Outside of a male strip club, a series of transgender individuals discuss the plights of the world. Their issues range from Capitalism to common decency–but each of them has something to complain about. Den Mothers is a superficial look at the world through the eyes of four interesting individuals–and the way you see the world may never be the same again.
As much as I like to avoid politics, there’s no way around speaking about the politics of the LGBTQ+ community when reviewing Den Mothers. It’s an interesting choice to use only transgender individuals in this short film, rather than using a variety of individuals as a way to explore multiple points of view. The reality is that, regardless of the validity of some stereotypes, mainstream America tends to view certain groups one way. If you’re a Republican the world expects you think a certain way, a Muslim is expected to think a certain way, and people part of the LGBTQ+ community are expected to act and think a certain way. Just because you are part of a group doesn’t mean that you think the exact same things as everyone else in that group–but the world doesn’t always understand that. Sadly, from time to time, I’m one of those people that hears the name of a group and assumes they think one way–it’s not right, but I’m only human.
That was a very long-winded explanation of one major issue that exists throughout the world (not just America). It’s important to understand that this is often a reality–because it’s how the world will view Den Mothers. They will see a film that is pigeonholing the way the world looks at these issues, because in the eyes of viewers there is only one type of person expressing their beliefs. On one hand I say “screw it–who cares what the public thinks, art is a way to express yourself in any way that you’d like.” On the other hand Writer-Director Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis has to understand that without the appreciation of viewers Den Mothers’ message essentially falls on deaf ears.
Kouroumalis directed another film called Space Bikers from Plant Blig that is developed using similar animation as seen in Den Mothers. It’s rough and simple–almost mirroring what you might see a young child draw. I’m not knocking it by any means, but it is an interesting approach toward animation. In the grand scheme of these two films–but specific to Den Mothers for the purpose of this review, the sort of unstructured animated visuals represent the world in which we live and the struggles that we face each and every day. Intentional or not, the visuals are reflective of the issues being discussed–unbridaled and somewhat chaotic. This parallel is beautiful, giving meaning to a series of visuals that may initially seem odd.
To open-minded viewers, Den Mothers will likely present them with topics and arguments that resonate with them regardless of which side of the political fence they exist. For those unwilling to listen to the testimonies of those that they consider different, Den Mothers will likely fall flat, completely incapable of reaching them. I understand the topics, and I appreciate the semi-comedic irony of Den Mothers, so the film makes sense to me and it ultimately resonates with me. Regardless of who you are, the animation and the subjects on screen will act as minor hurdles for which you’ll have to clear in order to reach meaningful content–but that content exists and it’s ripe for the picking. Give Den Mothers a chance, I think you’ll like it.
Written & Directed by Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis.
Starring Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis, Justin Ryans, & Ian Keiller.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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