By Hollywood standards, Sean Baker's film Tangerine couldn’t have been a riskier proposition. About a day in the life of transgender prostitutes, it was shot on three iPhones, and stars a pair of unknown actresses.
Box office gold? Hardly.
But this wonderful, witty, emotional and (subtly) political film shows that fortune favours the brave. A filmmaker of almost unprecedented thoughtfulness, Baker has portrayed the experiences of many oppressed groups, including sex workers (Starlet), hustlers (Prince of Broadway) and illegal immigrants (Take Out). Characteristically, Baker takes up to a year to get to know the communities he intends to represent. The proof is in the pudding: his films brim with authenticity, humanity and humour, seeking not to preach, but to engender empathy.
Baker was inspired to write about two transgender sex workers when he moved to Los Angeles.
“The corner of Santa Monica and Highland is an unofficial red-light district,” Baker explains. “It’s half a mile from my home, and I was taken aback by how there were all these areas in Los Angeles that hadn’t been shown on film or TV. I knew that this one was an unofficial red-light district, and I thought ‘You know there has to be a million stories here everyday. Why not focus on one?’”
Baker met his star Mya Taylor at an LGBTQ centre in West Hollywood. He told her about his nascent idea. She introduced him to Kiki Rodriguez, and – drawn to the duo’s energy and rapid-fire banter – Baker knew his film could be framed as a day in the life of two friends.
The writing process with Taylor and Rodriguez was a “collaboration”: much of the material in the film, and many of the insights, came from conversations Baker had with his two leading actresses. “It was a case of hearing stories and anecdotes – and then always passing ideas by them. So even though the story is fictionalised, it’s an amalgamation of a lot of the details and anecdotes that we heard.”
Describing his budget as “non-existent” and himself as “out of favours”, Baker decided to shoot the film on iPhone. It turned out to be a masterstroke. For a start, the actresses felt far more comfortable than they would have in front of a bigger camera. But Baker also began to realise the huge potential of the little gadget. He found a Kickstarter for Moondog Labs – a company that makes an adapter that fits over the iPhone lens and helps film-makers achieve a more cinematic feel – and played around with unusual shooting techniques. To achieve some sweeping ‘dolly’ shots, Baker rode his bicycle, with one hand on the handlebars and the iPhone in the other. Later, film grain was added and the footage colour-enhanced to give a saturated look.
There was a danger that a film about transgender sex workers of colour might turn into something heavy, depressing, even harrowing. Not so here. Tangerine never minimises the hardships these women face. But the palette is warm and the film is fun, flirty and raucous.
“‘Plight Of ’ movies can be so condescending,” Baker says. “Mya made me realise, when we were doing our research, sitting down in fast-food restaurants talking to these women, that there was always laughter. I realised that all of us use humour to cope with hardship. And they have to face hardships to an even greater degree. There’s so much humour in that world, and for me not to make it part of this film would be very dishonest.”
There are subtle nods to the oppression the two characters face, but Tangerine remains a buddy romp, with universal themes and uproarious lead characters.
“The film is political, but not overtly political,” Baker says. “I love when the audience are inspired to go home and do their own homework. If the audience love Alexandra and Sin-Dee, I want them to go home and say ‘I just had two hours of laughs with these two wonderful women. Now I want to know why they’re on the street. I want to know why transgender women of colour coming from poverty are driven to the underground economy of sex work or drugs.’ Hopefully people will realise that it’s a crazy, intricate web of oppression and discrimination that led them there.”
Tangerine also highlights Hollywood’s hypocrisy: while writers and directors are happy to rake in money and awards by presenting trans characters onscreen, they’re almost never willing to hire them. Many directors hide behind the line that they ‘couldn’t find a trans actor who could play the role…’
“I know people who are very tied to the trans community, and I saw the backlash to Jared Leto’s performance in Dallas Buyers’ Club,” says Baker. “But I wouldn’t have made this film any other way. I think the attitude in Hollywood just comes from a place of not being educated and aware of what trans women of colour are going through. They’ve no idea that the unemployment rate is so incredibly high, amongst trans people generally – and especially among trans women of colour. If you have a trans role and you know that there are talented actors and actresses out there, from an ethical point of view, why aren’t you willing to employ those who are finding it very difficult to get employment anywhere else? It’s just a given for me.”