Set in 2016 in Texas, the film revolves around a washed-up porn actor who returns to Texas City trying to make some money in the hope of returning to Los Angeles where he meets a 17-year-old donut shop cashier whom he falls for and hopes to make her into a porn actress. It is a film that is largely a character study of a man who had burned many bridges with the porn industry in Los Angeles as he returns to his hometown for the first time in 17 years where he asks his estranged wife if he could stay at his home for a few days till he gets back on his feet. Still, he would take advantage of her hospitality as she was reluctant to let him crash at her house knowing about his own selfish habits. The film’s screenplay by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch is mainly a character study of this washed-up porn star in Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) who returns to Texas City as he would take up a job selling weed for an elderly drug dealer in Leondria (Judy Hill) though she and her adult daughter June (Brittney Rodriguez) do not trust him while they warn him to not sell any weed to the local hardhat mill workers.
The script plays into Saber as someone who is really his own worst enemy in not just hurting those who offer his help but also in not taking responsibility for his own actions. Throughout the script, he talks about a bunch of things as there is a lot of ambiguity into whether he is telling the truth or talking bullshit as he would befriend his neighbor Lonnie (Ethan Darbone) who idolized Saber only to end up in things that put him in trouble. In meeting the young donut cashier Raylee who calls herself Strawberry (Suzanna Son), he believes he has a chance to get back into the world of pornography as she they embark on a sexual relationship even though she is barely underaged. Saber’s time with Strawberry would create tension as his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) and mother-in-law Lil (Brenda Deiss) become suspicious of his activities outside of the house as they know Leondria who is also becoming suspicious despite the money that Saber has been giving her. It would play into this sense of Saber not only overstaying his welcome but also getting caught up in his own bullshit where those around him realize what they must do.
Baker’s direction is stylish as it is shot in Texas City as well as areas at Galveston including its Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Nederland, and Kemah Boardwalk. Shot on 16mm film, Baker maintains a sense of grit and realism into the film as he shoots everything on location where it set in a small town in Texas where it is working class with a plant nearby where many of the local hard-hat workers are. Baker’s usage of wide and medium shots do play into this sense of a man who returns to his hometown where he does feel out of step with the times where some things had not changed since he left. Even as the home that Lexi and Lil live in is shambolic with a truck with no wheels and a home that does not have much but they are at least content despite a few financial struggles. Baker would use some hand-held cameras for some scenes while he would keep things steady as it plays into a man trying to get back into the world of pornography as there are a couple of scenes where Saber goes to a strip club. Baker’s usage of close-ups and zoom shots are a key aspect of the film as it play into Saber’s desire towards Strawberry as well as scenes where he has sex with Lexi to satisfy her sexual needs.
Also serving as the film’s editor where he employs some stylish jump-cuts, montages, and other rhythmic cuts to play into the humor as well as some of the drama that includes scenes of Saber riding a bicycle as it is the only form of transportation he has aside from rides from Lonnie. Also working as a co-sound designer with John Warrin and sound editor Andy Hay, Baker maintains an atmosphere that is realistic in the way sound is heard from afar inside a living room or on a location that is quiet and sparse. It all plays into the air of realism that Baker wanted as well as a scene late in the third act where Saber’s own bullshit on the people he fucked over finally come to ahead in a darkly-comical moment where humility comes to play. Baker does end the film on an ambiguous note as it relates to Saber’s own comeuppance as well as him facing this idea of the need to be truthful and own up to his actions or to continue to bullshit and hurt people he meets. Overall, Baker crafts an evocative and compelling film about washed-up porn star’s return to Texas where he meets a 17-year-old girl he hopes he can mooch from towards his return to the porn industry.
