Magical Mystery Tour
SEAN BAKER IS not a conventional director. He can shoot a film entirely on an iPhone. He’s willing to cast unknowns in lead roles. He tells stories that mainstream cinema largely ignores.
Ever since 2000’s Four Letter Words, which tapped into the psyche of young suburban men, Baker’s work has been a DIY enterprise – made with shoestring budgets, improvised schedules and inexperienced performers. It’s allowed him to foster intimacy and compassion around delicate subjects: illegal Chinese immigrants (2004’s Take Out), Ghanaian street sellers (2008’s Prince of Broadway) and transgender sex workers (2015’s iPhone opus Tangerine).
The latter proved to be a landmark moment not only for low-budget movies and trans representation, but for Baker’s career. Its humanist but lighthearted tone swept him in from the margins and saw him heralded as a new voice in contemporary cinema.
New film represents an even bigger breakthrough. Set in the Magic Castle Inn, a bright purple motel on the outskirts of Disney