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#53 - Tangerine
Sean Baker, 2015
On Christmas Eve, a transgender sex worker who has just been released from prison goes looking for the pimp who cheated on her while she was incarcerated.
Tangerine takes place on Christmas Eve and focuses on a pair of African-American trans sex workers, Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez). The plot concerns Sin-Dee, who has just finished serving a prison sentence and has quickly learned that her boyfriend/pimp Chester (James Ransone) cheated on her while she was locked up. To this end, Sin-Dee launches into a relentless search for Chester that sees her travel around West Hollywood with Alexandra in tow. Alexandra, on the other hand, is naturally frustrated by Sin-Dee's over-reacting and wants nothing more than to just get through the day and perform a singing gig at a local bar. Meanwhile, an Armenian taxi driver named Razmik (Karran Karagulian) is working a shift in the same area - though he has to attend a Christmas gathering with his family, the film makes it clear that it is only a matter of time before he crosses paths with Sin-Dee and Alexandra. The arcs that carry the film might be simplistic and are reflected by the lean running time, but they are fleshed out reasonably well by a cast of eccentric characters in parts great and small. Rodriguez may ham it up as an especially sassy black woman, but she is appropriately balanced out by the much more down-to-earth Taylor and their tumultuous friendship makes for quite the backbone to the film.
The film has picked up a lot of hype due to the fact that it's been filmed entirely on iPhones (albeit with the pragmatic inclusion of extra equipment and applications to help the process run smoothly). but it definitely proves to be more than just a needless gimmick. The technique lends the film an appropriate sense of urgency and vibrancy thanks to the jittery (but not disorienting) camerawork and heavily saturated colour palette that creates a captivating world of garish neon and harsh sunlight illuminating the lives of various people living on the edge. The vivid aesthetic of the film is reflected in the soundtrack, which consists primarily of electronic-based music that ranges from moody ambient pieces to cacophonous club jams. Both these elements mesh together to create an experience that may be visually striking yet doesn't set out to be overly provocative in its depiction of the characters' lives; even scenes where Alexandra and Sin-Dee ply their trade or engage in drug use are shown as being so utterly mundane that they become anything ranging from comically absurd to subtly poignant.
Though one can easily take Tangerine to task over its basic narrative and outwardly abrasive approach to its material, I still find it an interesting piece of work. It may struggle at times to find ways in which to fill out its rather short running time, but it definitely doesn't provide a needlessly convoluted plot either. The characters may be heavily flawed and potentially grate on viewers, but if you can become used to the rhythms of their diction and behaviour then it becomes quite the engaging portrayal of all sorts of marginalised folks. Though most of the cast is made up of amateurs (with the only faces I recognised being Ransone and also a brief appearance by veteran actor Clu Gulager as one of Razmik's fares), they all manage to give decent performances in even the most thankless of roles. I'm not all that convinced that the film works on a comedic level, but I don't feel like that's a major strike against the film. Despite its unorthodox and potentially alienating subject matter, Tangerine proves a decidedly solid piece of work. It's refreshing in that it doesn't feel like it's trying too hard to push an agenda but is instead content to tell a relatively down-to-earth story in an engaging manner.
Sean Baker, 2015
On Christmas Eve, a transgender sex worker who has just been released from prison goes looking for the pimp who cheated on her while she was incarcerated.
Tangerine takes place on Christmas Eve and focuses on a pair of African-American trans sex workers, Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez). The plot concerns Sin-Dee, who has just finished serving a prison sentence and has quickly learned that her boyfriend/pimp Chester (James Ransone) cheated on her while she was locked up. To this end, Sin-Dee launches into a relentless search for Chester that sees her travel around West Hollywood with Alexandra in tow. Alexandra, on the other hand, is naturally frustrated by Sin-Dee's over-reacting and wants nothing more than to just get through the day and perform a singing gig at a local bar. Meanwhile, an Armenian taxi driver named Razmik (Karran Karagulian) is working a shift in the same area - though he has to attend a Christmas gathering with his family, the film makes it clear that it is only a matter of time before he crosses paths with Sin-Dee and Alexandra. The arcs that carry the film might be simplistic and are reflected by the lean running time, but they are fleshed out reasonably well by a cast of eccentric characters in parts great and small. Rodriguez may ham it up as an especially sassy black woman, but she is appropriately balanced out by the much more down-to-earth Taylor and their tumultuous friendship makes for quite the backbone to the film.
The film has picked up a lot of hype due to the fact that it's been filmed entirely on iPhones (albeit with the pragmatic inclusion of extra equipment and applications to help the process run smoothly). but it definitely proves to be more than just a needless gimmick. The technique lends the film an appropriate sense of urgency and vibrancy thanks to the jittery (but not disorienting) camerawork and heavily saturated colour palette that creates a captivating world of garish neon and harsh sunlight illuminating the lives of various people living on the edge. The vivid aesthetic of the film is reflected in the soundtrack, which consists primarily of electronic-based music that ranges from moody ambient pieces to cacophonous club jams. Both these elements mesh together to create an experience that may be visually striking yet doesn't set out to be overly provocative in its depiction of the characters' lives; even scenes where Alexandra and Sin-Dee ply their trade or engage in drug use are shown as being so utterly mundane that they become anything ranging from comically absurd to subtly poignant.
Though one can easily take Tangerine to task over its basic narrative and outwardly abrasive approach to its material, I still find it an interesting piece of work. It may struggle at times to find ways in which to fill out its rather short running time, but it definitely doesn't provide a needlessly convoluted plot either. The characters may be heavily flawed and potentially grate on viewers, but if you can become used to the rhythms of their diction and behaviour then it becomes quite the engaging portrayal of all sorts of marginalised folks. Though most of the cast is made up of amateurs (with the only faces I recognised being Ransone and also a brief appearance by veteran actor Clu Gulager as one of Razmik's fares), they all manage to give decent performances in even the most thankless of roles. I'm not all that convinced that the film works on a comedic level, but I don't feel like that's a major strike against the film. Despite its unorthodox and potentially alienating subject matter, Tangerine proves a decidedly solid piece of work. It's refreshing in that it doesn't feel like it's trying too hard to push an agenda but is instead content to tell a relatively down-to-earth story in an engaging manner.