Tangerine, the movie is more bittersweet than the fruit.

I am not one for serious or dark movies. My lame self enjoys the happily ever after ending that gives you a good feeling and an optimism for life afterward. (I.e. my favorite movies are Hidden Figures and The Greatest Showman…not ashamed.) Therefore watching Tangerine was definitely out of my comfort zone. As someone who’s unfamiliar with Transgender slang/vocabulary or culture, it was an educational experience. I came in watching with total ignorance. To be honest I am still ignorant but undoubtedly less.) For instance, they called the Dinah, a cis-gender white woman, a fish. And the immigrant taxi driver is attracted to only transwomen. This was an attractive I never realized some people prefer. 

I felt a bit uneasy while watching the cinematic piece, no, not because of the dark setting (which I believe is an informal red-light district frequented by transgender sex workers on the corner of Santa Monica and Highland in LA), genitals, and raw jokes, but then maybe the stereotypical portrayal of black transgender women in the movie. The black transwomen were portrayed cliche as loud, gossipy, and tawdry. My initial thought was “This isn’t right. They’re misrepresenting a whole demographic!” But then I sadly thought to myself… “at least they are getting representation?”

It wasn’t until the ending and the very last scene, where I finally felt the character received just portrayal. When the two black women were sitting on the bench in the laundry mat and fixing each other’s hair. It was the heartfelt moment viewers like me were hoping for. We finally see two women emphasize and show affection to each other even in the harsh realities they live in. Pretty soon, it didn’t even matter that one friend slept with the other’s fiance because they were living in a life where they had more oppressive systems and problems to worry about. I also think the scene where the cis males in a drive-by car threw a cup of urine at Sid-Nee was needed to depict the transphobic attitude they face from the privileged every day. 

In The Gaudian article, “Tangerine is a big deal, not just because it was shot on an iPhone” it says, “Baker said that Taylor and Rodriguez are both very close friends with the trans women who work the area. “They basically have witnessed a ton and wanted this story to be told,” he said. Before signing on, however, Rodriguez made one request of Baker. “She said: ‘I trust you, I want to make this movie with you, but you have to promise to show the harsh reality of what goes on out here. These women are here because they have to be, and I want you to make it hilarious and entertaining for us and the women who are actually working the corner.” Plus, it wasn’t like Baker only portrayed characters into a certain niche, I greatly appreciated him showing depth to Alexandria and her aspirations to become a singer. 

Not familiar with film art, I wondered why the movie was called “Tangerine”. Thanks to this New York Times article, “Review: ‘Tangerine,’ a Madcap Buddy Picture About Transgender Prostitutes”. I got my answer that’d I’d like to end my blog post with… Mr. Baker hasn’t simply looked in a mirror for his inspiration, but into that infinite world of possibility, that is other people. When he bathes Sin-Dee and Alexandra in the luscious orange of another smoggy Los Angeles sunset, you may note the warm, radiant palette and, almost in passing, admire how the harmonious performances fit with the gracefulness of the filmmaking — but what you see, really see, are two women shimmering in the sun.”