‘Tangerine’ breaks through the monotony of Hollywood

“Tangerine” may not be the latest movie to hit the box office, but it’s a film worth seeing if only because it’s a bright light of originality shining through the darkness of Hollywood’s endless sequels and remakes. 

Written and directed by Sean Baker, “Tangerine” follows Sin-Dee and her friend Alexandra, two trans-gendered sex workers in Hollywood. After returning from a short stint in jail, Sin-Dee learns that her pimp boyfriend Chester has cheated on her. What follows is a romp through one of Hollywood’s infamous neighborhoods. This film, not only a great blend of comedy and drama, provides a thoughtful and authentic day-in-the-life view of trans-gendered sex workers. 

Unlike anything I’ve seen before, “Tangerine” possesses an authenticity that is both a credit to its filmmaker and stars Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. In casting Taylor and Rodriguez, the film trades recognizable stars for the real thing, daring to employ a pair of trans-gendered sex workers to portray a pair of trans-gendered sex workers. 

Both Taylor and Rodriguez excelled in their roles. Taylor won Breakthrough Actor at the 2015 Gotham Independent Film Awards, Best Supporting Female at the Independent Spirit Awards and Best Supporting Actress from the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. Rodriguez was nominated for Breakthrough Actor at Gotham and Best Female Lead at Independent, but won neither. 

Though the film doesn’t shy away from the sleazy nature of the seedy underbelly it exposes, it shows its material without taking advantage of the people it portrays. Even as the film pulls no punches, Baker presents his characters, flawed as they may be, with strength and dignity – in part because, as The Guardian reports, Rodriguez made Baker promise to not only show the reality of what happens in the neighborhood the movie portrays, but also to “make it hilarious and entertaining for us and the women who are actually working the corner.”

That Baker was able to make an original film that represents a gritty corner of trans culture in a dignified way is the most important takeaway from “Tangerine,” but any mention of the movie must note that Baker shot the entirety of the film using a trio of iPhone 5 smart phones using an anamorphic adapter and an app that gave him further control over the camera’s aperture, focus and color temperature. The film was edited using a combination of Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. The final product is incredibly well shot and possesses an original aesthetic that belies the relatively mundane technology used to create it. 

In all, Baker and executive producers the Duplass brothers, made the film for around $100,000. Worldwide it made $924,793 at the box office and more than $230,000 in the home market. 

“Tangerine” is currently streaming on Hulu and is available to rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime, iTunes and Vudu.