Cinematographer Drew Daniels does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on vibrant colors for some of the daytime scenes that includes the house that Strawberry lives in as well as some unique low-key lighting schemes for the exterior/interior scenes at night as it plays into the grainy 16mm film stock. Production designer Stephonik does excellent work with the interior look of Lexi’s home as well as the truck with no wheels outside of her home as well as the exterior/interior of the house that Strawberry lives in. Visual effects supervisors John J. Budion, Vico Sharabani, and Robi Thomas Vazhayil do terrific work with the visual effects as it is set dressing for some locations that play into the period the film is set in. Music supervisor Matthew Hearon-Smith does wonderful work with the music soundtrack as a lot of it is played on location through a mixture of music ranging from hip-hop, country, nu-metal, electronic music, and pop from such acts as Puddle of Mudd, the Crossing, Saul Consentino, Dave Tough, the Like Thes, Mason Dixon, 2am, Dixie Crystal, Electropoint, Spida4eva, and ‘Nsync whose song Bye Bye Bye is the lone song that is not played on location with the exception of a piano covered performed by Strawberry.
The film’s ensemble cast that is assembled by Baker includes a voice appearance from Karren Karagulian as a voice at a strip club, Lindsey Fuller as a news reporter whose house that Saber uses to claim that he lives there as a lie to Strawberry, Sophie as Lil and Lexi’s dog, Shih-Ching Tsou as the donut shop manager Mrs. Phan, David Maxwell as Lonnie’s dad, Parker Bigham as Strawberry’s friend Nash who thought she was his girlfriend, Dustin Hart and Brandy Kirl as Nash’s parents who confront Saber, Marlon Lambert as Leondria’s son Ernesto whom Saber used to go to school with, and Brittney Rodriguez in a superb performance as Leondria’s daughter June who is wary of Saber as she is the supplier and run things for her mother as she is someone that has little tolerance for bullshit. Ethan Darbone is fantastic as Lexi’s neighbor Lonnie as a man Lexi used to babysit as a kid where he spends time together with Saber unaware of the trouble, he is getting himself into where he becomes an unfortunate victim of Saber’s bullshit.
Judy Hill is excellent as Leondria as a local drug dealer/supplier who is suspicious of Saber knowing about his life back in Texas as she reluctantly gives him a job only to become more suspicious about the money he brings in. Brenda Deiss is brilliant in the role of Lexi’s mother Lil, who is initially willing to give Saber another chance, but she eventually becomes suspicious of him while also becoming uneasy with his presence at the house. Bree Elrod is amazing as Saber’s estranged wife Lexi who is reluctant to have him around while using him for sex and to do some things where she becomes suspicious of his activities outside of the house and frustrated by his refusal to help her with other things.
Suzanna Son is phenomenal in a break-out performance as Strawberry as a 17-year-old donut shop cashier who is fascinated by Saber as she is also interested in him sexually where she becomes someone that Saber needs to get back in the porn industry although she is unaware of how manipulative he is. Finally, there’s Simon Rex in a tremendous performance as Mikey Saber as a washed-up porn star who returns to Texas needing somewhere to crash only to take advantage of their hospitality while wooing a 17-year-old girl in the hopes he can get back to the porn industry. It is a performance where Rex brings a lot of dark elements of a man that constantly lies while also wanting to avoid responsibility to the point that people had enough where Rex highlight some humility and humor as it is a breakthrough for Rex.
Red Rocket is a spectacular film by Sean Baker that features great performances from Simon Rex and Suzanna Son. Along with its supporting cast, compelling character study, and gorgeous visuals. It is a film that goes to great lengths to explore a man who has burned many bridges only to put himself in more trouble with the people he meets to the point that he has no one to blame but himself. In the end, Red Rocket is a sensational film by Sean Baker.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – Take Out (2004 film) - (Prince of Broadway) – Starlet (2012 film) - Tangerine (2015 film) - The Florida Project - Anora
© thevoid99 2025
Set in the span of an entire cold and rainy day in New York City, the film revolves around an undocumented Chinese immigrant who is given one day to clear his debt with smugglers, or his debt will be doubled with little chance to see his family coming to America. It is a film with simple premises as well as a loose script that explores a day in the life of Ming Ding (Charles Jang) who is in New York City hoping to get his wife and their child to America as he sends money to them but also owes money to the smugglers who brought him here. The film starts with two smugglers trying to find Ding as they want the money, he owes them as he gives them what he has but is given a day to collect the remaining $800 he owes or else he faces dire consequences. Working at this Chinese restaurant own and run by a woman in Big Sister (Wang-Thye Lee) with two cooks in Wei (Justin Wan) and Ma (Jeff Huang) and another deliveryman in Young (Jeng-Hua Yu) who spends much of his time at the restaurant does a few deliveries. During the day, Ding deals with all sorts of customers as some treat him well while others treat him terribly while the restaurant do what they can make orders and such.
