Tangerine

So here we have an American independent comedy-drama, shot entirely on iPhones, about transgender characters, and whose closest point of reference is probably the two Crank films. Safe to say this is a little different than your usual fare...

Directed by Sean Baker, the film is set in downtown Hollywood on Christmas Even and primarily focuses on two transwomen sex workers - Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), the former of whom has just been released from a short stint in jail. An offhand comment leads Sin-Dee (Sin-Dee Rella, geddit?) to go look for her boyfriend, who has apparently been cheating on her. Meanwhile, an initially separate story about Algerian taxi driver Razmik (Karren Karagulian) ends up colliding with the other characters in a few surprising ways (but not in that 'everything is connected' sort of way, because **** that noise).

Initially I was concerned the film was walking a thin line between laughing at the characters and laughing with them, but as it goes on it emerges as a supremely confident and ultimately hugely affectionate piece of work. The situations and characters are often outlandish and the whole thing has a manic intensity about it (hence the Crank comparisons - it has that same total restlessness and casual bawdiness). But Baker has an absolute respect for his characters that shines through, and the emotional throughline here is startlingly strong. Indeed, showing sex workers and buyers, drug addicts and dealers as thoroughly human individuals is an all too rare thing within cinema. These are troubled people (although Baker hints at rather than starkly emphasising it), but very likeable too, and that's particularly evident in its quietly beautiful final ten minutes and pitch-perfect closing shot.

The decision to shoot the film using a camera not ostensibly designed for cinematic exhibition - albeit with an adjustable anamorphic lens attached - is a perfect one for the material. The lightweight iPhone is ideal for capturing a jittery intensity that helps enhance what is often a manically paced film, while proving a capable device for unobtrusively - and almost documentary-like at times - portraying the mood and landmarks of the Hollywood streets the film is shot on. A wisely hypersaturated colour palette starkly adds to the effect. As good an example of considered, appropriate camera choice as you'll find. The artfully frantic editing and smartly confrontational soundtrack really help, too.

Tangerine is ultimately the sort of film that, with a even just a little less care, could have emerged as a far weaker film than it is. But the material and form is handled with such confidence here it instead feels like one of the freshest, most successful independent American films of recent years, and totally its own thing. It's out in cinemas at the moment, and as you can probably guess I'd very much recommend it

Oh, forgot to mention it's funny. Very funny!