Review of Tangerine (2015) by Rendan L — 10 Nov 2015

Before I can begin my critique of "Tangerine," let me start by applauding it for being one of the first films to be headlined by transgender actresses, giving them juicy parts that do not rely on the weight of a mainstream star or a more conventional supporting player. There is not a Jared Leto, an Eddie Redmayne in sight. We don't have to have a discussion in which we call a cisgender actor "brave" for playing the part of a transgender woman: finally, we are given the opportunity to see the cinematically underrepresented demographic in a movie that rewards them considerably.

That being said, "Tangerine" is not an entirely successful film, sizzling with chattery virtuosity for the most part but sometimes coming across as being too improvised. Some of the film is organically, fluently funny, while other moments, particularly its climax, meant to be a screwball-esque showdown, ultimately come across as being forced, attempts to fulfill Baker's idea for a film modern in its cultural expression but old-fashioned in its laughs. Yet "Tangerine," shot using three iPhone 5 smartphones and edited with Final Cut Pro, is, for the majority of its length, a notable example of a film that overcomes its budgetary constraints by having enough flair to fill the gaps left open by cash and quick filmmaking.

It stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor as Sin-Dee Rella and Alexandra, best friends navigating life in Los Angeles through sex work and dreams of stardom. Sin-Dee has just finished a twenty-eight day prison sentence and hopes to resume the serious relationship she was in with her pimp, Chester (James Ransone). But when she discovers that he has been unfaithful, with a cisgender prostitute (Mickey O'Hagan), no less, she goes on a rampage that Alexandra, who is trying to advertise her hours away cabaret show, does not want to be a part of. It doesn't help that it's Christmas Eve - revenge is made simpler, the streets being mostly empty.

When "Tangerine" threatens to fly off the rails into independent filmmaking oblivion, with Baker employing amateurish techniques such as near constant Kardashian soundtrack echoes and side plots without the eventual importance of a Robert Altman hued one, it is Rodriguez and Taylor that keep our interest. Both crackle with an energy hard to come by in the mainstream - their genuine thrill to be leads in a movie (a rarity in the transgender community) is obvious, and they possess an irrepressible talent that can only be called infectious. I love the way Rodriguez fast walks nearly everywhere she goes like a model late to fashion week, extraordinarily confident and extraordinarily courageous, and I love the way that Taylor can appear thoroughly wise beyond her years with just a foreboding glance. They are a massively charismatic duo.

And though "Tangerine" isn't the film of the year, it is at least a magnificent magnification of social change in the movies. That, in itself, is a triumph worth talking about.