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Jul 08, 2015 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

The year’s most unorthodox Christmas film centers on a pair of transgender prostitutes working one of Hollywood’s seedier strips (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, both full of energy.) Sin-Dee is fresh out of a month-long prison stint, and she’s received the upsetting news that her boyfriend (and pimp), Chester—Generation Kill’s James Ransone—has cheated on her. This sends her on a Christmas Eve rampage across Los Angeles looking for her two-timing beau and his new lover. Meanwhile, an Armenian cab driver tries to hide his own infidelity from his immigrant family during holiday celebrations.

Sean Baker’s film is a thrilling rush through its all-too-quick 88 minutes. Not only are its two leads are fast-talking and incredibly funny, but the soundtrack jumps and the film maintains a level of visual vibrancy that its attention-grabbing gimmick—Tangerine was shot entirely on iPhones—almost feels beside the point. The movie’s Los Angeles feels real and raw, and is excitingly diverse. It’s not all for jokes, though—there’s a lot of heart in Tangerine, resulting in a Christmas tale that’s raunchy and laugh-out-loud hilarious, but also surprisingly tender.

www.magpictures.com/tangerine

Author rating: 7.5/10