Performances, energy impress in entirely iPhone-shot ‘Tangerine’

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Thursday, July 23, 2015 8:19am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

I have never understood why anybody (outside of professionals in the biz) would care how a movie was shot or how much it cost. What matters is what’s up there on screen, yes? Kudos to low-budget geniuses who work magic on a shoestring, but what does that have to do with how we watch the movie?

So the word that director Sean Baker shot “Tangerine” entirely with iPhones may be worth a chummy “Cool story, bro,” but it’s not exactly news that anybody with a device can make a movie.

More important is that “Tangerine” bristles with zany energy and unexpected humor, and that Baker has a fine eye for dynamic, on-the-fly angles in fast-food joints and inner-city streets.

In a rough Los Angeles neighborhood, a transgender prostitute named Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) shares a donut with her best friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor) on Christmas Eve morning. Alexandra lets slip that Sin-Dee’s boyfriend-pimp Chester (James Ransone, excellent) has been messing around with someone else during Sin-Dee’s just-completed month in jail.

This leads to Sin-Dee’s daylong search for the other woman; nobody can remember her name exactly, it begins with a D — Destry? Desiree? Anyway, Mickey O’Hagan plays the role like Laraine Newman drained of blood.

Meanwhile, an Armenian cab driver, Razmik (Karren Karagulian), will soon hook up with the central odyssey. The film has uproarious moments, a few poignant ones, and some grubby references to the industry of sex.

That’s where “Tangerine” (like “A Clockwork Orange,” there’s no explanation of the citrusy title) steers into its diciest territory. If Baker’s goal was to humanize people who aren’t often represented in movies by creating a performance-driven piece of slapstick, he has succeeded.

On the other hand, we might legitimately feel queasy about the sunny depiction of a world that contains much real-life misery.

What tips the scales in justifying the movie’s screwball-comedy approach is the sheer human vitality of the people on screen, especially Rodriguez and Taylor. They come on like hectic refugees from Andy Warhol’s Factory, all-consumed by the theater of their own lives, defined but not limited by their transgender status.

Five minutes after the movies starts, with Sin-Dee in full rampage, the more reflective Alexandra looks on and says, “This is too much drama.” She doesn’t actually believe that — this is all part of the performance, and without the performance, these formidable ladies would be just like anybody else.

“Tangerine” (3 stars)

An unexpected screwball comedy set in the seamy side of L.A., where transgender prostitutes settle some issues on Christmas Eve. Director Sean Baker skims over some of the misery in that world, but the movie’s performers and energy are impressive.

Rating: R, for nudity, language, subject matter

Showing: Egyptian theater

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.