TANGERINE (A) - Sean Baker strikes again. The man behind "Starlet" -- an engaging study of disaffected young adults -- scores with his follow-up, a dizzying day-in-the-life of a transvestite hooker rampaging through the seedy neighborhoods of L.A. because she thinks her pimp cheated on her.
With the papal blessing of indie godfathers Mark and Jay Duplass, Baker grabbed an iPhone, hit the mean streets and unleashed a crazy cast of characters to produce what seemed to be a script with a lot of room for improvisation. (Baker wrote it with "Starlet" collaborator Chris Bergoch.) The result is exhilarating, one of the most vibrant movies you'll see all year.
The cast is led by two transvestite/transgender actors -- Kitana Kiki Rodriguez as Sin-Dee Rella and Mya Taylor as Alexandra -- as hyperactive sex workers embarking on a wild adventure on Christmas Eve in Tinseltown. Alexandra blabs about Sin-Dee's pimp, Chester, cheating on Sin-Dee while she spent a month in jail. That sets Sin-Dee off on a mission to confront Chester and also bitch-slap the "fish" (i.e., a biologically intact woman) he slept with.
Thus begins a raunchy romp, with Baker giving chase and shooting in extreme digital, with harsh lighting and washed-out colors. The bewigged Rodriguez and Taylor bounce off each other and exchange one-liners like coke-fueled maniacs, handling the rapid-fire dialogue and pop culture pot-shots like old pros. Every scene is a fresh thrill, enhanced by a pulse-quickening techno soundtrack. This is Scorsese's "Mean Streets" starring Lucy and Ethel on meth.
The B story involves Razmik, an Armenian cab driver with a wife and baby and a penchant for cruising for she-males. Karren Karagulian brings depth and pathos to the proceedings, making Razmik much more than a cartoon character railing against his nosy mother-in-law. His reaction to discovering that a hooker in his front seat is sporting actual lady parts is priceless.
Baker's genius is the way in which he creates a community that is both ridiculous and real -- and demystifies the extra-legal underworld. The characters ride buses and hang out at doughnut shops. Motel sex hubs are sad and degrading. There is more to Sin-Dee than her "Bitch, please" attitude and her hellbent craving for revenge. Alexandra, meantime, is a hapless mother hen, trying to keep Sin-Dee from doing herself in, while perpetually pitching her upcoming singing gig at a local dive.
As Chester, TV veteran James Ransone ("The Wire," "Treme," as well as Baker's "Starlet") gives a perfect reading of the comically undersized and under-capitalized playah/pimp. Baker juggles his characters and times his narrative for a perfect climax that brings all the principals together for a messy, but rather ordinary, showdown.
At a breathless 88 minutes, "Tangerine" -- like a scene from the trailer -- kicks down your door, grabs you by the greasy hair and drags you through its grimy world. It smacks you upside the head and reminds you what movies are supposed to do: tell entertaining stories, using any form and format that works.
BONUS TRACK
"Merry Christmas, Bitch!" Here's the trailer:
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