RANDY CORDOVA

GANNETT

Writer-director Sydney Freeland was born and raised in Gallup, New Mexico, the setting for her debut film, “Drunktown’s Finest.” That could be why she looks at the city and nearby Navajo Reservation with a smart, unsentimental eye. It also explains why, at most times, the movie feels quite intimate and honest.

The film examines the lives of three young adults on wildly different paths. Sick Boy (Jeremiah Bitsui) drinks too much and constantly disappoints his pregnant wife. Nizhoni (Morningstar Angeline) is a college student who was raised by Anglo parents but yearns to connect with her birth family. Transgender Felixia (Carmen Moore) is promiscuous and aimless. Her dream is to be featured in a swimsuit calendar devoted to Navajo women.

The film is crafted so that the main characters don’t intersect until late in the game, leaving ample time for us to get acquainted. Perhaps most affecting is the story of Felixia, who operates a Facebook page under the name Sexy Tranny Felixia. Moore, an adult-film performer, brings an unusual quality that seems to be a blend of defiance and hurt. A sequence in which Felixia faces a mean girl at the calendar tryout is quietly stinging.

Bitsui, an actor who appeared on “Breaking Bad,” is also strong, and he never lets Sick Boy fall into stereotype. Other performers are far less-assured, and the off-key notes sometimes add a stiff artificiality. It doesn’t destroy things, but it detracts from the naturalness of the project.

Freeland does a fine job, waiting for her characters to converge in a way that doesn’t feel overly forced, though there is a bit of that “Crash” tidiness in how things fall together. Still, the film is moving and human. Rather than objecting to her sexuality, Felixia’s traditional grandfather (a solid Richard Ray Whitman) shows understanding and care. It’s the kind of moment that illustrates the movie is more about people than archetypes.

DRUNKTOWN’S FINEST

★★★ out of four

Unrated

The cast:

Luther SickBoy Maryboy: Jeremiah Bitsui

Felixia: Carmen Moore

Nizhoni Smiles: Morning Star Wilson

Directed by Sydney Freeland. Indion Entertainment Group. Running time: 99 minutes. Limited release.