“Tangerine,” written and directed by Sean S. Baker and Chris Bergoch, is a vibrant comedy centered around two transgender sex workers in Santa Monica, Calif. Due to a limited budget, the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was shot entirely on an iPhone 5s. This production method, paired with lively performances from the film’s leads, creates a deeply intimate and funny night at the movies.
Director and writer Sean S. Baker was inspired to make the film after moving close to Santa Monica and Highland, a location where many sex workers do business. He spent a few months attempting to find a collaborator he could work with in an effort to accurately portray the lives of sex workers. Eventually he met Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, the film’s two stunning leads.
The film opens at a local donut shop with Rodriguez’s character, Sin-Dee, meeting up with Taylor’s character, Alexandra, after Sin-Dee served a brief stint in prison. To Sin-Dee’s horror, she discovers that her boyfriend, who is also a pimp, has been cheating on her while she served her 28 days of prison time. Sin-Dee, enraged, embarks on a journey of revenge which takes her across Santa Monica, leaving a large swath of destruction in her wake. Meanwhile, Alexandra, who chooses to keep herself away from Sin-Dee’s drama, embarks on her own journey across the city, in an effort to get people to attend her vocal performance at a bar taking place later that evening. The film also follows a cab driver who is gradually revealed to have an extensive connection with the sex workers of the area, which significantly impacts his personal life. Through these three perspectives, a colorful and outrageous portrait of the life and times of the inhabitants of Santa Monica and Highland is revealed. It’s both hilarious and tragic.
The film is vibrant, literally. The colors burst and pop as Sin-Dee serves her particular kind of justice to those who have wronged her. The soundtrack is bass-ridden, high energy and wildly appropriate for the subject matter. The cinematography is innovative and intimate; the smart phone camera quality lends a sense of familiarity to the viewer. None of this would matter, however, if the story itself wasn’t alive with the same energy and intimacy as the production methods. Thankfully, it is.
This film, while ostensibly about “sex workers in California,” is really a profound meditation on the nature of friendship. The last few minutes of the film feature a climax that is pure Seinfieldian catastrophe, and a resolution that is sincere, subtle and wonderful. “Tangerine” is one of those rare films that looks honestly at humanity and leaves the viewer feeling hopeful afterwards.