Tangerine at Picturehouse at FACT
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Sean Baker’s riotous addition to the Christmas movie canon is a welcome alternative to so much of the festive fluff that clogs up screens at this time of the year. Tangerine follows two transgender sex works over the course of one Christmas Eve as they navigate a fraught West Hollywood landscape of pimps, punters and romantic partners in their quest for retribution following an act of infidelity.
Much has been made of the production — the film was entirely shot on iPhones, an even more impressive feat in 2015 — but Tangerine succeeds because of its casting. As Sin-Dee and Alexandra, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor deliver motor-mouthed performances of believable verve. Indeed, the comedy sings and the film succeeds off of their backs
Baker has gone on to further art house successes with 2017’s The Florida Project and the upcoming Red Rocket, but this 87-minute gem is recommended viewing on the big screen this Christmas.
