Tangerine

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source: Tangerine

"Tangerine" is easily one of if not the biggest pleasant surprises of the past movie year. At first, I didn't think I was going to be able to get into the film's vibe. Watching a couple of transvestite prostitutes with depressing lives charging around L.A. throwing tantrums and telling everyone what's what isn't fun for very long, and it seemed that that's all the film would be. But as it develops, and the characters start to develop with it, I sort of fell in love with the movie and even with the people in it who did nothing but annoy me at first. As "Tangerine" moves along, the lives of the principal characters cease to seem quite so depressing. They're sad, certainly, and between disease, drugs, and thugs, they're almost certain to come to a bad and quite possibly early end. But what "Tangerine" gets just right -- and what makes it so much more than a goof at the expense of a bunch of caricatures we can feel superior to because we're so much more fortunate than -- is that it respects its characters and its characters respect themselves. There's a certain dignity in the way the characters embodied by Katana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor go about their lives completely true to who they are. They don't apologize or ask for sympathy. This is what prevents their lives from being depressing. They and the people around them live on the fringes of a society that doesn't know what to do with people it can't easily label, so they create their own place in it. And in the character of the outwardly conventional cab driver who's smitten with the "girls" and the world they come from, the movie suggests that there are many out there who force themselves into categories that don't completely fit them and admire the kind of freedom in which those who don't conform live, even as they would likely condemn them for their behavior. And I would be remiss if I didn't also mention as part of this review that the movie is at times uproariously funny. Grade: A+

This was just a complete free for all! I didn't know about this film until watching The Florida Project. This was moving in just the same way. I liked these people and I disliked these people. I was fully invested. Point being, I cared about them as PEOPLE. I saw Starlet as well a while ago, but it didn't grab me like this and Florida. More, please.

Tangerine: Directed by Sean Baker and written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch I decided to check this movie as I'm interested in The Florida Project. I have not had the chance to see that movie but have never seen any of this director's work. The reviews mention to see Tangerine if you can as well. I really shouldn't have though. This movie tried to bring little bits of humanity to characters who typically don't have that. Those moments are few and far between. For me, it was like spending 90 minutes in the company of folks who frequent the store I work at. These people grate my nerves constantly and I have a hard time feeling for people like this who put themselves in bad situations. You might be able to mock them for a bit of a laugh. This is a day in the life type of film where you're spending time with two transgender prostitutes who are best friends, one is preparing to performance in her own show and the other is fresh out of jail looking for the woman she believes is cheating with her boyfriend/pimp. Yeah sounds like wonderful people but there are still human beings. They have fears. They feel betrayal just like anyone else. I did like this aspect of the movie. I warmed up to these impulsive chaotic people. But it is rough going. This was shot on Iphones and it shows. It's impressive in that it didn't make me motion sick but a lot of the scenes had a fish eye appearance to it. Everything also had an orange tint to it. That might just be the sun itself in these scenes but it worked for this movie. The performances are fine. I found the characters obnoxious. It made sitting through the movie a slog. I hope The Florida Project is different and maybe I can warm up to the characters a little faster than I did here. This movie is not for everyone. I appreciate the quick pace of the editing and some of the camera work. I also appreciated what they were trying to do here. I give this film a C.

'TANGERINE': Four Stars (Out of Five) Critically acclaimed indie flick; about a transgender prostitute, searching for her boyfriend (a pimp who cheated on her), in Hollywood, on Christmas Eve. The movie was directed by Sean S. Baker, and written by Baker and Chris Bergoch. It stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan and James Ransone. The film was made on a budget of just $100,000; and it was shot (entirely) on three iPhone 5s smartphones! It's definitely a well made, and very memorable, movie. The story takes place on Christmas Eve, 2014; in Hollywood. Sin-Dee Rella (Rodriguez), a transgender sex worker, just got out of prison; after serving a 28-day sentence. She meets another transgender prostitute, her friend Alexandra (Taylor), at a donut shop. Alexandra (accidentally) informs Sin-Dee, that her boyfriend, a pimp named Chester (Ransone), cheated on her; while she was in prison. Sin-Dee goes ballistic, and spends the rest of the day, looking for him; and his new mistress (O'Hagan). Despite being filmed on iPhones, the movie is surprisingly beautiful at times; especially in it's most poignant, and very subtle, moments! It's dirty, and very disgusting, a lot of the time too; but it's also very moving. The two lead performances are impressive, and they're performed by openly transgender actresses (too); and the supporting cast is all good as well. The movie definitely seems like you're watching real people, doing real things; in a part of life, I'm not familiar with (which makes it all the more fascinating). It's an impressive little film! Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/CoUgbXLzKSQ

Sean Baker's 2015 film "Tangerine" is an absolute gem. It's fiction but it could be fact as we get a glimpse of the seamier side of LA on Christmas Eve as Baker follows a couple of transgender hookers aound, one of whom is looking for her unfaithful boyfriend. Then there's the Armenian cabdriver just looking for what, in less enlightened times, might have been called, 'a chick with a dick'. It's funny but mostly it's sad and, as one of the hookers, has in Mya Taylor, a real find. It's not an easy watch but it established Baker as a director of considerable promise, a promise effortlessly fulfilled with "The Florida Project", making him one of the most exciting talents in the independent section right now.

Gotta say, I had no idea what the film would be about or anything. The aesthetic seems to be a big issue at the beginning, but you quickly forget about it because the film manages to do such a great job of setting up its two lead characters, and two very memorable lead characters they are. I haven't seen many trans films at all, and the style and the raw and realistic nature of where these two women live and how they live provides the film with such a distinct personal vision that will no doubt stand as one of the most significant films of the year. Luckily, it's an often funny, often kind of disturbing, very effective film. The editing can at times be a little too much and can get too self-aware. But the film as a whole is nowhere near polished and it contributes to the aesthetic well, which does lend a lot to the film when all is said and done. This is the kind of film that seems shallow and light on first appearance but is actually working on so many levels.