Fremont

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Fremont" is a modest but entertaining displaced person story. Its protagonist, Donya, is a young Afghan woman who fled the country and now works at a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco's Chinatown. She deals with the loneliness and the guilt she feels from abandoning her family, which is exacerbated by some fellow Afghan expats in her community who think of her as a traitor. The movie puts a human face on the plight of refugees everywhere. As she says at one point when asked by her psychiatrist if America is all she dreamed it would be, she didn't really imagine what America would be like because the goal wasn't America specifically -- it was just anywhere that wasn't where she was. I don't think most of us can truly understand what that would feel like.

The movie goes for a very dry, dead pan comedy vibe that I don't think always works. It's one of those movies where characters will just stare awkwardly at each other for several minutes without saying anything. The slow pace might test the patience of some. But I mostly enjoyed it. Anaita Wali Zada gives a good performance as the main protagonist, but I wish the film had given her more to do. Just as her character arc truly begins, the movie ends. I also enjoyed the performances of Gregg Turkington, who plays her doctor and helps her see the parallels between her own life and "White Fang," and Jeremy Allen White, who pops up late in the film as a mechanic and leaves the audience assuming that Donya may not be lonely for much longer.

Grade: A-