Tangerines 2015

Transgender sex worker Sin-Dee Rella, portrayed by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, has just been released after serving a 28-day jail sentence. On Christmas Eve, she meets up with her friend Alexandra, played by Mya Taylor, at a local donuts shop in Hollywood. Alexandra, who has recently undergone a breast augmentation, informs Sin-Dee about her boyfriend and pimp, Chester (played by James Ransone), who has been unfaithful with a cisgender woman whose name starts with a D. Fueled by anger, Sin-Dee storms out, determined to find Chester and the woman he’s cheating with. In the meantime, Alexandra, wanting to avoid the drama, stays behind to prepare for her musical performance later that night at The Mary’s bar.

As Alexandra hands out flyers for her show, she finds herself in a heated argument with a client who refuses to pay her for her services. Despite promising $40, he ends up making excuses, and their confrontation attracts the attention of the police. Meanwhile, we meet Razmik, an honest Armenian cab driver played by Karren Karagulian, who encounters various passengers, including two intoxicated men. After a long day, he picks up a prostitute but quickly ejects her from his cab upon realizing she isn’t transgender. When he meets Alexandra, the two share an intimate moment, but Razmik ultimately heads home to celebrate Christmas dinner with his family.

Sin-Dee, on her journey to confront Chester, encounters Nash (Ian Edwards), another pimp, who informs her that Chester is at a food line in a different part of town handing out $20 Christmas vouchers. Sin-Dee learns from an acquaintance at the food line the whereabouts of the woman Chester is seeing, who turns out to be Dinah (Mickey O’Hagan). Sin-Dee tracks Dinah down at a motel brothel, dragging her along in search of Chester. After some taunting from Dinah about not being Chester’s only girlfriend, Sin-Dee realizes she’s late for Alexandra’s performance and decides to bring Dinah with her instead. Together, they share a moment of bonding as they engage in crystal meth and get ready for the show.

At the bar, Alexandra performs to an almost empty crowd, while Razmik, feeling compelled to attend Alexandra’s show under the pretense of work, is disappointed to discover he is too late. In the meantime, Sin-Dee and her companions head to Donut Time to confront Chester. Razmik’s mother-in-law, Ashken (Alla Tumanian), grows suspicious and hires another cab driver, Karo (Arsen Grigoryan), to track down Razmik, unaware of his true motives.

Upon reaching the donuts shop, chaos ensues. Sin-Dee directly confronts Chester, who claims Dinah means nothing to him, insisting that he and Sin-Dee are engaged. Dinah, however, reveals that she has been with Chester on multiple occasions. As tensions rise, Razmik arrives with his family, including his wife Yeva (Louisa Nersisyan) and their infant daughter. An escalating argument among the group leads to the shop owner, Mamasan (Shih-Ching Tsou), kicking everyone out.

While the family leaves, the situation only intensifies when Chester reveals he has also slept with Alexandra, causing Sin-Dee deep emotional pain. In her grief and desperation, she attempts to find clients, only to be faced with derogatory slurs and humiliation. Alexandra steps in to support her friend, taking Sin-Dee to a laundromat to clean her clothes and wig, generously offering Sin-Dee her own wig to wear in the meantime, reaffirming their strong bond amidst the turmoil.