Buzzing with life, energy and salty wit, this tale of two transsexual prostitutes rattling around Los Angeles on Christmas Eve is an unexpectedly life-affirming low-budget gem.
In Tangerine, Sin-Dee Rella (first-time actor Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is on the warpath, hunting for the female hooker who has apparently been sleeping with her pimp and lover, while best friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor) tries to drum up interest in her singing debut at a local bar and Armenian cab driver Razmik (Karren Karagulian), a regular client, seeks relief from family life.
Director Sean Baker drags us through some of LA’s seamier quarters in their wake, but his protagonists’ vitality stops the film from simply becoming a voyeuristic tour. Remarkably, although the movie was shot on the sly on iPhone 5s, its lavish widescreen frame matches the heroines for vibrant, eye-popping colour.
Certificate 15. Runtime 84 mins. Director Sean Baker
Tangerine is available on DVD & VOD from Metrodome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEVuXWEBAP8
