Fremont

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.

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.

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.

I saw this yesterday in one of our vintage Melbourne cinemas (Balwyn) and found myself to be the only person in the 50-seater room, which suited me fine, because I could completely lose myself in this dream of a movie.

No element of this film is remarkably original but the whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and the newcomer Anaita Wali Zada is a delight and a captivating screen presence in a way that is hard to define. As others have said, both in appreciation and in criticism, all the performances are understated in this understated movie but in a good way. Even the story is unresolved, if you're judging it by mainstream expectations but, again, it's unresolved in a pleasing and apt way. Visually pleasing, musically pleasing, emotionally touching without milking it. It left me thinking about it for the rest of the day, wishing to hold onto its sense of delicate, intimate atmosphere.

I'd happily see it again and recommend it to anyone of an empathetic nature.

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!