mom has left or died, and Hosseini expertly reinforces the loneliness.

The exaggerated sound of the household appliances and the everyday movements double like a separate character, and obviously is no substitute for the loss they have suffered. In accordance, the cropped cinematography around the characters reframes the isolation and sends the same message.

Still, there’s more at stake than the tragedy that put them here, and the youngster understands better than Dad. So he takes it upon himself to force his father to confront what’s keeping them from moving forward.

The lie Dad is living, and all the pent up rage, the son needs a father more than ever. Up to the challenge, the boy hits all the crucial pressure points, and the walls crumble. The son’s prior bad acts suddenly make perfect sense.

All the more touching for us, the outcome isn’t the real kicker. This boy (and Hosseini) leaves us an important blueprint for any complicated issue. If there’s someone or something you don’t understand, look in the mirror, and in yourself, the answer may be revealed.

Film can be viewed at : https://watch.iwoman.tv/playstream/smothered