Fremont (2023) User Reviews

Nice Dry-Humor Story

[chenp-54708 · 7/10 · 30 January 2023]

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.

A Displaced Person Story

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 25 September 2023]

"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-

Sending Out an SOS...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 18 January 2024]

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.

Lovely, charming, slowburning portrait.

[imseeg · 6/10 · 14 October 2023]

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.

Fremont

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 22 September 2023]

This starts off with what has to be slowest, least efficient, example of the industrialisation process that I've ever seen! Those images rather set the scene for what follows as we meet fortune cookie maker "Donya" (a strong performance from Anaita Wali Zada). She was an interpreter for the US military in her native Afghanistan and has arrived in California on a special visa scheme and is awaiting proper settlement. She can't sleep, so manages to inveigle an appointment with the slightly eccentric psychiatrist "Dr. Anthony" (Gregg Turkington) and his rather unorthodox methods manage to illicit some clues (for us) from this rather reticent woman as to what drove and now drives her. Her love life is pretty much non-existent, but a mysterious text message that sends her on a drive might just sort that out - her savvy best pal "Joanna" (Hilda Schmelling) reckons that it might! It's quite hard to describe this film. Precious little actually happens, and the pace is glacial in the extreme - but it still works well as a characterful study of a woman who is having to come to terms with some profound changes to her circumstances and to deal with the loneliness, guilt and frustrations - as well as the opportunities - of her new life in a city where her situation is nothing particularly unusual. It's not a dreary introspective, though. There are moments of dark humour (usually from Turkington) as he uses "White Fang" to a surprisingly innovative effect. The film is an episode in her life, we have some details from her past and we see a glimmer of what might be on her horizon at the conclusion. It's interesting, oddly engaging and well worth a watch. Television will do fine though.

Good, But Not Enough of What Works Best

[brentsbulletinboard · 6/10 · 9 September 2023]

Life can be so confusing at times that we really don't know where we stand with it, other than having a clear sense that what we're experiencing isn't working and that we desperately need direction to help fix it. But who are we to turn to if we have few friends and no family for meaningful, helpful guidance? Peers? Co-workers? A psychiatrist? Such is the fate of Donya (Anita Wali Zada), an Afghan transplant living in Fremont, CA, a distant suburb of San Francisco and home to a large population of her country's fellow immigrants. Having worked as a translator for the US Army while in Afghanistan, she qualified for a special exit visa program that brought her to safety in America when the US pulled out of the war-torn nation. She now holds what appears to be a reasonably well-paying, decidedly whimsical job as a writer of messages for Chinese fortune cookies, but, beyond that, she doesn't have much of a life. She often questions (ironically speaking) the good "fortune" from which she's benefitted compared to many of her countrymen back home, frequently experiencing difficulty accepting it and consequently suffering from loneliness and severe insomnia. But what's causing these feelings: Guilt? Isolation? An inability to fit in (or even knowing how to go about doing so)? Or is it some of all of the above? Writer-director Babak Jalali's latest wrestles with these issues from the perspectives of both an isolated immigrant and of a lost twenty-something merely trying to find her way in the world. And, to its credit, the film comes up with some truly brilliant insights in these regards. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of them to make this an enlightening, finely crafted character study. Much of it meanders (especially in the second half), looking for direction through a series of inconsequentially mundane events and a failure to more fully flesh out the insights that it otherwise successfully manages to nail. The film is also sprinkled with delightfully quirky comic relief, but, again, there's not enough of it, which is unfortunate given how well it works when it's successfully and deftly employed. The picture's fine performances, intriguing character development and stark but gorgeous black-and-white cinematography bolster the elements that do work. But, regrettably, this is yet another example of a film that could have used another round of script revisions and tighter editing to help bring the overall production up to snuff, a problem that seems to be plaguing a plethora of offerings these days. Enjoy what works with this one, but don't be disappointed if you end up getting the distinct impression that it comes up short.

