Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Tangerine Blu-ray Movie Review

Dollars to donuts.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 9, 2025

Director Sean Baker has made a recent splash with films like Red Rocket and Anora which, as the ratings imply, aren't for all audiences. This sentiment goes back to before 2015 and his breakthrough film Tangerine, famously filmed using two iPhone 5S smartphones (with special adjustments) and released to acclaim during its successful festival run. Shot on a microbudget in L.A. near West Hollywood with mostly unknown actors, Tangerine introduces us to transgender sex workers Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), who embark on a one-night journey to track down Sin-Dee's cheating pimp boyfriend Chester (James Ransone) on Christmas Eve. A kinetic and well-made film that has a real spark, Tangerine is so captivating that you don't need to be part of its world to be drawn in.

Tangerine was first released to Blu-ray in 2015 by Lionsgate and reviewed by Michael Reuben, who provides a fuller synopsis of the plot and gave it decent marks. I'm unsure if his opinion has changed but I was new to Tangerine and enjoyed it quite a bit, with particular highlights being the sharp dialogue, effective use of transitional music cues, and the way its subplots are introduced and handled including the on and off-duty exploits of Armenian cab driver Razmik (Karren Karagulian) and his double life, as well as Mya and Sin-Dee's new "friend" Dinah who's literally dragged kicking and screaming into the picture. The that way Tangerine just kind of does its thing, sharply careening from one scene to the next on its own terms and eventually coalescing into a chaotic meet-up at the local donut shop, reminds us that fancy equipment and star power aren't the best parts of a movie -- it's the story and acting.

While Lionsgate's 2015 Blu-ray (linked above) is still a solid package, the UK boutique label Second Sight has since issue a much more definitive Limited Edition Blu-ray that, while locked for Region B playback, is well worth importing for its collectable packaging and wealth of exclusive extras featuring key members of the cast and crew.

Tangerine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A general overview of Tangerine's cinematography and visual aesthetic can be found in Michael Reuben's review of Lionsgate's 2015 Blu-ray, and most of those sentiments can be repeated here. Indeed, Second Sight's Blu-ray is not advertised as being sourced from a new master but still likely advances on that older disc due to its much higher bit rate (roughly twice on average, for those keeping score at home) and reliably great encoding by Fidelity in Motion, who have authored some of the best-looking discs on the market. In short, what we have here is perhaps a slightly tweaked version of an already-solid 1080p transfer; like Second Sight's similar releases of The Blair Witch Project and Session 9, Tangerine looks great considering its low-budget roots yet wouldn't really benefit from the 4K treatment.

Tangerine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, Second Sight's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is presumably identical to that of the previous Blu-ray (linked above), one that's overwhelmingly driven by the front channel but opens up during its highly varied music cues, which are intermittently abrasive, ethereal, modern, and classical depending on the situation or desired mood. Much like the previous release, optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the film only, not the extras below.

Tangerine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As usual, Second Sight's Limited Edition packaging is quite striking, with this single-disc release in its own Digipack case along with six collector's art cards and a 60-page softcover book featuring recent essays by Shaadi Devereaux, Caden Mark Gardner, Michelle Kisner and Jerome Reuter, as well as an archive interview with Sean Baker, behind-the-scenes stills, and disc credits. Everything is tucked inside a sturdy outer slipcase with new artwork that's nonetheless highly reminiscent of the original Blu-ray cover. Speaking of that older disc, most of its extras aren't carried over but there's a wealth of new ones here, making it a perfect companion piece for die-hard fans.

• NEW! Audio Commentary - This new track features Cerise Howard and Rohan Spong, who are respectively known as the long-time director of Melbourne's Queer Film Festival and an Australian documentary film director. It's a fairly busy track as the two participants speak at length about the film's cinematography, locations, the story and its construction, the cast, music selections, and more. Normally I'd have preferred one or more first-hand contributors on a lone commentary like this, but they'll be heard from soon enough.

• NEW! Merry F*cking Christmas: The Making of Tangerine (71:52) - A well-equipped new retrospective behind-the-scenes documentary produced by Second Sight, this piece is nearly as long as the main feature itself and features several key cast and crew members (some of whom are also interviewed below) as they shed light on the film's inception, casting, characters, filming, unique budget challenges, post-production, and much more. It's a very inclusive, well-rounded effort and will obviously be of much interest to long-time fans.

• NEW! Cast and Crew Interviews - Eight recent video interviews with key members of Tangerine's cast and crew, all newly-produced by Second Sight for this release. Most of the topics discussed can easily be surmised by their titles and the people involved but collectively include first-hand stories about the film's early roots, director Sean Baker's previous films, location scouting and finding the right actors, shooting without a permit, the gifts and curses of iPhones, co-writer collaboration, and more. There's obviously a bit of overlapping here between interviews as well as with the previous documentary, but all of these are worth a look.

• Staying Authentic: Director Sean Baker (33:29)
• Honest and Hilarious: Actor Mya Taylor (15:50)
• Legit Bruises: Actor Mickey O'Hagan (17:20)
• The Magic Happens: Actor Karren Karagulian (14:26)
• Just Hold It In: Actor Josh Sussman (10:00)
• We Make It Work: Cinematographer Radium Cheung (12:17)
• It Was Electric: Co-Writer Chris Bergoch (16:50)
• Inside a Tangerine: Producer Darren Dean (15:29)

• NEW! To Be Real (17:47) - Film producer and self-described "loudmouthed hysterical feminist" Kat Ellinger contributes a video essay about Tangerine's social themes and characters.

• Tangerine Camera Test (2:06) - This looks to be the only carryover from the previous Blu-ray.

Tangerine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sean Baker's breakout hit Tangerine, a critical darling and festival favorite back in 2015, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and still plays exceedingly well on the small screen though, like other film's in Baker's body of work, isn't for all tastes. Second Sight's Limited Edition Blu-ray, released a few years ago but readily available for import, advances upon Lionsgate's 2015 Blu-ray, mostly in the bonus features and packaging department. Both are strong enough to make this release Recommended for die-hard fans, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.