In this early feature, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Shih-Ching Tsou, Sean Baker displays a soon-to-be-familiar instinct and affection for characters existing on the edges of society. If his eye for casting and sense of narrative drive isn’t finely honed yet, you can still sense a unique cinematic perspective being brought to bear on an overlooked milieu. Take Out follows a day in the life of Ming Ding (Charles Jang), a recent immigrant to New York City who delivers orders for a Chinese restaurant. This particular day begins with a shakedown by goons demanding he pay back the money he owes a loan shark by that evening. And so he spends the rest of the rainy day frantically pedaling from one delivery to the next, hoping to scrounge up enough cash. There is a compelling gleam and gloom to the cinematography (also done by Baker), while the brief scenes at the customers’ doors offer a lively cross section of NYC humanity. If these moments—intercut with vignettes back at the restaurant—begin to grow a bit repetitive, Take Out nevertheless builds to one of those climactic grace notes that would define later Baker movies like Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Anora. Tsou, it should be noted, worked as producer on those films, as well as Baker’s Red Rocket.
(2/19/2025)
