REVIEW: Tangerine (2015)

Hello, cinema lovers. Sean Baker's Tangerine is a landmark of queer cinema, a film that is both furious and funny. A decade after its Sundance debut, it has lost none of its impact. A stellar movie with a highly talented cast, Tangerine remains one of the few films to centre the solidarity of trans women of colour entirely on their own terms. Bask in its glory.

Released in the UK in November 2015 through Metrodome Group, this $100,000 independent film drops us into the sun-drenched streets of West Hollywood on Christmas Eve. Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), a trans sex worker who has just served a 28-day prison sentence, discovers, within minutes of her release, that Chester (the late James Ransone), her boyfriend and pimp, has been sleeping with a cis woman while she was inside. Sin-Dee's response is elemental, and she goes out to find the woman herself. Every scene that follows radiates outward from that brutal fury. Rodriguez is amazing in this film, showing both chaos and wit.

Alexandra (Mya Taylor) is Sin-Dee's best friend and the film's conscience. She's also a trans sex worker with a singing gig that evening and barely an audience to show for it. . Taylor is the quieter performer here, centring every scene she's in with an impressive grace. Director Baker met both women at the Los Angeles LGBT Centre in 2013, and neither had any acting experience before the shoot. That this film lands with such confidence is a testament to everyone involved.

What Baker understood and what so many films about trans lives get wrong is that Sin-Dee and Alexandra's story is not a tragedy. This is a story about friendship and betrayal, set against the harsh reality of surviving on the streets. This is also a comedy that is so very sharp, despite never letting you forget the pain underneath. When Sin-Dee drags Dinah (Mickey O'Hagan), Chester's other woman, across Hollywood on a bus, it is funny but gut-wrenching. The film has a similar ethos to Paris is Burning; it brings you inside a world and trusts you to figure out how it works.

This project is a remarkable success given the means at hand to produce it. The filmmakers completely shot the film on smartphones. The completed scenes are given a widescreen, golden glow that transforms the smoggy Los Angeles light. There's a visual warmth to this world that's poles apart from its characters' day-to-day grind.

The film's handling of trans lives is generous but demanding. Police misgender Alexandra without a second thought. A client throws out a sex worker from his car after learning she is cis. That particular scene shows how trans women are fetishised. Trans joy, rage and sisterhood are all front and present on the screen.

This is evident with the film's closing scene, in which Alexandra gives Sin-Dee her own wig to wear. This wig is Alexandra's most personal symbol of womanhood, and she offers it to her sister in need. The bond that has sustained these characters through the entire crazy day is shown with a simple, tender act. It's a standout moment in a movie filled with strong statements.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of critics gave the film a positive review. The first Academy Awards campaigns for transgender actresses were launched for Rodriguez and Taylor in 2015; shamefully, neither received a nomination. A year before Moonlight became an awards darling, Tangerine should have beaten them to the punch. One of the very best LGBTQ+ movies to have come along in the last 50 years. Totally unmissable, my highest possible recommendation.

Tangerine is available to stream now on Sky, Google Play and Apple TV.