Tangerine

Synopsis:

After twenty-eight long days of absence, Sin-Dee is back on the block. It’s Christmastime, and everyone wants to get into the festive spirit; however, Sin-Dee is in for a shock when she accidentally discovers that Chester, the love of her life, has been cheating on her. And to think that poor Sin-Dee has been making plans for the future. To save what’s left of her dignity, heartbroken Sin-Dee embarks on a desperate mission to locate two-timing Chester, and no one can stop her–not even her best friend Alexandra, who vainly tries to be the voice of reason. Now, nothing can stand in the way of justice. After all, who wants to live a lie?

Quick Thoughts:

I’ll freely admit that I was not a huge fan of “Tangerine,” nor the target subcultures: drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, et al. Overall, the storyline felt dragged out; running longer than it should’ve. Even adding the sub-story of the Armenian family’s debacles didn’t help. Although it did create a humorous scene when everything (finally) came together! Unfortunately, the reason why “Tangerine” was so remarkable didn’t actually help my impression of this queer trans film: it was shot entirely on three iPhone 5s! While the quality was great given the shooting cameras, there were other directorial and cinematographic issues that were problematic. However, it’s seen as a key trans film so I leave it to you to decide whether you enjoy it or not.