Red rocket sean baker movie#

No extensive makeup or hammy performance from a multiple-Oscar nominee could come close to matching the lived-in reality performers like Brittney Rodriguez bring to Sean Baker’s films. She feels like she’s existing, a human being the camera happened to fall on, rather than the comically grotesque caricatures of rural people in major Hollywood productions like Hillbilly Elegy.

Rodriguez’s lack of extensive experience in front of the camera lends an immediate sense of realism to her performance. Brittney Rodriguez in Red Rocket, for instance, shows a gift for comic timing and memorable facial expressions despite having no other acting credits to her name. These individuals don’t have lengthy IMDB pages to their name, but it quickly becomes apparent why Baker cast them. While later Baker films are headlined by very well-known folks Willem Dafoe and Simon Rex, even these titles often surround recognizable faces with totally unknown people. Even if you don’t know about her background before watching this film, Taylor’s work in Tangerine just radiates with reality. Meanwhile, Mya Taylor was a sex worker before getting cast in Tangerine. Take Out features no actors you’ve ever seen in other films before, which enhances the idea that we’re watching something ripped from the real world. This quality is partially ingrained into this man’s works because he so often resorts to employing non-professional actors in his movies. Speaking of that, the authenticity, in addition to the emphasis on working-class characters and small-scale narratives, also makes Sean Baker’s movies such glorious things to behold. The nonchalant depiction of sex work, not to mention a charming scene where Jane engages in casual chit-chat with other sex workers (including a cameo from Asa Akira) reinforces how Baker engages with depicting working-class individuals often outright demonized in movies. She might as well work in a grocery store or a resale shop, it’s just a place where she makes money. Jane’s exploits in the adult film industry are never portrayed as a sign of her being innately “evil” nor do they go the expected route of Sadie discovering her occupation and throwing a fit over it. Baker’s movies are much more empathetic and naturalistic in their handling of people in this occupation. Sex workers in most movies are often just used as corpses to inspire a detective story or perhaps as a gag to reinforce how “filthy” a certain part of town is. His willingness to explore working-class people goes hand-in-hand with Baker’s dedication to exploring humanized and thoughtful portrayals of sex workers in cinematic narratives. These are the everyday people trying to make a living in the shadow of globally-known tourism spots and they’re also the folks that dominate Baker’s movies. Instead, Baker turns his eyes to people and locations that slip through the cracks of public perception. Other movies, even indie titles, might focus on people living in big houses or navigating trips to expensive theme parks. This zoo, unfortunately, closed down decades before Jane took Sadie back to it. Sadie and Jane’s biggest journey in the place they call home takes them to a zoo where Sadie and her deceased lover had unforgettable dates at.

Red rocket sean baker movie#

The San Fernando Valley is famous for being home to iconic movie studios, but those aren’t the kind of domiciles these characters ever come close to encountering, let alone living in. Similarly, Starlet protagonist Jane ( Dree Hemingway) is a sex worker living in the San Fernando Valley, with her eventual friendship with the elderly Sadie ( Besedka Johnson) never taking her to any grand landmarks that reside in this area. The Florida Project is a perfect demonstration of this, as protagonists Moonee ( Brooklyn Prince) and her mom Halley ( Bria Vinaite) live in a run-down motel near Walt Disney World. They’re just removed from physical manifestations of prosperity. The characters in a Sean Baker movie tend to be so close to iconic locations or lavish domiciles, but they never quite get there.