Baby Girl is a short documentary about Cunenk, an Indonesian trans woman who is living with the loss of her mother. Her mother always told her to be a useful person, so Cunenk decides to raise money for the local hospital maternity ward in her memory.
We get to see Cunenk confident and outgoing in queer spaces and social media, turning her grief into joyful fundraising and community. The film also shows her negotiating more conservative spaces. At one point she receives a private donation from a well-to-do religious family, and must collect it from their home, so she calls ahead and lets them know she is a trans woman and discusses with them how to receive her. Without denying her transness, she opts to go in modest dress without make-up, wearing a pink shirt with elbow-length sleeves, and they sit together in their livingroom, discussing the work she hopes to achieve and providing her with cash to help her do so. Respectful balances are struck and common good is found.
It is a short documentary but a beautiful window into good being put into the world. The hopeful and nourishing sight of good people taking their pain and turning it into kindness for others.