Tangerine (2015)

A hooker tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.

Director:

Sean Baker

Writers:

Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch

Stars:

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian

24 wins & 40 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez	...	Sin-Dee
Mya Taylor	...	Alexandra
Karren Karagulian	...	Razmik
Mickey O'Hagan	...	Dinah
James Ransone	...	Chester
Alla Tumanian	...	Ashken
Luiza Nersisyan	...	Yeva
Arsen Grigoryan	...	Karo
Ian Edwards	...	Nash
Clu Gulager	...	The Cherokee
Ana Foxx	...	Selena
Scott Krinsky	...	Parsimonious John
Chelcie Lynn	...	Madam Jillian
Shih-Ching Tsou	...	Mamasan
Josh Sussman	...	Retch Chunder

Storyline

A hooker tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart.

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Plot Keywords:

lgbt | shot on phone | unfaithful boyfriend | transgender prostitute | pimp | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong and disturbing sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Magnolia Pictures Tangerine Page Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Armenian

Release Date:

10 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tangerine

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,934, 17 July 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$701,837, 16 October 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Duplass Brothers Productions, Through Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Sean Baker and co-writer Chris Bergoch met Mya Taylor at the Village at Ed Gould Plaza, an LGBT community center on McCadden Place in Hollywood. The Village is located close to the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd and Highland Avenue in Hollywood, where most of the action of the film takes place, and the center is visible in the scene involving the Parsimonious John (his car is parked across the street).

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Goofs

When Sin-Dee breaks into a hotel brothel looking for Dinah, the cameraman's shadow is cast on the fat woman.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sin-Dee: Merry Christmas Eve, Bitch.

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Connections

Featured in Film 2017: Episode #44.9 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Zero One Zero
Written by Neil Davidge
Performed by Neil Davidge (as Davidge) featuring Stephonik Youth
Courtesy of Shamrock Solutions Ltd.
Published by Neil Davidge Music, Ltd.
Under license from Spirit Music Group

User Reviews

Tangerine Works Because Its Heart Is At The Right Place! Definitely Worth A Shot!

Covering a day in the lives of two trans sex workers, Tangerine is an offbeat surprise that's hilarious, heartwarming & heartbreaking, is bursting with energy & style from start to finish, and offers an unusual glimpse into Los Angeles' sex-trade subculture. As unconventional in content as it is in the way it's shot, this is one comedy that defies everything in its path.

The story of Tangerine unfolds on Christmas Eve and follows two trans sex workers who are also best friends. One of them is Alexandra who's inviting friends all over the town to attend the gig she has secured for the night. The other is Sin-Dee Rella who just tears through the town to find her pimp boyfriend after learning that he cheated on her while she was locked up.

Written & directed by Sean S. Baker, Tangerine is crafted with rigour & passion and shatters many filmmaking norms over the course of its runtime. Filmed entirely on iPhone with more enhancements coming from easily available apps, the film gleams with colour filters & warm palette that gives it a distinctive look. And although the first act requires some getting used to, it only gets funnier as the plot progresses.

While the primary focus is on Sin-Dee & Alexandra, the subplots related to other characters connected to these two are also interesting in their own ways. The film also breaks tradition in the casting department by employing two transgender actresses in the given roles & both of them deliver fantastic performances, with Mya Taylor playing her character in a balanced manner while Kitana Kiki Rodrigues going full crazy as Sin-Dee.

On an overall scale, Tangerine is an inventive, distinctive & hysterical piece of indie cinema that allows its audience to settle down in the first act after which it instantly changes gears, gets more wild & vibrant with every passing minute, goes absolutely bonkers in its final act when all its different threads combine together to form a single whole, and finally concludes with a touching ode to friendship. In a sentence, Tangerine works because its heart is at the right place. Definitely worth a shot.