Fremont

Emotionally powerful, fondly told story with many layers of interest and meaning. The "less is more" approach heightens our curiosity about the characters and what they are feeling under the surface of their interactions. Rather than being confused as to their motivations, we can clearly see that these are good and unselfish people, wanting to lead good and decent lives and make meaningful connections with each other without the pretense and personal branding/image crafting that is the prevalent, current mode of human interaction. A story of loneliness and also how to avoid it, if we keep our hearts open and are not ashamed and wary of our own vulnerabilities. The camera work and blocking of each scene is masterfully and tightly arranged and composed, yet consistently seems effortless. Go where this film takes you, and you will be rewarded. A serene and beautiful film. A complete joy to watch. A moving piece of artful cinema.

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!

I was intrigued how Babak Jalali, the director focused his lens on this beautiful story of Donya, an Afghan immigrant, left her family and county when the Taliban took over, a girl who comes to the city of Fremont to find new life and new purpose.

I found myself wanting to know more about Donya's character and was very curious about where her life in the story will enfold. I can relate as an immigrant myself, to Donya's struggles and longing to fit in and to live a normal life in a new country. Seeing it presented in black and white heightened each element.

I love the film, the story and the cinematography is stunning, a well done film by Babak Jalali and his team. A must see film.

The story of Donya, an Afghan immigrant, who was a translator for the US Army and left her country and family when the Taliban took over (again!). She is now relocated to Fremont, California, in a community of Afghan immigrants and trying to find meaning and purpose in her new home. Donya just can't sleep probably traumatized by her life and work for the US Army in Afghanistan. This is a tender story of the loneliness of being an immigrant played in with wry, comedic and zesty energy by Anaita Wali Zada. And then comes along a potential love interest, Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)....

I loved this adorable and droll film from Babak Jalali. This film alone made the trip to Sundance worth it!

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.