The film’s direction by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou is entrancing in its hand-held style as it is made with a $3000 budget with digital video cameras in a style that is like cinema verité. Shot on location in New York City, Baker and Tsou maintain this air of realism with Baker serving as the film’s cinematographer with he and Tsou also recording all the sound on location with sound editors Eric Marks and Rob Marshall providing all the design to capture the overlapping sounds at the restaurant. The restaurant itself is a character in the film as it is a real place as Baker and Tsou capture what happens when the restaurant opens and what everyone at the place does before closing time. The usage of hand-held cameras allow Baker and Tsou to use close-ups and medium shots to capture the sense of claustrophobia in the restaurant in the space that the kitchen has and what Big Sister must do to get all the orders. There are some wide shots as it relates to Ding riding on his bicycle to deliver food on a cold and horribly rainy day.
Also serving as the editors of the film with the only other crew member in the film is Eva Huang doing makeup on the bruise of Ding’s back due to an altercation he would have with the smugglers. Baker and Tsou’s editing is filled with a few montages and jump-cuts to play into the sense of urgency that Ding must do riding his bicycle in the city. Baker and Tsou would also maintain that element of realism as it play into Ding’s struggle with tension often escalating between him and his co-workers where one of the cooks got a glimpse of the bruise on his back. When the film reaches its third act, set at night with rain still pouring and everything winding down. There is a sense of calm but also something unexpected as it adds to the realism that Ding must go through on a day that has been overwhelming and tiring. Overall, Baker and Tsou craft a riveting and intoxicating film about an undocumented Chinese immigrant’s hard day doing food deliveries all over a rainy day in New York City.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast mainly features non-actors and real people that include Shih-Yuh Tsou and Joe Chien as the smugglers Ding owe money to, Amy Danielson as a bitchy customer from the West End, and Karren Karragulian as a customer who is upset that he got chicken instead of beef that he ordered. Jeff Huang and Justin Wan are excellent in their respective roles as the cook Ma and Wei as the two men who work tirelessly to cook the food that the people ordered as they also talk about their own situations in coming to America with the latter being sympathetic over Ding’s situation though he does not say anything.
Jeng-Hua Yu is fantastic as the slacker Young as a deliveryman who does a few deliveries as he brings a lot of humor to play into the mundane elements of the day while also helping Ding with his situation. Wang-Thye Lee is amazing as Big Sister as the restaurant manager/cashier who takes the food orders while also chatting with customers in a playful manner. Finally, there’s Charles Jang in an incredible performance as Ming Ding as an undocumented Chinese immigrant who owes money to smugglers where he does not say much as he does his work while dealing with his own issues as it is a heart wrenching yet intoxicating performance of a man dealing with a lot in his life including missing his wife and newborn baby that he has not met.
Take Out is a tremendous film by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gritty cinematography, a minimalist presentation, and its somber look into the life of an undocumented immigrant working as a deliveryman. It is a film that does not shy away from the struggles that people go through in post-9/11 New York City as well as what an immigrant does to stay in America despite all the shit he has to go through. In the end, Take Out is a sensational film by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – (Prince of Broadway) – Starlet (2012 film) - Tangerine (2015 film) - The Florida Project - Red Rocket – Anora
© thevoid99 2025
The film is the simple story of a young stripper/escort from the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn as she meets a young Russian who would pay her for her work only to fall in love and get married in Las Vegas much to the dismay of his family including his father who is powerful oligarch as his handler and a couple of bodyguards try to deal with the situation. It is a film that sort of plays into the idea of a real-life fairytale for this 23-year-old woman who gets the chance to make not just some good money but also live the life that many would want that involves lots of money and free time. Sean Baker’s script is straightforward in its narrative, yet it is a coming-of-age film for its titular character in Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) who works at a strip club as a stripper while occasionally would be an escort for money as she lives in Brighton Beach. When her boss (Vincent Radwinsky) asks her to entertain a young and rich client in Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn) who speaks Russian and Ani knows some Russian. The two meet as she gets frequent contact with him to attend his parties and such while getting paid large sums where they go to Las Vegas with friends, and they get married and that is all in the film’s first act.
