Sean Baker: America’s Other and Overlooked Face
Note: This article was originally published on June 7, 2022, on Bağımsız Sinema. It is republished here as part of my archive of previously published film writing.
Sean Baker was born in New Jersey in 1971. After studying non-linear editing at The New School, he graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He then made his first feature film, Four Letter Words, which he wrote, directed, and edited himself. His second and third features, Take Out and Prince of Broadway, earned him nominations for the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. Baker became known for offering an insider’s perspective on the worlds of marginalized subcultures, immigrants, and sex workers, presenting them in a way that differs from conventional cinema. When it comes to the filmmakers who influenced Baker, I do not think it would be wrong to say that John Cassavetes stands above the rest. After him, we can also list names such as Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, and Ken Loach.
In this article, I will be examining Starlet, Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket — the feature films that helped establish Sean Baker as one of the most closely followed directors in contemporary American independent cinema. I hope that, by the end of this piece, those who are unfamiliar with his work will come to appreciate both him and his films as much as I do. And for those who have already seen them, perhaps I can offer a different perspective.
Starlet (2012)
Winner of the Special Jury Mention at the SXSW Film Festival and the Young Jury Award at the Locarno Film Festival, Starlet is considered one of the best independent films of 2012. The film tells the touching story of twenty-one-year-old Jane (Dree Hemingway) and the older Sadie (Besedka Johnson), whose paths cross in California’s San Fernando Valley. Jane spends most of her time hanging out with her aimless roommates while taking care of her dog, Starlet. Sadie, on the other hand, spends her days alone, with her flower garden as the center of her attention. When Jane finds a stash of cash hidden inside one of Sadie’s belongings, she tries not only to befriend the grumpy older woman but also to help solve some of her problems.
Starlet is what I would call a film that can simply exist in the background of your life. By that, I mean the kind of film that can accompany the flow of an ordinary day, one that allows you to empathize with its characters and gradually become part of their world from the moment it begins. We are drawn into Jane’s world from her close-up appearance beside the film’s title in the opening credits — a moment that, in hindsight, reveals quite a lot about the film’s ending. It is impossible not to notice the influence of Cassavetes throughout the film, particularly in its guerrilla-style filmmaking and improvisational performances, and Baker uses these elements brilliantly to tell the story of a twenty-one-year-old porn actress and her struggle with friendship. Without ever raising the stakes, he succeeds in immersing us in a life that many might consider ordinary or even boring. In this anti-Hollywood story, we accompany Jane on her journey in search of love itself. Perhaps Starlet is not the kind of film that will appeal to a wide audience, but it is exactly the sort of film that independent cinema lovers tend to embrace. While it may initially seem simple or even a little strange, it gradually gives depth to its story and wins over the viewer through its simplicity. Despite this being their first acting experience, Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson deliver wonderful performances as Jane and Sadie. Sadly, Besedka Johnson passed away only a few months after filming was completed. It is also worth mentioning that Dree Hemingway is the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway.
Tangerine (2015)
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Set over the course of a single day and shot entirely on an iPhone 5, the film follows a series of misfortunes experienced by Sin-Dee and Alexandra, two transgender sex workers. Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) has just returned to Tinseltown before Christmas and, after spending a month in jail, learns that her boyfriend has not remained faithful to her during her absence. Together with her close friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor), she becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the rumor she has heard. For Sin-Dee, it will be a long and eventful journey as she confronts the consequences of betrayal.
