Fremont

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"Fremont" is a story about a beautiful and troubled 20-something Donya, an Afghan translator who used to work with the U. S. government, has trouble sleeping. She lives by herself in Fremont, California, in a building with other Afghan immigrants and often dines alone at a local restaurant watching soap operas. Her routine changes when she's promoted to writing the fortunes at her job at a fortune cookie factory in the city. Director Babak Jalali has a pretty interesting way of telling a dry humor story that was awkward but funny at the same time.

The main narrative feels like something from a Jim Jarmusch setting and despite feeling a little too similar to his style, the film still worked well because of the nice dry humor used, interesting writing and great performances from Anaita Wali Zada. Zada is able to capture her characters performance on beauty and awkwardness. Other characters featured were a little underdeveloped but were fun to watch. Zada's character with her therapist had many great dialogue moments as each dialogue moment felt genuine, funny, and interesting observe.

It's no where near a masterpiece as there are some problems. Some of the pacing could have improved and certain aspects towards the final act weren't as interesting as I hoped for. But I still enjoyed it because of the direction and performance. It's definitely something I will check out again sometime when I let the film sink in for awhile.

Rating: B.

Best suited for a patient art house movie audience I guess. Why? Because however charming and lovely this slowburning portrait of an Afghan refugee in America might be, it is also lacking in spark and punch. That's a nice way of saying it is a bit tedious at moments.

What's beautiful though is the time and attention reserved for the actors in a totally black and white photography setting, which even further enhances the actor's chemistry. Faint memories of Jim Jarmush come to mind, watching this movie, but where directoro Jarmush reaches for the sky, this story never became real magic, merely charming and nice.

Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismaki would be proud. Babak Julali's gorgeous "Fremont" is minimalism gone wild. So little happens over the ninety or so minute running time you might (just) be forgiven if you drift off. Donya, (newcomer Anaita Wall Zada), is an Afghan who worked as a translator for the US military and who now lives in Fremont, working in a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Desperately lonely and unable to sleep she cheats her way into seeing a psychiatrist, (a wonderfully deadpan Gregg Turkington), who just wants to read Jack London's "White Fang" to her.

One day Donya slips a message into one of the fortune cookies giving her name and phone number and waits for the result, hoping it will lead to romance or at least a blind date like the ones her friend and colleague Joanne, (Hilda Schmelling), goes on. What happens next is as sweet and unexpected as you will find in any rom-com for, in its quiet, unassuming way, that's what "Fremont" surely is. Beautifully photographed in black and white by Laura Valladao and superbly acted by the entire cast this is an out-of-nowhere gem that really shouldn't be missed.

This is a beautiful story of an afghan girl, Donya, who moves to Fremont, a suburb in California. The movie is about her struggles as an immigrant, her longing for her family and her life as an immigrant in a new place making a new life which made it very relatable for me as an immigrant myself. The dynamics within the community are well captured. There are some twists and turns in the story that keep us laughing, crying and everything in between. The end keeps you longing for more. The cast is fabulous and picturization is unique. Being a bay area resident it's fun to find familiar spots through the movie. What a great production!

Just a castaway, an island lost at sea. Another lonely day with no one here but me. More loneliness than any Afghani woman (or any woman for that matter) could bear. Rescue me before I fall into despair.

Life's been tough since emigrating to the States, where making fortune cookies for a living somewhat grates, then a chance to type a line, that may result in an entwine, and open up a future that just might lead to a dance.

A wonderful performance from Anaita Wali Zada leaves the viewer under no illusion of what Donya is looking for after leaving Afghanistan having been an English translator during the occupation.