Since Vanya is the son of a rich oligarch as he is sent to the U.S. to study, Vanya is someone that clearly does not want to grow up as he uses his family’s money to get high, throw lavish parties, play video games, and have sex with Ani. For Ani, getting some expensive things and living a carefree life allows her to have a break from responsibilities as she lives in a house with her sister while hoping to be accepted by his family. Unfortunately, the news about Vanya’s marriage reaches his family as his godfather/handler Toros (Karren Karagulian) sends a couple of men in Garnik (Vache Tovmasyan) and Igor (Yura Borisov) to get the two so that their marriage could be annulled. However, things do not go well as Ani proves to be too much for everyone with Vanya running away leading a second act where Ani reluctantly joins Toros, Garnik, and Igor to find him through the city. It all plays into the impulsiveness of youth with Ani wondering what she gotten herself into as trouble begins to escalate through some comical moments but also some intense moments as it relates to reality.
Baker’s direction is stylish in its overall presentation as it is shot on location in New York City including Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, Coney Island, and Sheepshead Bay as well as locations in Las Vegas. Baker’s usage of wide and medium shots does not just play into the vast locations the characters go to but also in the home that Vanya lives in that is owned by an actual Russian oligarch. Baker’s usage of space is key to the film in a scene where Toros converses with Ani with Garnik and Igor watching where his framing in which he has Toros and Ani in the middle of the frame with Toros face in the camera. The sense of intimacy in the medium shots and close-ups are also key in the private rooms at the strip club that play into a world where Ani knows what she can do to make men feel good as it is what attracted Vanya to her. Baker maintains this energy into the way Vanya spends his money such as getting a hotel suite in Las Vegas and access to drugs while also acts on impulse to escape from responsibility. Also serving as the editor, Baker utilizes some montages and jump-cuts to play into the energy including the scene where Garnik and Igor try to deal with an angry Ani who proves to be a young woman that does not take shit from anyone.
Notably in the film’s second act where Ani, Toros, Garnik, and Igor drive around the city to find Vanya in certain places he goes to including areas where the communities of Russian and Armenian descent go to. During the search for Vanya, the character of Igor who does not say much is this fascinating observer who does what he can to show kindness towards Ani despite her refusal. Even in the film’s third act where the chaos of Ani and Vanya’s actions become more complicated for Toros who is trying to manage everything as he also must deal with Vanya’s parents (Aleksei Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova) who does not just disapprove of the marriage but also who Ani is. It would all play into a tumultuous world that Ani has put herself in as well as the realization of Vanya. Baker’s usage of long shots help play into the drama, including the film’s ending as it is all about everything Ani has experienced and her own realization in being a young adult. Overall, Baker crafts an enthralling and exhilarating film about a young sex worker who meets and falls in love with a Russian oligarch’s son where they get married and cause trouble for that young man’s family.
Cinematographer Drew Daniels does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in the usage of stylish low-key lights for scenes at night including some of the interior scenes at the nightclub, hotel suites, and at Vanya’s home along with some natural lighting for some exterior scenes including the scene at Coney Island. Production designer Stephen Phelps, along with set decorator Christopher Phelps and art director Ryan Scott Fitzgerald, does amazing work with the look of the private rooms in the strip club as well as some of the rooms in Vanya’s house and a few places in Las Vegas. Costume designer Jocelyn Pierce does excellent work with the costumes in some of the stylish clothing that Ani would wear that plays into her personality as well as the coat that Toros wears and the highly-expensive clothing that Vanya’s mother wears.
