Tangerine (2015) directed by Sean S. Baker – A Film Review

It’s a unique film to say the least. It’s an American movie about prostitutes, pimps and their clients around the Christmas period. Also its lead characters are transgendered, which is quite rare in itself in the film world. Throw in the fact that the film was shot entirely on IPhones and you have something altogether quite special. Yet, a films impact and reception isn’t (or shouldn’t be) judged on its differential components in contrast to its contemporaries. A film should be judged on its own merits: on whether or not it works in terms of its story and craft.

The main crux of the story follows Sin-Dee and Alexandra trying to find another prostitute. The reason being that Sin-Dee’s boyfriend (also their pimp) has slept with another prostitute whilst she was in prison. As they attempt to find the mystery woman, we’re introduced to various clients and other locals to this particular part of Hollywood.

On the whole, the film has a fun dynamic to it. The story is well humoured and free flowing, never dragging or wasting time in its points of topic. There’s a definite tightness to the editing which works to the films strength. The dialog is fast paced and naturalistic, adding a kind of documentary-esque realism to the piece.

In terms of the cinematography, the film has a nice look to it. There were of course some visible problems of over exposed shots and backgrounds that you might expect from a film shot on lower quality cameras. However these technical problems seem inconsequential once the story really gets going. Overall though, the crew got some really nice shots considering the technical limitations they had set in front of them.

The film has a definitively indie feel to it. It seems very reminiscent of many American mumblecore movies, in that it uses a mix of amateur and professional actors. There is that same kind of natural yet quick flowing dialogue that can take away from the flow of the story, but adds (in a sense) to the realism. If there were any major problems with the film, I believe it came from this area. Conversations taking place at break neck speeds are extremely difficult to follow. As the film moves along you get more used to the conversational flow of the leads, but at the beginning of the film it can be seen as quite jarring.

For the most part Tangerine is an interesting movie. It has a fun story, good characters and some interesting melodramatic moments. It’s well put together and works well within its technical limitations; however, it isn’t a particularly memorable piece. It lacks a real (or genuinely) strong connection to its audience. What I mean is: whilst the scenes are well put together and the direction is acceptable, it doesn’t reminisce with you long after seeing it. Which is a shame, as it feels as though there was more potential to the story at the beginning of the film.