Tangerine (2015)

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Tangerine (2015), directed by Sean Baker and written by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch, is a gritty and comedic tale of a transgender sex worker’s quest to bust her cheating boyfriend/pimp.  Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) was just released from a 28-day stint in jail on Christmas Eve when she meets up with her best friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor) at a seedy neighborhood donut shop.  Alexandra accidentally lets it slip that Sin-Dee’s boyfriend/pimp, Chester (James Ransone), has been cheating on her with a “fish,” slang for a non-trans woman.  Upon seeing how angry Sin-Dee gets at this revelation, Alexandra refuses to say anything more for fear of her involvement leading to Sin-Dee doing something she will regret.  Sin-Dee decides to take matters into her own hands by tracking down both the “fish,” a girl named Dinah (Mickey O’Hagan), and her two-timing boyfriend.

Sin-Dee treks around Los Angeles by bus and eventually finds Dinah working in a shoddy motel.  There is a confrontation in the motel room and Sin-Dee hilariously drags Dinah out of the motel room by the ear and proceeds to literally drag her around with her as she continues her search for Chester, who makes it a point to not be found easily.  Sin-Dee and Dinah reunite with Alexandra and the trio eventually track Chester down at another local donut shop.  Sin-Dee confronts Chester, resulting in a chaotic yelling match at the donut shop that ends with everyone upset at each other due to the revelation that Alexandra also slept with Chester while Sin-Dee was in jail.  All four end up going their separate ways as the donut shop owner threatens to call the police.

Sin-Dee walks down the street in the dark, trying to get away from Alexandra as Alexandra continues to chase after her to try to explain what happened.  A car full of men pull up near Sin-Dee, and thinking she is about to get work, she approaches only to be assaulted when the men throw a cup of urine all over her and hurl slurs at her before driving off.  Alexandra sees it all and quickly runs to her friend’s aide.  Alexandra then takes Sin-Dee to a local laundrymat to wash her clothing and wig.  The pair sit on a bench in the laundrymat, with Sin-Dee looking completely different as she is stripped down to just a bra and her short hair.  It becomes evident that Sin-Dee feels extremely uncomfortable as she has lost any aspect of femininity as she sits and waits for her clothes and wig to be cleaned.  Alexandra quietly takes her wig off  of her own head and puts it on Sin-Dee’s, the two smile at each other, and the screen goes black as the film ends. 

Completely shot on an iphone 5, Tangerine takes viewers on a wild ride and uses realistic imagery, comedy, and music to highlight some of the very real daily struggles faced by those who live on the outskirts of society within the underworld of Los Angeles.  As Sin-Dee treks around the city of Los Angeles, the unedited scenery transports viewers to the very real run-down neighborhoods inhabited by the most underprivileged groups of people.  In addition, Sin-Dee and Alexandra’s experiences as transgender sex workers are juxtaposed to Dinah’s experience.  Sin-Dee and Alexandra were likely forced to turn to prostitution to survive as many transgender teens are expelled from their homes due to a lack of acceptance and understanding of their gender identities by their families.  Dinah, on the other hand, appears to have resorted to sex work to feed her drug addiction.  Although initially being out for Dinah due to her involvement with Chester, Sin-Dee and Dinah end up bonding as they get to know each other.  Despite their differences, they have both persevered in the face of adversity and have had to resort to whatever means possible to survive their harsh realities.

The piece that brings this whole film together is the music selection.  Every scene is played out amongst a backdrop of music that ranges from classical to techno to hip-hop.  The carefully selected song choices bring the emotions of each character to life in a way that allows viewers to feel as though they are a part of the film.  Songs such as “Up In Jam (Pet Duo)” by Fatima Hajji lend a vibrant drumbeat to Sin-Dee’s rage as she starts her quest to find Dinah and Chester, while songs like “Gotta Get Home” by Okko offer a peppy technobeat as Sin-Dee and Dinah continue the search together and form a bond of sorts.  Finally, “The Dream of the Unknown Visitor” by Federico Cerruti offers a classical and peaceful end as Sin-Dee and Alexandra’s friendship prevails above all else.

Tangerine takes a comedic approach to the very real-life issues facing transgender sex workers.  Issues such as drug abuse, domestic violence, poverty, sexual harassment, and hate crimes are all brought to the forefront in one day of Sin-Dee’s life on the street.  Despite the somewhat taboo and off-color theme of the film, the strength and resiliency of transgender sex workers is highlighted.  In addition, we are reminded that friendship can tackle any obstacles and that family is what you make it.