A thoughtful, if shallow, portrait

There’s a shapelessness to City of Gold that is never frustrating, but only because the film maintains a level of charm just acute enough to sand down any potential edges. That also means that conflict and drama fall largely fall away, but that loss is buoyed by a snapshot appeal that aims to capture LA as a breathing mecca rather than the usual plastic dystopia. Though nothing here approaches the artistry or personality of last year’s Tangerine, this film recalls that one in understanding the city as a collection of all its people rather than a collection of summer mansions and studio lots: http://www.cutprintfilm.com/reviews/city-of-gold/