TANGERINE

US, 2015, 88 minutes, Colour.
Katana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O' Hagan, James Ransone, Alla Tumanian.
Direction by Sean Baker.

Tangerine became famous because it was filmed on three iPhones – which has amazed some audiences because of the quality of the photography.

The film was also won quite a number of awards ranging from Cork to Deauville, from Karlovy Vary to Mar del Plata to Rio de Janeiro as well as American awards.

It takes us into a world most audiences are not familiar with, the world of prostitutes and pimps in Los Angeles, focusing on transgender characters, two of them played by transgender actors. They are friends. One goes in search of the pimp whom she felt has betrayed her, eventually catching up, a falling out between the two men confronting the woman he is now with, and their plotting together.

Often rough and ready in tone and character as well is in plot developments, it was well received with something of a cult status, of a number of lists amongst the best films of 2015. Its writer-director, Sean Baker, had made an impact with his feature film, Starlet.

1. Acclaim for the film, the camera photography, the editing? A successful experimental films?

2. Los Angeles settings, the street, the prostitutes and their patches, the cars and the customers, taxi drivers, the police, cafes, bars, venues for the singing gigs, the atmosphere? The musical score? Songs?

3. The action taking place over only a couple of hours? The Christmas Eve setting and how it was used?

4. The world of transsexuals, transgender? The African- Americans? The whites? Prostitution, pimps? The importance of dress, fashion, make up? Antagonisms? Friends? Emotions, jealousies?

5. Life in the raw, vulgar, chaotic?

6. The meeting of Sin- Dee and Alexandra? Their personalities? As individuals, gender issues? Prostitution and customers? Pimps? Emotions? Alexandra and the handouts for her gig? Continuing to hand them out to everybody in the street, associates, friends – and so very few turning up?

7. Sin- Dee, being away, her return, her looking for Chester? Chatting with Alexandra, Alexandra letting the information slip, Chester and his infidelity? The repercussions for Sin- Dee? Spending the rest of the film trying to find out who the girl was, the name starting with D, asking everybody, pimps, friends? Eventually tracking down Dinah, the brothel, the madame, the clients, their reactions, the prostitutes, Sin- Dee dragging Dinah out, dragging her through the streets, the attack? Eventually finding Chester? Confronting him? Cindy and her remembering Alexandra, the gig, in the bus, dragging Dinah to the gig? Her hearty applause?

8. Alexandra, meeting your friends, concern about the gig, with the taxi driver, arriving at the venue, the manager, nobody there? Performance? Responses?

9. The taxi driver, his clients, Armenian background, going home to his family, his wife, children, the extended family and the meal, his going out? The Donut cafe, the family, the mother-in-law and her comments? The wife and her husband going out on Christmas Eve? The variety of clients, the men vomiting in his taxi and his reaction? The encounter with Sin- Dee? Sexual dissatisfaction, throwing her out? His friendship with Alexandra? Sexual satisfaction?

10. Sin- Dee, the fight, the police, the policewoman and her mediation?

11. The range of characters, in this atmosphere of Los Angeles?

12. Audience interest in central characters, their lives, their issues? Empathy for them?

13. The success of the experiment, the phone cameras, the techniques used, the locations, for movement, the close-ups, the gig?