How did you go about finding what some of those stories might be?īAKER: Well, my co-screenwriter, Chris Bergoch, and I - we wanted to find a collaborator, and this is very similar to the way I make all of my films. GROSS: So you've assumed that there were interesting stories on this corner. And I thought, you know, there must be some incredible stories that take place on that corner. You know, the - it's sort of an infamous intersection - an unofficial red light district. This was one of those locations that just drew me in. I saw - I started to realize that there was so much of Los Angeles that had not been covered in film and television. SEAN BAKER: Well, to tell you the truth, I live about a half a mile from the corner of Santa Monica and Highland, and I moved out to Los Angeles about three years ago, and I was drawn to that location. Why did you want to make a movie about transgender sex workers? Mya Taylor, Sean Baker, welcome to FRESH AIR. RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) Give me your phone. It's something like Danielle, Desiree, Deedee. TAYLOR: (As Alexandra) I don't know, I just know that her name starts with a D. RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) I been gone for 28 days, and you mean to tell me that he's been out here cheating on me with fish? TAYLOR: (As Alexandra) Like, a real fish, Girl - like, vagina and everything. RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) Chester's gonna cheat on me with real fish? TAYLOR: (As Alexandra) Girl, she's some white fish, I don't know. RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) Girl, you're the first girl I seen on the block. TAYLOR: (As Alexandra) Girl because everything that you been hearing on the block about the girl that he's been with. RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) How the would I know? RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) Wait, wait, whoa, whoa - what? ![]() ![]() Thank, God because Honey, for him to be cheating on you like that. TAYLOR: (As Alexandra) Girl, (laughter), I know what it is. RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) I've been keeping a secret about me and Chester. KITANA KIKI RODRIGUEZ: (As Sin-Dee) So - I got some good news to tell you. Alexandra, played by our guest, Mya Taylor, speaks first. And the word fish is used here as a slang term for a woman born with a woman's anatomy. To understand what they're talking about, you need to know that Chester, the guy they're going to talk about, is Sin-Dee's boyfriend and a pimp. In the opening scene, the two women are in a doughnut shop, talking about what happened on the block while Sin-Dee was in prison. Sin-Dee has just returned to the neighborhood after 28 days in prison. The two trans sex workers in the film are Alexandra, an African-American woman played by Mya Taylor, and her friend Sin-Dee, a Hispanic woman played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. Before I go any further, you should know that parts of our conversation will be about sex workers, and may not be appropriate for children. ![]() He also made the movie "Starlet," which was about a young porn actress and a woman in her 80s whose lives begin to intersect. Sean Baker directed and co-wrote "Tangerine" and was the co-cinematographer. She was transitioning to female when the movie was made. GROSS: That's a promise that's never kept in the new comedy drama film, "Tangerine," about two trans-women who are sex workers in LA. And while the film’s colors are as electric as the characters’ emotions, the setups and framing are fairly conventional, a missed opportunity to create aesthetics that reflect the unique perspectives.MYA TAYLOR: (As Alexandra) I will go with you under one condition - you must promise me that there's not going to be any drama. ![]() Unfortunately, Baker fails to sustain the energy promised by his players, and the multilingual shouting-match finale (which includes Razmik’s mother-in-law) is tiresomely protracted. That magnetism also pulls Razmik, an Armenian cabbie (Baker regular Karren Karagulian) who has a crush on Sin-Dee, away from his family’s holiday dinner early. Rodriguez moves and speaks like a firecracker, and although her acting is sometimes shaky, she exudes genuine charisma. Alexandra informs her that Chester has been sleeping with a “fish” (a cis woman), sending Sin-Dee on a furious quest around Los Angeles (without a car!) to find that bitch. It’s Christmas Eve and Sin-Dee is fresh out of lockup, looking to reunite with her fiancé and pimp Chester (James Ransone).
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