Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay To kick off the month of December, I revisit the book “1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die” by Steven Jay Schneider. Specifically, I will examine a 2015 Indie film that makes for a surprisingly-poignant story and fits swimmingly (if unconventionally) into the film canon of the holiday season. That film is none other than director Sean Baker’s dramedy Tangerine.
[NOTE: This blog will contain spoilers for the films “Starlet,” “Tangerine,” and “The Florida Project.” You have been warned.] The History Mark Duplass, co-founder of Duplass Brothers Productions with sibling and fellow filmmaker Jay Duplass, approached Sean Baker (Starlet, The Florida Project) at the New Zealand Film Festival about a new project. After securing some other producers, Baker went to work on the script with Chris Bergoch. According to Baker, much of the “mainstream” aspects of the story (i.e. setting the film on Christmas Eve, naming the protagonist Sin-Dee Rella) came from him. However, much of the realism of the story (again, according to Baker) came from the two transgender leads: Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. In listening to stories of people they know who have been engaged in sex work in Los Angeles, Baker was inspired to write about the journey between two friends centered on one whose boyfriend/pimp has cheated on her with the other. In addition to relying on their stars for story beats, Baker and Bergoch also spent time at a resources center for the LGBT community in Los Angeles. Filming took place over the course of less than one month on location in Hollywood. Baker and co-cinematographer Radium Cheung used three iPhone 5S smartphones to shoot the film. Using an app designed to control focus, aperture and color temperature, anamorphic adapters from Moondog Labs to capture widescreen shots, and Steadicam to capture smooth moving shots, Baker and Cheung created a rather unique aesthetic for Tangerine that combines the “found footage” style with the high-resolution look of a “high-budget” Indie flick (even though the film cost only $100,000). On January 23, 2015, the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival and was immediately purchased by Magnolia Pictures who distributed the film internationally. It has received universal acclaim since its release, and garnered several nominations and wins from local film societies both in the United States and abroad. The Pros All I knew about Tangerine before pressing “Play” was that it was a movie about transgender sex workers in Los Angeles. Immediately, I was apprehensive. To be clear, I am open-minded to any story about anyone as long as it is interesting; but I was unsure if I would find this particular story all that relatable or interesting to me, no matter how well it was made or performed. That being said, I had already seen Baker’s most recent feature The Florida Project and was thoroughly impressed. So, I remained optimistic (if reserved). Fortunately, my initial concerns were quickly swept away by the expertly crafted storytelling and the ability of each and every person on screen to bring this touching story about friendship and family to the screen. Simply put, Tangerine blends insane comedic antics with intense human drama to impressive effect. The “day-in-the-life” approach to showing the individual journeys of both Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor) as they separate and intertwine seamlessly is utterly engrossing. Furthermore, the supporting characters―from Sin-Dee’s pimp and boyfriend Chester (James Ransone) and Sin-Dee’s kidnapping victim Dinah (Mickey O’Hagan) to the Armenian taxi driver Razmik (Karren Karagulian) who regularly solicits Alexandra’s services―all excel when on screen but never detract from the focus of the film. They only enhance the storytelling as it unfolds. For those who are uninitiated to Sean Baker, I find the types of people he tells stories about to be rather enticing. For example, his 2012 feature Starlet is about young adults in their early-to-mid 20s who are struggling to get by as workers in Southern California’s porn industry. His most recent film, The Florida Project, shines a light on the lives and obstacles of impoverished people living in motels in Kissimmee, Florida neighboring the glamorous and lavish Walt Disney World. Both of these films sound quite depressing, do they not? Well, they are. But they are also incredibly entertaining. The main journey of the protagonist of Starlet, Jane/Tess (Dree Hemingway), is one of discovering friendship in the unlikeliest of places: an elderly widow, Sadie (Besedka Johnson), whom she initially befriends over guilt for buying a rummage sale vase from her that contains ten thousand dollars in it. In The Florida Project, Baker unveils the trials and tribulations of these motel-dwellers through the imaginative minds and wonder-obsessed eyes of children, namely the six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her friends. In other words, Baker’s films show what may seem on the surface to be miserable life experiences due to overwhelming social, cultural, and financial circumstances. Yet the characters in his films (including Tangerine) confront the unique challenges of their lives head on with wit, sarcasm, and an “all-or-nothing” that can feel both admirable and tragic at the same time. Needless to say, the acting, characterization, themes, and precision of storytelling in Tangerine is unrivaled by much of the indie world, in my humble opinion. While I am by no means an expert on the technical aspects of filmmaking, I definitely vibed with Baker and Cheung’s unique aesthetic for Tangerine. All the tools and techniques employed to capture the streets of Los Angeles do so, highlight both the gritty reality and hidden beauty this red-light district that Sin-Dee and Alexandra call home. Of course, I cannot discuss Tangerine without addressing the most important question for this holiday season blog post: is it a Christmas movie, and a good one at that? The short answer is yes. Baker and Bergoch wrote a tale about the true bond of friendship and familial love in the face of overcoming personal differences and difficult extenuating circumstances of regular life. Furthermore, the ending scene between Sin-Dee and Alexandra in the laundromat competes, in my mind, for best embodying the spirit of the holiday season. After being harassed and assaulted by strangers on the street for her gender identity, Sin-Dee is seemingly left alone on Christmas Eve night to pick up the pieces of her life. But no, Alexandra swoops in and offers her help. After taking her to a laundromat to wash Sin-Dee’s urine-stained clothes and wig, they sit together alone without saying a word to each. Then, at the very end, Alexandra takes off her wig and loans it to Sin-Dee until hers is clean. How much more “Christmas spirit” can a film get? The Cons There really is not much I can say is objectively bad with this film. If anything, the 90-minute runtime is a bit long for me just because some of the sequences feel too drawn out (namely Sin-Dee’s prolongated kidnapping and physical/verbal abuse of Dinah). So, perhaps Baker could have shaved ten or so minutes off to really tighten up the story. Otherwise, all I can say is this is perhaps the most unorthodox Christmas movie ever made. At least, on the surface. So, do not approach this film on your first viewing as a wacky story about transgender sex workers (even though, in many ways, it aptly fits that description). Instead, watch Tangerine as a movie about friends overcoming past mistakes and personal grievances to be there for each other when they need someone there for them the most. So, what are my final impressions of Tangerine? It is a damn entertaining watch with some (mostly) unknown, but talented, performers and some fantastic direction from Sean Baker. Furthermore, it offers up a surprisingly wholesome message about friendship and belonging that fits perfectly with the norms of other viewings for the holiday season. (Although, I would not necessarily call this a “family film.” Parents, you have been warned). But the ultimate question: is it a better Christmas movie than Die Hard? … Yes. Yes, it is. 😊 What are some unorthodox Christmas films that you really like? Do you think Tangerine succeeds as a holiday movie? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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