"Tangerine" and the Case for Mya Taylor
Friday, December 18, 2015 at 9:00PM Kieran, here taking a moment to talk about Mya Taylor’s Independent Spirit Award-nominated performance in Sean Baker’s Tangerine.
Being the calm in a storm is not as easy a dynamic to render on-screen as it looks. That’s what Mya Taylor is tasked with in Tangerine—playing the careful, contemplative counterpoint to Sin-Dee’s (Kitana “Kiki” Rodriguez) turbulent rampage through the streets of East Hollywood. When considering the two performances, both accomplished but in very different keys, I immediately thought of Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Sadie and Mare Winningham’s title character in 1995’s Georgia (previously discussed here). Though both Alexandra and Sin-Dee’s lives aren’t exactly as diametrically opposed as Georgia and Sadie’s, there’s a similar thread of calm vs. irrational running beautifully through both films. Like Winningham, Taylor gifts her film with an unfussy balance of quiet observation and brimming, longstanding frustration. [More...]
Though neither Tangerine actress is classically trained, Taylor stands in stark contrast to Rodriguez in her seemingly innate ability to react convincingly and compellingly to whatever her co-stars are giving her. After Alexandra performs a song at a small bar, Alexandra, Sin-Dee and Dinah (the “real fish” who slept with Sin-Dee’s boyfriend) ride an LA city bus together. Alexandra has to sit, almost in silence as Alexandra and Dinah argue about the merits of her performance.
While Sin-Dee defends her and Dinah denigrates her, it’s clear that the disappointing nature of the performance isn’t lost on anyone, least of all Alexandra. Mya Taylor’s is wonderfully emotive and subtle as she conveys the myriad of feelings Alexandra is experiencing—dejection, resignation, annoyance and a deep-seated yearning for more than a sparsely populated open-mic night on Christmas Eve. Taylor puts the perfect button on the scene, spinning around and offering a stern and perfectly-timed...
I can hear you”.
Taylor also nimbly navigates the film’s tonal shifts. She’s funny when need be, as in the scene with a character aptly credited as “Parsimonious John”. The film’s note-perfect ending, a tender moment between Sin-Dee and Alexandra in a laundromat where emotions are laid bare shows her gift for quiet sentimentality and rapport with her co-stars as well. There are a lot of notes to play in Baker’s frenetic dramedy and Taylor hits them with a looseness that seems perfectly suited to the film.
It’s hard not to talk about how history-making a nomination for Taylor would be, should it miraculously come to pass. It’s a valid point of conversation and of course the fight for transgender civil rights and equality is always worth talking about. This kind of visibility for trans performers, particularly coming off of Jared Leto’s Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club and Eddie Redmayne’s possible nomination for The Danish Girl (both controversial in the trans community) will surely hold a lot of meaning LGBT people. Trying to build an awards campaign largely on the strength of advocacy and activism is a tough task, however and one often met with criticism and resentment from the status quo. In that regard, it’s incredibly fortunate and wonderful that Taylor also has the chops to back it up. Here’s hoping for more chances for Taylor to stretch and show her talents as an actress.
Reader Comments (5)
I'm so happy Mya has received so much recognition this year, but if she miraculously pulled off an Oscar nom, it would no doubt be a favorite of Oscar pundits for years to come. It's a truly wonderful performance.
Both girls are great, but I feel like her performance is much better. I can see her getting work after this. The other girl not so much.
I love Taylor and her performance. The scenes in the club, both her song and the interlude in the bathroom, are cinematic gold. This is why we watch movies.
It practically goes without saying around these parts, but Taylor is not a supporting actress, even though her character is supportive--sweet and tough in equal measure--of her friend Sindee.
The risk with a film such as this is that too many perceive the actor and the role as one. Because Taylor hasn't been shy about acknowledging her history and because the role and the performer are both transgender, many will likely just see her as performing as herself as they so often do when it comes to people of colour and other minorities.
I thought Taylor was exactly what TANGERINE needed, although having interviewed her I do worry that as much of a professional breakthrough the film is that she might struggle with performing a dramatic role in something more subdued or less of its kind. I look forward to seeing her in future roles, and hopefully she gets better options than Harmony Santana (the first trans actor ever nominated for a major role - the Independent Spirit).
One of the best perfs of the year, truly!