The visual effects of Kyle Zemborain is terrific in a few scenes set in Vegas as it is mainly bits of set dressing in some of the exteriors in the city. Sound editors Andy Hay and John Warrin do superb work with the sound in the way music sounds on location as well as small sounds bits that help play into the atmosphere of a location and in the city. Music supervisor Matthew Heron-Smith does wonderful in assembling the film’s music soundtrack that ranges from pop, hip-hop, and electronic music that includes contributions from Take That with Robin Schulz and Calum Scott, Dunni, Mz Burns, 7resh, Aicha Fall, Danny G, Tyler Royale, Mpax, Butcher & the Florist featuring Glitter Moneyyy, Brit Fox, 144troy, Brett Bull, Kalaino, Michele Wylen featuring BushRainier & TKAP, Electropoint, Crokeyon 10, Mnogoznaal featuring Fortnoxpockets & Bryte, Sounds of Red Bull, JDvisionquest 3000 featuring L-1, Brooke Candy featuring Erika Jayne, SuperPitch, AnDy Darling, Hits Over Time, Mattie B, Red Hammer, Joseph Capalbo featuring Lyusi Simon, Terrell Burt, PsYcHoNaUt XIII, the Doug Martin Quartet, That Chicc, David Keen, Winter Garden Canada, and Karen Leslie Damelian.
The film’s ensemble cast that is assembled by Sean Baker feature some notable small roles and cameo appearances from Charles Jang as the Las Vegas hotel manager, Michael Sergio as a judge, Artyom Trubnikov as the Zakharov family lawyer, Ella Rubin as Ani’s sister, Alena Gurevich as a maid in Vanya’s house, Brittney Rodriguez as a security guard at the strip club, Vincent Radwinsky as the strip club owner, Ivy Wolk and Anton Bitter as a couple of Vanya’s friends who work at candy shop in Coney Island, Luna Sofia Miranda as Ani’s fellow stripper friend Lulu, and Lindsey Normington as another stripper in Diamond whom Ani does not like at all. Aleksei Serebryakov and Darya Ekamasova are fantastic in their respective roles as Vanya’s parents in Nikolai and Galinka Zakharov with the former being an oligarch weary of all the chaos while the latter is a fucking entitled bitch as she disapproves of Ani as she sees Ani as absolutely beneath her and the family. Vache Tovmasyan is excellent as the Armenian henchman Garnik as a big man that got a lot more than he bargained for in Ani where he deals with his injuries to the point that he relapses into alcoholism where he becomes unreliable to Toros.
Karren Karagulian is brilliant as Toros as an Armenian handler who works at a local church and for the Zakharov family where he tries to defuse the situation involving Ani and Vanya while also offering the former money for her troubles despite all the shit, he would endure in trying to find Vanya. Yura Borisov is incredible as Igor as a Russian henchman working for Toros as he is a quiet observer that is making sense of the situation while being sympathetic for Ani as he tries to show gestures of kindness towards her despite her refusal. Mark Eydelshteyn is amazing as Vanya as the son of a Russian oligarch who likes to party, get high, play video games, and have sex where he falls for Ani and wants to marry her so he can stay in America as a way to avoid responsibility as well as working for his family where he displays the many elements of a young man still unwilling to grow up.
Finally, there’s Mikey Madison in a tremendous performance as the titular role as this stripper/escort who meets a young Russian student as she spends time with him while being paid as she would become his wife only to get herself in trouble with people involved with his family. Madison’s performance has this element of energy and street smart but also someone who does not take shit from anyone in the way she deals with Toros and his men. There is also a quiet vulnerability in Madison’s performance as a woman that is a troubling situation where she is forced to deal with reality while is also reluctant to make a true emotional connection with someone as this is a breakout performance for Madison.
Anora is an outstanding film by Sean Baker that features a phenomenal leading performance from Mikey Madison. Along with its supporting cast, dazzling visuals, an exhilarating music soundtrack, and its story of escapism and responsibility. It is a film that explores a fairy tale coming true for this young woman only to deal with reality as well as the idea of adulthood for two young people in which a woman takes a big step towards it. In the end, Anora is a magnificent film by Sean Baker.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – Take Out (2004 film) – (Prince of Broadway) – Starlet - Tangerine (2015 film) - The Florida Project - Red Rocket
© thevoid99 2025
Set in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, the film revolves a 20-something porn star who goes to a yard sale where she buys a thermos from this old lady only to find money in the thermos as she isn’t sure what to do with the money as she would later meet and befriend this old lady. It is a film with a simple premise as it plays into this young woman who finds money totally to $10,000 in this thermos that she originally intended to use as a vase only to try and meet this old lady she bought it from as she would befriend her. Even in doing errands and other things for this old lady to cope with the guilt of having this woman’s money. The film’s screenplay by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch is largely straightforward where it follows the life of Jane (Dree Hemingway) who works as a porn actress under the stage name of Tess as she lives with a couple of porn actors in Melissa/Zana (Stella Maeve) and Mikey (James Ransone) as the latter is trying to get something going while not wanting to get into trouble with their boss Arash (Karren Karagulian).
