Tangerine

Co-writer and director Sean Baker's exciting independent film Tangerine has gained notoriety for being shot with an iPhone outfitted with a panoramic lens, achieving an electrifying color saturation that creates visual rhymes such as sunrise-blonde hair set against a building aglow with afternoon light. Baker brings a liberating, visceral energy to much of the film—sometimes just by speed walking that iPhone down a sidewalk. Set in a rundown neighborhood in Los Angeles where transgender sex workers struggle to get through the days, Tangerine takes place on Christmas Eve, opening with Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez)—just released from a short jail stint—being informed by her friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor) that Sin-Dee's pimp and boyfriend (James Ransone) has been cheating on her with a non-transgender woman. Exploding onto the gritty streets, Sin-Dee goes in search of her man and his new girlfriend, aiming to exact revenge. Meanwhile, after failing to cool Sin-Dee down, Alexandra has a disastrous assignation with a cab driver (Karren Karagulian), but better luck encouraging passersby to hear her sing at a club later that night. Baker never mocks or oversells these characters and their flaws, setting the stage for an unexpectedly touching resolution that makes Tangerine something of an oddball Christmas fable. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Finding the Actors: Completing the Cast” (21 min.), “Walking the Streets: Exploring the Story & Production” (18 min.), and “Catching Up with Kiki & Mya: Experiences, Characters & the Big Screen” (10 min.) with costars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, as well as a “Visual Style Test” (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine film.] (T. Keogh)