Review of Tangerine (2015) by Filmphonic — 22 Nov 2015

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a film which is more timely and representative of 2015 western culture than ‘Tangerine’, an urban comedy/drama indie filmed entirely on Apple iPhones, featuring a cast of transsexuals and recent immigrants, and starring two transgender women as prostitutes in a series of misadventures on the streets of L.A.

‘Tangerine’ is an unconventional and slightly tragic screwball comedy/drama where the lives of pimps, prostitutes and their clientele are uncomfortably and hilariously thrown together.

Produced by major indie players the Duplass Brothers and written/directed by indie darling Sean Baker, ‘Tangerine’ was filmed on location in a notorious Santa Monica area near Hollywood where pimps, prostitutes and drug dealers ply their trade.

By using basic and accessible technology while casting leads with “experience” in the industry and area, Baker has achieved an ultra- realist view of L.A. that’s seldom seen, and has candidly depicted a subculture that has until now been largely ignored by media, all while crafting an outrageous comedy/drama that consistently walks the line between gritty and sleazy.

Clearly inspired by guerrilla filmmaking and indie heavyweights like John Waters and Jim Jarmusch , director Sean Baker delivers a vibrant and often uncomfortable cinematic experience that’s neither judgemental or sympathetic. Despite a dysfunctional and unexpectedly touching relationship between the two central working girls, clearly reminiscent of ‘Midnight Cowboy’, none of the characters are particularly sympathetic while the men suffer a particularly savage depiction that’s a thinly veiled theme of the movie.

Despite the critical acclaim so far, ‘Tangerine’ may be a divisive film for a larger general audience who may not be ready to deal with such a bold representation of the more marginalised people in modern western society. Although the film is sequential and easy to follow, there is a lot of filler. Expect the now ubiquitous dramatic indie synth-pop and electronic music sequences, in the form of endless overly stylistic purposeful walking scenes, which when removed, would probably make ‘Tangerine’ a 40min short.

The Bottom Line….

Outrageously funny and often uncomfortable to watch if somewhat flawed, ‘Tangerine’ is groundbreaking guerrilla indie filmmaking in both narrative and production, an unflinching look at the lives of the more marginalised in modern society.