Tangerine

My rating is more of a 4.5.Thanks for reading!𝑳.𝑨. 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒆Tangerine is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Sean Baker, and written by Baker and Chris Bergoch, starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, and James Ransone. The story follows a transgender sex worker (Rodriguez, as ‘Sin-Dee Rella’) who discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. She is accompanied, reluctantly in some measure, by another transgender sex worker named Alexandra (Taylor).A city built atop a foundation of illusions and motifs, Los Angeles has long been the background for prospective filmmakers no matter their expertise or genre defining their pull from 𝑫𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 (1944), 𝑳𝒂 𝑳𝒂 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒅 (2014), and 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 (1982).𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 takes an even more focused approach, taking place in what was director Sean Baker’s backyard at one point - about half a mile away from the corner of Santa Monica and Highland. In an attempt to penetrate a subdivision of L.A. typically ostracized from second thoughts, Baker and Co-Writer Chris Bergoch actively sought out first-person accounts of what this “unofficial red-light district” had to offer (and refuse), and stumbled upon the likes of Mya Taylor at a designated LGBTQ center nearby.Taylor introduced Baker and Bergoch to Rodriguez - who she was friends with before shooting started, and explains their palpable chemistry as leads - and in hearing a conglomeration of stories one metaphorically intricate taffety led to another: providing the premise, potential, and purpose of 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 all in one near-fated swoop.Also following in the footsteps of 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑲𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒚 (2012) and biting at the heels of 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒀𝑪(2014), what has made 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 legendary in the eyes of some has muddled its way into mainstream consciousness.The entirety of 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 was indeed shot on an iPhone 5s, an item that would be available in the updated model of ‘iPhone 6’ before production concluded. Baker has stated himself that his preference would have been to use more conventional means (‘filming on film’) and that financial limitations would be to blame for the techniques utilized; armed with a cellular device, gear donated by Moondog Labs, and an excess of aspirations, the energy of 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 remains energetic and immersive as it is authentic. With a style of framing and cuts that favor a music video (and mimic a documentary when it counts), viewers are given an inside look into the lives of characters they may likely have little (obvious) reasons to connect to: making 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆 an empathetic and starkly saturated swatch of interactions and personalities that extract chaos and aggressively follow their own unique set of rules.With preconceptions and pessimistic premonitions left at the door, Tangerine is a commendable pass at performative allyship: brewing with self-awareness and a genuine desire to build bridges between the outlandish and ordinary.With all of the honesty possible Baker has recollected his initial fears of Tangerine being potentially compromised by his experience as a cisgender, white, and male individual given the subject matter and caricatures interspersed throughout; this caused particular difficulty when determining what tones should be dominating specific scenes (so as to avoid misrepresentation and mockery) and the fluidity at which they should change form or undergo a complete metamorphosis.Luckily, and not surprisingly, both Taylor and Rodriguez were monumental in guiding the action and the idleness: drawing on their own lives as both transgender individuals and sex workers in real life.This is especially true in speaking to Taylor, who was very early in her own transition when accosted by Baker: a quality which made some potential cast members feel apprehensive about or refuse their own involvement on set outright, and posed internal struggles that Taylor indisputably triumphs gracefully on screen. The comedic undertones and climax can also be attributed to Mya, who saw Tangerine as a movie that could unfairly capitalize on the violence and discriminatory practices experienced by a marginalized population, and instead transposed it as a menagerie of transient victories and perpetual precariousness.(Quicktip: A radio program that can be both listened to and read as a transcript called 'Fresh Air' where Taylor elaborates on her own contributions to Tangerine can be found online! :) )It is easy, moreover, for privileged audience members to ignore the gravity of ‘Sin-Dee’s plight as a woman who knowingly engages intimately with someone labeled as a ‘pimp’ from the very start.For commoners this label has many connotations: with a promise of monogamy being far from any of them. For those of us that can’t relate to Sin-Dee or any of her cohorts, this is also where Tangerine may naturally invite a surplus of confusion not willingly reconciled within one sitting.Important here, however, is the extent at which companionship - which are mere semblances of safety and security - temporarily expel the sting of inequity, and inconspicuously calls all of the shots.This ups the ante in terms of tragedy, and simultaneously makes the final hashing of dialogue a heartwarming delight.Endearingly named after a color that also happens to be a fruit, Tangerine is its own particular brand of pulp fiction: both squeezing the juice out of its subjects while retaining a citrus-like sensation that enthusiastically leaps between variances of hospitable, crude, and unmanageable circumstances.Marching along as an homage to resiliency and the family members people choose, Tangerine is unmistakingly human: incredibly flawed to some, and incredibly remedied to others.

