Tangerine (Sean Baker,2015): USA

Reviewed by Satara Arthaud at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, 2016.

Tangerine puts a humorous spin on a usually serious topic. The beginning of the film introduces the main characters being Sin-Dee played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, and Alexandra played by Mya Taylor. Who are transgender sex workers on the streets of Los Angeles. We follow Sin-Dee’s dramatic journey to find her pimp boyfriend who her best friend (Alexandra) said cheated on her while she was doing jail time. This then sparks the journey that will ultimately  test their friendship. With the energy some what like an action movie we are taken through the not so glamorous side of Los Angeles.

“L.A. is a beautifully wrapped lie.”

This film is revolutionary in many ways one of which being completely shot on an iPhone, one may think the cinematography would be of bad quality however that was not the case. In fact if one did not know this I doubt they would find any difference in a film shot with a high quality camera. The script was worked on with actual sex workers and members of the Armenian community. In fact the people that helped develop the script were offered some of the leading rolls which only adds to the realness of the film. Some parts seemed to real but I believe they were meant to make some audience viewers uncomfortable and open their mind to what some peoples lives are actually like.

The important thing when watching this film and just in general is to not judge. Everyone’s life is unique and everyone has their own journey. Even if their journey seems a bit twisted and illegal, its impossible to judge unless you have grown up in their shoes. If your looking for a fresh never before scene style movie then Tangerine may just be the movie for you.