It’s a sun-drenched Christmas Eve in Los
Angeles when transgender prostitute Sin-Dee (Kiki Kitanna Rodriguez) gets back on the streets after a stint
inside. Over breakfast, Alexandra (Mya
Taylor) lets slip that Sin-Dee’s pimp boyfriend Chester (James Rasone) is sleeping with another woman (or “fish” – a
non-trans women). This leads her on a frenzied
revenge mission to find them both, via meth parties, donut shops and endless
street corners.
In the meantime, Armenian taxi driver
Razmik (Karren Karagulian) with a taste in picking up pre-op trans hookers and
having quickies in carwashes is also trying to find Sin-Dee for some fun, which
does not go down well with his extended family…
Much has been said about how Tangerine was shot entirely on 3 iPhone
5s and edited on Final Cut Pro and Da Vinci Resolve for colouring. Yet where this was clearly a budgetary
convenience, the restraint gives the film a hugely stylish dazzle. Because of the single lens, the whole film is
deep focus and mostly low angle – and fully cool. ‘90s cool.
Larry Clarke, Aronofsky, Richard Linklater, early Kevin Smith cool.
The two lead actresses are both
non-professional, but give more compelling performances than any Inside The Actors Studio residents. Apparently the dialogue was mostly crafted
and transcribed during rehearsals, and it is delivered with such delicious shade. The music and sound is also masterfully mixed,
decisively proving that what you can compromise on picture, you have to spend
time and money in sound design.
Tangerine
is radical and
brilliant for so many reasons. The
narrative is fresh, the casting is honest, the filmmaking is punk, the music is
brash and exciting, and it is really fucking funny. It also replaces Die Hard as officially the
coolest Christmas film ever made.
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