Wonderful film

[mike-nissley · 10/10 · 3 November 2023]

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.

interesting indie

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 5 January 2024]

Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is an Afghan who translated for the US military. She is now alone in California working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory. She is struggling with untreated PTSD. She gets a small promotion to writing the fortunes for the cookies.

This is a small black and white indie. I like the quietness of Donya which accentuates her inner turmoil. I expected more Jeremy Allen White. This film does need more romancing to bring her out of her shell. I actually thought the special fortune cookie was supposed to get him to call her. That would be a better story. I don't understand the deer part. I doubt that the fortunes are written one at a time. Still, it is an interesting little indie.

A beautiful tale!

[rashmimunot-34724 · 10/10 · 26 January 2023]

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!

A quiet and contemplative exporation of the immigrant experience

[steveinadelaide · 6/10 · 5 May 2024]

Babak Jalali's Fremont is a slow burn character study that lingers on the quiet struggles of Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), an Afghan immigrant trying to piece her life back together in California. Donya, a former translator for the U. S. military, now toils away writing cryptic messages for a Chinese fortune cookie factory. The film follows her introspective journey as she grapples with displacement, cultural clashes, and the ghosts of her past.

While Fremont boasts a beautiful black-and-white aesthetic, reminiscent of classic foreign films, and a lead performance by Zada that's both nuanced and deeply affecting, the narrative itself treads familiar territory. We've seen the immigrant experience explored countless times before, and Jalali doesn't offer much in the way of fresh perspectives. The plot unfolds at a glacial pace, with long, meditative sequences that, while establishing Donya's loneliness, can feel uneventfully drawn-out at times.

There are moments of genuine humour, though. Donya's sessions with her delightfully awkward therapist (Gregg Turkington) provide some much-needed comic relief, and the film's exploration of the absurdity of fortune cookie messages is clever. The score is subtle and melancholic, perfectly complementing the film's introspective tone. The black-and-white cinematography, however, while undeniably stylish, can feel a bit restrictive at times.

While the film doesn't break new ground thematically, it excels in its portrayal of the complexities of navigating a new life, particularly one built on the foundation of displacement. Zada delivers a breakout performance, capturing Donya's quiet strength and vulnerability with remarkable authenticity. Her understated portrayal is the heart and soul of Fremont.

Fremont is a gentle film, a slow, character-driven exploration of loss, resilience, and the search for connection. While its deliberate pace and familiar themes might leave some viewers wanting more, Zada's captivating performance and the film's melancholic beauty are undeniable strengths. If you're looking for a quiet, contemplative film that lingers on the emotional complexities of immigration, Fremont might just resonate with you. But for those seeking a more dynamic narrative or a deeper exploration of cultural identity, this one might feel a bit like a fortune cookie with a bland message: pleasant enough, but ultimately forgettable.

Very unique cinematic experience!

[josephinetchang · 10/10 · 26 January 2023]

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.

Desperation itself not enough for rating

[juantheroux · 4/10 · 13 January 2024]

So what's with the subtitles? There when they speak English and missing when speaking Arabic or whatever? Is that supposed to be cute/innovative? Or to demonstrate that what they are talking about is irrelevant?

Almost as bad is the never-ending discussion with the psychoanalyst who feels that White Fang, a story about a wolf dog, is the most important book he has ever read (did he even go to college?) and a book all his patients should read because the theme applies to them all. The irony about the uselessness of therapy is mostly tiring and labored.

As for the performance of the lead actress, yes deadpan looks and emotionless responses, are all the rage these days, but it's not enough to overcome the listless and hahaha script.

Just couldn't stop thinking about this film ...

[tmravi-81247 · 10/10 · 25 January 2023]

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!

