Tangerine is a brash and fearless film that follows two ferociously unique trans women working the streets and trying to survive in Los Angeles. The film's main characters, Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), are played by trans actors, which is a rarity in Hollywood.
Every decade, at least one cisgender actor is Oscar-nominated for playing a trans character. This trend includes actors like John Lithgow (The World According to Garp), Chris Sarandon (Dog Day Afternoon), Felicity Huffman (Transamerica), and Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry).
Trans actors need more support, and watching Tangerine is a great place to start. Here are six reasons everyone should watch Tangerine.
1. The Authenticity
Although their lives are messy, challenging, and centered around oppression and sex work, the characters aren't demonized for their realities, and they're never required to prove their womanhood or existence.
Sin-Dee and Alexandra were not written for a cis-audience analysis, which is evident throughout the story and incredibly refreshing. When Sin-Dee blatantly says, “God gave me a penis ... that’s pretty damn cruel, don’t you think?” she affirms her identity beautifully.
2. Razmik
Razmik is a key character who keeps his sexual encounters with the protagonists a secret. The idea that straight cis men can be attracted to trans women has been used as harmful material for romantic advice columns and sensationalist television shows.
It's one of the oldest form of trans misogyny. Tangerine destroys that fear by presenting the relationship from the trans woman’s point of view. Because trans women dominate the story and steer its plot, they can't be fetishized, and Razmik's desire can't be considered irrational or a closeted “gay” behavior.
3. A Sense of Humor
As Sin-Dee and Alexandra run around L.A. by bus, foot and taxi, their only protections are a dry sense of humor and a little slap stick. At one point, a customer asks Alexandra to perform a service he hasn’t paid for and says, “You know you want it.”
Alexandra arches her eyebrows, snaps her head, and curls her lips before sarcastically responding, “You see right through me, don’t you?” Tangerine is more than a showcase for a pair of black trans women; they're give comedic moments to let their personalities shine.
With perfect comedic timing comes a sense of power and benevolence; it's scarce and needed in trans narratives.
4. The iPhone 5
Some consider the film industry to be rigid and snobby, and changing its standards is nearly impossible; it requires filmmakers to take risks. Tangerine was shot on an iPhone 5. Now, that's risky.
The fact that something as spectacular as Tangerine was created on a phone is inspiring to everyone, particularly, marginalized people who want their work and voices heard. Creating something meaningful on such a low budget is amazing, and Tangerine proves you need a studio to create great films.
5. Sin-Dee and Alexandra Exist in Our Community
The main characters live in our community; they're forced to play the cards they have and survive in a very real version of our world. Like many young LGBTs, they have to overcome drugs and violence, which shaped their lives.
Yet, Sin-Dee yearns for true love and, underneath her pain, she has a vulnerable heart. Alexandra is a talented, loving, smart, woman desperately trying to overcome systematic oppression.
6. Girl Power
The film concludes, after a series of struggles and mishaps, with the restatement of the same value it starts with: love and support between two women. The world and trans community needs more visible femme power, and Tangerine embraces that power.
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