Wanting to put some changes in her bedroom, Jane drives around the Valley to yard sales where she buys this thermos from this old woman in Sadie (Besedka Johnson) who is annoyed by her where Jane later finds the money upon putting water into the thermos. She tries to talk to Sadie about the thermos while later picking her up at a supermarket as she would get to know her as well as do things to her. Jane would also bring her pet chihuahua Starlet to the trips as Sadie would find comfort in Jane’s company although she does not know what Jane does to make a living. Even when Jane had to pick up Melissa who had gotten fired as she had put herself in trouble with Arash. Still, Melissa would not help matters having had her car repossessed as well as do things that would put her in even more trouble with Arash as it relates to non-compete clauses. Even as Melissa would play into her discovery of what Jane had found as she would be a threat to Jane’s relationship with Sadie.
Baker’s direction does have a flair for style as it is shot with hand-held cameras and on location in the San Fernando Valley in California with a small budget of $250,000. While there are some wide shots in the film that Baker uses, much of the direction emphasizes on medium shots and close-ups to play into the intimacy of the characters and whatever location they are in. Especially as it is set in the streets and suburbs in the San Fernando Valley as it is a world where Jane lives in as she is trying to maintain some stability in her life while waiting for her next porn gig. Still, she contends with Mikey’s money-schemes as well as Melissa’s own issues while they would often spend much of their time playing video games. Upon meeting Sadie, Jane would follow her, including playing bingo with her so she could get to know her as Baker maintains a sense of space between the two as well as doing other things such as taking Sadie to her husband’s gravesite.
Baker also plays into the world of porn that Jane works in as she hides it from Sadie where there is a scene where Jane as Tess does do a porn shoot that includes some explicit sex. Baker would have actress Zoe Voss as a body double to perform these explicit scenes as he would edit them in a way that is shocking but also knowing what not to use. Baker’s editing is a strong component to the film with its usage of jump-cuts in playing to the emotional aspects of the film. Notably in the third act following an incident in which Sadie nearly loses Starlet while cleaning her garden though Jane is not mad at her but also unaware of what happened. It also plays into the growing rift between Jane and Melissa as the latter has become unruly as well as a liability for Jane as she would be disruptive at a porn expo where their boss tells Jane to get away from her. Still, Melissa does play a key role in trying to ruin Jane’s relationship with Sadie as its ending is about this role that Jane has been playing for this old woman who has been alone for a long time. Overall, Baker crafts a touching and ravishing film about a young woman forming a friendship with an old lady whose thermos she bought at a yard sale filled with money.
Cinematographer Radium Cheung does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its sunny look as well as some interiors with some stylish lights including a scene with neon for a key scene in the film. Production designer Mari Yui and art director Tatsuya Yamauchi do amazing work with the look of the apartment Jane shares with Mikey and Melissa as well as Sadie’s home. Costume designer Shih-Ching Tsou does nice work with the costumes from the stylish and youthful clothing that Jane and Melissa wear including some of the skimpy clothing they were at the porn expo along the more reserved look of Sadie.
Sound designers Justin M. Davey and Zach Seivers do excellent work with the sound as it plays into the atmosphere of the locations as well as how music is sound from a location as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jonas Munk Jensen, in his Manual pseudonym, is incredible for its ambient-based score filled with low-key beats and soothing synthesizers that play into the drama while music supervisor Stephanie Diaz-Matos creates a soundtrack that features some hip-hop and electronic music from G-Lloyd, Erick Sermon, Feddi Twinz, Kenny P, Pink Dollaz, Longevity, Houston, and Jason Kilgore plus the awful rock music that is Buckcherry.
