On Christmas Eve, a trans prostitute traverses Los Angeles in search of her
cheating boyfriend/pimp.
Directed by: Sean Baker
Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren
Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, James Ransone, Clu Gulager
There's a brief shot in Sean Baker's dazzling
Tangerine that follows one of its
protagonists as she walks over a row of stars on the Hollywood walk of fame.
In its commendably unassuming manner, the film doesn't call attention to it,
but it's an image that's emblematic of Baker's movie, a project a million
miles away from contemporary Hollywood in both its production methods and
its marginalised characters, yet shot and set in the heart of the commercial
filmmaking hub.
Baker's movie takes place over Christmas Eve, though with this being
sun-soaked Los Angeles, it takes the occasional appearance of a Christmas
tree to remind us of the date. Trans prostitute Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) has just returned to the streets after a month long stint in the slammer
for holding drugs belonging to her pimp/boyfriend Chester (James Ransone, the closest the movie has to a recognisable mainstream star). Hooking up
with her best friend and fellow street worker Alexandra (Mya Taylor),
Sin-Dee learns that Chester has been cheating on her with another of his
girls. Fuelled by rage, Sin-Dee sets off on a quest to find both Chester and
his new lover. Meanwhile, Armenian cabbie Razmik (Karren Karagulian)
cruises the streets while hiding a secret from his family.
There are three reasons Tangerine has
received a level of attention that usually eludes indie productions of this
scale. Firstly, there's the casting of actual trans women in the lead roles.
Secondly, Baker shot his movie using iPhones. Thirdly, it's a fantastic
movie! Either of the first two would make
Tangerine stand out, but Baker has
given us a reluctantly revolutionary movie. It would be all too easy to
accuse Baker of seeking attention by making his protagonists trans women,
but nothing in the movie justifies such an accusation. Baker clearly has an
affection for his characters, and so will you. Alexandra and Sin-Dee are as
charming a screen pair as you could hope to find.
Sin-Dee is, as one other character labels her, a trainwreck, but Alexandra
is the complete opposite; she's got her act together, and in a more
accommodating world you could imagine her running a successful business.
Seeing an intelligent and savvy person forced to work the streets makes your
blood boil, but the film never goes out of its way to deliver any messages.
Instead it simply presents us with characters attempting to make the most of
lives limited by societal prejudice. Revolutionary it may be, but
Tangerine is a classical narrative
comedy, one Frank Capra and Preston Sturges would be proud of. Sin-Dee and
Alexandra are hilarious, and Rodriguez and Taylor display crack comic timing
in their interactions with each other and the various characters they
encounter throughout the day.
Most great comedies contain a layer of melancholy, and without shoving it
down our throats Tangerine never
loses sight of the sad truth of its protagonists' dire situation. We grow so
fond of Sin-Dee and Alexandra that by the end of the movie we have an almost
paternal attachment to the pair, making a late incident of intolerance
absolutely tear-jerking. Thankfully, in a heart-warming final image, Baker
sends us out on a hopeful note, a suggestion that despite the societal
shackles that bind them, Sin-Dee and Alexandra will make out okay. The awful
truth is, in terms of their careers, I'm not sure the outstanding actors who
portray them can be so hopeful in our hostile climate.
Tangerine is on Amazon Prime Video
UK/ROI now.