Here we are with another anti-Hollywood story. Baker adds another entry to his filmography built around the idea that “the American Dream never really existed.” This time, we are actually in Hollywood, but instead of following the happy footsteps of tourists walking along the Walk of Fame, we follow the footsteps of Sin-Dee, a transgender sex worker who has just been released from jail. She is furious and determined to find out who her boyfriend has been cheating on her with. We tag along with Sin-Dee and turn the streets of Los Angeles upside down alongside her. Because the film was shot on an iPhone 5, it may seem amateurish to some viewers, but this choice ultimately serves the story. While the shooting style can occasionally be challenging, by the time the film is over, you understand that this story could not have been told any other way. The camera is constantly in motion, yet there is also a striking simplicity to the film. I also cannot fail to mention the creative use of music — especially the transition from classical music to electronic music. In classical cinema, transgender characters are often presented either as victims or as comic relief. In Tangerine, however, two transgender women occupy the leading roles. From beginning to end, we never struggle to empathize with them. We feel their disappointments and their joys, and we see where life has carried them. Perhaps this is exactly what I find magical about cinema: the ability to share the same emotions as people I may never encounter in my own life. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor deserve much of the credit for that magic.
The Florida Project (2017)
Six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) lives with her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) at the Magic Castle Motel, located near Disneyland in Orlando. While Halley struggles to survive by taking on temporary jobs due to her lack of steady employment, the motel’s compassionate manager Bobby (Willem Dafoe) allows them to stay despite their inability to follow all of the motel’s rules, and tolerates the mischief caused by Moonee and her friends as long as they do not seriously disturb the other residents. He understands all too well that Moonee and her mother have nowhere else to go.
The Florida Project premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 70th Cannes Film Festival. Willem Dafoe was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 90th Academy Awards for his performance as Bobby. The film also marked Baker’s first collaboration with A24. In that sense, it would not be wrong to say that this was the film that introduced Baker to a much wider audience. It was also the first film of his that I found myself at odds with. As much as the film was embraced by the majority of viewers, I cannot offer it the same praise. Unfortunately, I felt that Baker moved away from what I admire most about his work — his ability to portray the lives of marginalized people from within — and instead asked us to view the situation of the mother and daughter from a greater distance and through a sense of pity. At least, that is how some of the key dramatic choices felt to me. I would say this is especially true of the much-praised final scene and of Bobby’s role within the story. As a result, after a while, we stop looking at the characters from the same perspective. In turn, the subject the film is trying to explore begins to lose its weight, and many of the qualities that distinguish it from other films seem to disappear. This is what ultimately caused me to grow distant from it. Another aspect of the film that is frequently praised is its color palette, and I completely agree with that assessment. From a technical standpoint, I do not have a single criticism, but I cannot say the same about its storytelling.
Red Rocket (2021)
Thirty-nine-year-old Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is a former porn star. Having spent seventeen years in the adult film industry and finding himself with few options outside of it, Mikey decides to return to his hometown in Texas, where his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) and mother-in-law live. Just as this dysfunctional family seems to be getting back on track, Mikey meets a young woman named Strawberry (Suzanna Son), who works at the counter of a local donut shop, and the encounter leads him back to his old habits.
Red Rocket premiered in Competition at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or. As a typical Sean Baker film, it focuses on the lives of sex workers and the vulgar side of America. Unfortunately, this time I will not be talking about how successfully it portrays those subjects, but rather about the disappointments I experienced with Baker himself. I have not been happy with the direction Baker has taken since The Florida Project, and as someone who loved Starlet and Tangerine, his recent work has never fully satisfied me. Yes, he is a filmmaker who tells the untold stories of America, but with his last two films, he has been unable to expand his frame of reference and instead seems to be standing still. I think the problem is that Baker has become too focused on the things he knows he does well on a technical level, while neglecting the narrative side of filmmaking and gradually losing the sincerity that once defined his work. We are never fully convinced by the motivations of his characters. In my opinion, one of the greatest strengths of his first two films was their ability to make us empathize with the characters and believe in what motivated them. There may be beautiful cinematography and wonderfully captured scenes, but there is little beyond that. One thing I cannot overlook is Simon Rex, who previously worked as an MTV VJ and in the adult film industry. This was the first film in which I saw him, and I was genuinely impressed by his performance. Even though I did not enjoy the film very much, I think mainstream audiences are quite likely to appreciate it. I say this with some regret: the larger Baker’s audience becomes, the further away he seems to move from me.