The casting by Julia Kim is wonderful as it features some notable small roles and appearances from real-life porn actors in Kristina Rose, Asa Akira, Manuel Ferrara, and Lily Labeau plus Michael Adrienne O’Hagan as Arash’s assistant Janice who is the mediator for Arash and his clients as she does not take Melissa’s bullshit and Boonee as Jane’s pet chihuahua Starlet. Karren Karagulian is terrific as the porn producer Arash who sees a great future in Jane as he sees her as a responsible person but finds trouble in Melissa while also learning about something that she is doing that goes against a non-compete clause. James Ransone is superb as Mikey as a porn actor/filmmaker who is trying to create a money scheme that he hopes would help them both financially as the reveal proves to be disappointing.
Stella Maeve is excellent as Melissa as a young porn actress who is often filled with money troubles and bad luck where she decides to do something that would get her into trouble with Arash while becoming jealous of Jane’s friendship with Sadie as well as discovering what Jane found in the thermos. Besedka Johnson is amazing in her only film role as Sadie as an old woman who sold Jane a thermos unaware that there’s money in there as she deals with Jane’s presence but also her own issues in life where she finds comfort in Jane’s company. Finally, there’s Dree Hemingway in a brilliant performance as Jane/Tess as a young porn actress who buys a thermos as she discovers its content where she is guilty about spending it yet spends time with Sadie to not feel guilty as well as get some life lessons as it is a riveting and naturalistic performance from Hemingway.
Starlet is a phenomenal film from Sean Baker that features incredible leading performances from Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson. Along with its supporting cast, naturalistic visuals, its story of companionship and guilt, and a soothing music score by Jonas Munk Jensen. The film is an unconventional yet effective drama that explores an unlikely friendship between two women from different generations as they both get something from one another. In the end, Starlet is a sensational film from Sean Baker.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – Take Out (2004 film) – (Prince of Broadway) – Tangerine (2015 film) - The Florida Project - Red Rocket – Anora
© thevoid99 2024
It’s Christmas Eve as a transgender prostitute has returned from a 28-day prison stay where her friend revealed that her pimp/boyfriend has been cheating on her prompting this woman to find him and his new girlfriend while also trying to get some money in their profession. It is a film that has a simple premise that also include a subplot involving an Armenian cab driver trying to get his own fix as he knows the two women as one of them is doing a show singing at a club later in the night. The film’s screenplay by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch is largely straightforward though it would have a trio of narrative strands that involve the activities of the sex workers Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor) as well as the Armenian cab driver Razmik (Karren Karagulian) throughout the course of an entire day. Notably as Sin-Dee tries to find her boyfriend/pimp Chester (James Ransone) over accusations that he’s been cheating on her with another prostitute while Alexandra tries to defuse the situation while wanting people to come see her perform at a club with Razmik promising to attend despite having to attend a Xmas family dinner around the same time.
Baker’s direction is definitely ravishing in terms of the fact that he shoots the film largely on three iPhone 5S smartphones with co-cinematographer Radium Cheung as it is also shot on exact locations in Hollywood, California including areas such as West Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevard. Baker’s direction has this air of realism to the film in the way it’s shot as if it is presented in a form of cinema verite while also using Steadicams for some tracking shots in the city where Baker uses a lot of wide and medium shots to capture characters walking on the street and the surroundings they’re in. There’s also some close-ups in scenes inside Razmik’s cab or in some of the places where characters go into a room or a place as well as scene where Sin-Dee and another sex worker in Dinah (Mickey O’Hagan) smoke some meth in the bathroom as a way to make peace since Dinah is Chester’s new mistress.
