'Tangerine' A Review

Tangerine is an independent dramedy about a day in the life of trans woman sex worker Sin-Dee Rella(Kitana Kiki Rodriguez). It is Christmas Eve and Sin-Dee has just been released after spending a month in prison. She meets her friend, also a transgender sex worker, Alexandra(Mya Taylor) who lets slip that Sin-Dee's boyfriend and pimp Chester has been cheating on her with a cisgender woman. Enraged Sin-Dee begins to scour the block for Chester and his "fish" Dinah.

The film has an incredible energy, a frenetic inertia, propelled by the pulsing score, the vivid saturated streets of West Hollywood, and lots and lots of walking. The cast gives lively, fun, and honest performances, most of whom are non-professionals, with moments of improvisation that enhance the feeling of authenticity. Rodriguez and Taylor are particularly wonderful- playful and outrageous complimented by moments of real struggle and heartbreak.

The structure is at times too loose especially as the film builds towards its climax. But the journey has an ecstatic addictive quality and the dramatic coda forcibly delivers some poignant insights which beg for further reflection.

Dynamic compelling performances, a refreshing look at an underrepresented subculture, a plot with a pounding pulse.

Don't Miss It.