Hollywood is a beautifully wrapped lie… Sin-Dee tells Dinah, which sets the tone for their overnight jaunt through Hollywood and East Hollywood via Santa Monica Boulevard.Tangerine was shot on 3 iPhone 5s, with one heck of a post-production up-res. The film has a gorgeous raw, sun-drenched quality that defies 2015, and despite its modern cars and phones, has a ‘70s auteur film quality to it. Especially the banger of an opening scene featuring the two lead characters inside Donut Time overlooking Santa Monica and Highland. It’s set during Christmas Eve, and while there’s no snow in L.A., there’s plenty of blow. It’s a street life exposé—pimps, transgendered hookers, beat cops, and a very confused Armenian cab driver and his incensed mother-in-law fill out this cast of dysfunctional characters. This is a fantastic slice of life piece that masters its suspension of disbelief to the point where you never see the strings—by completely masking all story structure and theme. The dialogue is artless and crude. To the point where you’re watching something so authentic it looks and sounds like a real-life street scene. Something you might see waiting on a Metro 217 bus on Santa Monica Boulevard. The characters come off as simple but endearing, but they’re all given the kind of intricate nuances easily dismissed as ambiguity to the casual viewer. Something else this film does well: pacing. This is a great little indie, and deserves all the hype it got.

Tangerine is the kind of movie you slightly regret at the beginning for clicking on if you had never seen anything about it before because it becomes clear in the first scene that it's a small budget production. But as the story moves along you feel for the characters, appreciate the cinema and find the actors are really good at what they're doing. I saw someone write that they felt like they were watching a scene in "GTA" and I get it, even though its a humorous and light comparison.The end was bittersweet and brings you back to the harsh reality that many trans women face on the street. A flick that will leave you thinking about what you just watched after the final credits roll.

Good movie.

There's a lot of good things to say about this film. The fact that it was made on 3 iPhones, is pretty remarkable; but, it's also got to be taken into consideration when reviewing it. It shouldn't be compared to a multi-million dollar blockbuster or even something shot on film. The story, you begin to realize, takes place in a single day, and the shots taken outside, during the first half of the film, have a warm glow that isn't common in movies, but it was a feeling I quickly grew into. There were a fair amount of lens flares, but I think it actually sort of worked in this setting. The shots at night weren't too dark, either. Occasionally the dialogue dipped down a bit low. The flow of the movie was reminiscent of some indie films from the early 1990's in a good way, in the sense that it follows a cast of characters, throughout the day, sometimes talking about the main events of the story but also just interacting in a normal manner for who they are. The first 30 minutes of the movie drug along a little too long; I think they should have cut it short and spent a bit longer on some of the character development. But, by the end of the movie, I think everything played out in an interesting way, with not only a satisfying but a realistic ending. There were even some side characters and side plots that seemed to come to natural albeit not necessarily dramatic (but realistic) conclusions. Good job.

The start is not encouraging and I didn't have much hope for this movie. But after Sin-Dee gets ahold of Dinah and the Armenians get involved things get interesting. The trans community, low-life prostitutes and low income immigrants all doing what they can to survive in a crumby, depressing part of LA. Glimpses of things I wasn't at all interested in, but told in a way that got me involved and feeling sympathy for the characters.

This is my favourite film from a couple of years ago, beautifully shot on 4 iPhones , funny and sad at the same time. The Florida Project, the new film by the same director is equally as brilliant as this. 10/10

Audio en ingles con subtítulos en español. Una buena película que casi no se siente como fue filmada desde un iPhone, es divertida y entretenida. El servicio excelente llegó a tiemlo y em buenas condiciones.

Great cast, great film! !Awesome!:>)

One of the best films I have seen for a long time, and certainly the best I have ever seen made on an iPhone. Realistic, gritty, but human and at times intense. Great acting and beautiful screenplay, this is a film not to miss. a hundred times better than The Danish Girl.

This is such a great movie and it teaches us all so much about the Transgender community. The two women in the film are so amazing and play the parts so well! The film teaches us what Transgender people have to do to live who they really are, and who they have always really been!! This is a film that everybody must have. Buy it now!!!