Also serving as the editor, Baker maintains a sense of style in the visual presentation with some jump-cuts in the editing as it adds to the film’s offbeat presentation while he and Cheung maintain a sense of naturalism into their photography as it has this colorful presentation. Notably in some of daytime/evening scenes where there is this air of beauty in many of the exterior settings while not straying from the story in order to showcase the struggles that Sin-Dee and Alexandra have to endure in being transgender as well as Razmik’s desire for sexual satisfaction. The film’s third act that involves Alexandra’s own performance at a club also play into Razmik’s own family drama as well as a confrontation between Sin-Dee and Chester. There is that sense of realism in these locations and dramatic moments that occur including the fact that these two transgender workers are outsiders but do whatever they can to thrive on no matter the bullshit they have to deal with. Overall, Baker crafts a ravishing and intoxicating film about a day in the life of two transgender workers dealing with personal issues and such during Christmas Eve.
Costume designer Shih-Ching Tsou does nice work with the costumes to play into the look of both Sin-Dee and Alexandra as well as the wigs they wear to play up their need to attract customers. Sound editor Jeremy Grody does excellent work with the sound as it play into the way music sounds on location or in a car as well as other sounds on location. Music supervisor Matthew Hearon-Smith creates an incredible music soundtrack that features an array of music ranging from classical, holiday, hip-hop, pop, and electronic music from acts such as Mya Taylor, Harry Horlick and his Orchestra, DJ Heemie & DJ Lightup, White Night Ghosts, Haterade & Skellism, Sirusho, Mr. Batou, Matthew Engst & Tobias Karlsson, Mariachi De Maiz, Ludwig van Beethoven, BrainDeaD, Neil Davidge with Stephonik, and Duwell.
The film’s casting by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch is wonderful as it feature an array of mostly non-actors including costume designer Shih-Ching Tsou as the donut shop owner, Jason Stuart as a club doorman in Joey, Josh Sussman as a drunk guy who vomits in Razmik’s cab, porn star Ana Foxxx as a prostitute that Razmik tries to have sex with only to realize what she doesn’t have, Arsen Grigoryan as a fellow Armenian cab driver, Ian Edwards as a businessman named Nash, Julie Cummings and Rae L. Siskind as a couple of cops who deal with an incident involving Alexandra and a customer, Scott Krinsky as Alexandra’s customer who couldn’t get hard, Richard-Lael Lillard as a woman in a motel room who runs a ring for Chester, and Clu Gulager as an old man who is part Cherokee.
Louisa Nersisyan and Alla Tumanian are fantastic in their respective roles as Razmik’s wife Yeva and mother-in-law Ashken as the former is a woman that is just trying to have a good family dinner while not wanting to know what her husband does while the latter is nosy and ends up making a lot of trouble during the donut shop scene late in the film. Karren Karagulian is excellent as Razmik as an Armenian cab driver spending the day to do his job while also wanting some sexual satisfaction as he prefers transgender over real women as he is also friends with Sin-Dee and Alexandra as that friendship would put him in trouble. Mickey O’Hagan is brilliant as Dinah as Chester’s mistress/bottom bitch whom Sin-Dee accuses of being his mistress as she is dragged by Sin-Dee to find Chester while also revealing to be someone who has been used by him as she often has something funny to say.
James Ransone is amazing as Chester as Sin-Dee’s boyfriend/pimp who is seen in the film’s third act as someone that is just trying to do his business while also bullshitting everyone about what he does including why Sin-Dee went to jail. Finally, there’s the duo of Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor in incredible leading performances in their respective roles as Sin-Dee and Alexandra with the former being full of energy and aggression as a transgender sex worker who feels wronged and is trying to get answers after being in jail for 28 days. Taylor’s performance as the latter is more subdued but also has some charm and energy as someone trying to get everyone to watch her sing as well as to calm things down. Rodriguez and Taylor together have amazing chemistry in the way they feel ostracized by society as well as being part of a community struggling to be part of an inclusive world yet they’re also people who are just trying to get their money and have a nice Christmas Eve.
Tangerine is a phenomenal film from Sean Baker. Featuring a great ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, a hypnotic music soundtrack, and its exploration of transgender sex workers trying to deal with the bullshit of society. It is a film that is raw yet entrancing in its presentation while also showing a world where a couple of transgender women just trying to get some money during the Christmas holidays and enjoy themselves despite the bullshit they often have to deal with. In the end, Tangerine is a sensational film from Sean Baker.
Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – Take Out (2004 film) – (Prince of Broadway) – Starlet (2012 film) – The Florida Project - Red Rocket - Anora
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