Funny, deeply moving, and leaves you not wanting the movie to end

[help-85897 · 10/10 · 31 August 2023]

This is a sweet and powerful movie about the silent strength of an Afghan woman. It leaves you questioning suffering, survival, and the desire for love beyond both. It is funny, but deeply moving and inspiring. You will fall in love with the main character and will be left wanting more. After the movie ended, I did not want to leave the movie theater. The story pulls at your heart strings and convinces you there is still hope left. It is a stunning mood piece that takes pride in its stillness and slow pace, ultimately delivering a tale of intimacy, searching, and quiet strength. It is a must watch.

A must-see story that leaves you wanting more

[sudnyashroff · 10/10 · 26 January 2023]

The lead actress, Anaita Wali Zada, steals the show in this beautifully told story of an Afghan girl who comes to the city of Fremont when she flees the Taliban.

Watching it in a theater with a full audience made it even more special as we laughed together when the story offered us comedic relief while addressing poignant moments and nuanced challenges that the character Donya faces in this new country she finds herself in and as she tries to restart her life.

My favorite part was how the director has ended the film. I wouldn't want to give it away so won't say much more than that here. It is a film that I highly recommend to anybody who loves beautiful stories that move you and leave you thinking fondly about the characters even after it is over.

Found the DVD washed up on the shore... who threw it away?

[realityinmind · 1/10 · 21 January 2024]

I went into the movie theater with an open mind. And I forced myself to sit through all of it, even though I was the only person there. I feel like I should have waited until after the 1st to watch this because then I could have said that my New Year's Resolution would be to sit through all of this thing, and I would have felt that I accomplished something at the end of the movie.

If you didn't know already, this movie is about race more than culture. It is presented as a cultural story about an Afghan immigrant vs. The US, but the director has already deconstructed the history into a story about a non-white character vs. White America. I truly don't understand why someone would choose to tell this story with so much attempted humor... if you really think about it, there is nothing humorous about the experiences of the main character. There is especially no humor that should be presented in a dry manner. I would personally feel disrespected if this is how my story was told, but that's just me. These types of stories have been done before by other directors of old in a much more successful manner, even with humor involved. One good thing is that this movie does not come off as abrasive as similar stories (i.e. The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster), but it is nevertheless the same hyperbolic story being retold in an analogous manner.

The bottom line is that the movie is as boring as watching paint dry or water boil. It is black and white cinematography (quite subtle eh?) with 20-30 year old humor that is poorly executed with consistently cheap, tropey, far from subtle racism that sells the idea that every white American that a non-white non-American has a conversation with will result in the white American viewing the non-white non-American as a novelty while living a totally ignorant existence as a person who fails to realize how their words affect any other person -- imagine if a racist Leslie Nielsen was in a totally boring version of Naked Gun in which the cops targeted racial minority criminals simply because of their skin color... would that even be funny?

This movie falls into a growing untitled category of movies that attempts to paint a certain class of people as living meager lives while walking around and staring into space, yet somehow manage to absorb knowledge from the thin air around them and manage to know more than the people that they reach out to for help - such as in this movie when the woman knows more than the doctor that they visited for help, completely negating any reason for the woman to visit the doctor in the first place! The only reason for the scene is to show that white American doctors do not have the best interest in mind for non-white non-American immigrants, AND do not have the intelligence required to be a doctor, AND happen to also be completely racist! If you want to see what I mean, you honestly don't have to view the movie... you can simply watch the trailer, when the doctor considers the dog from White Fang to be an immigrant -- totally believable that a man with 8+ years in medicine school who the main character pays to analyze them in a therapy session is ironically too dumb to know what an immigrant is. I'm sure this scene is funny at some point in history at some place on the planet, but nobody in the theater laughed.

Btw, I was the only person in the theater.

I really think that in 50 years people will look back at this movie and others like it with disgust that Hollywood created this garbage. The main character in this movie has been created from cultural misappropriation, but presented in a manner that attempts to convince the viewer that the story is being told in a genuine manner. But if you look beneath the black and white of the movie, you will discover thin veins of bland British comedy. I look forward to the day that this story about a poor Afghan girl with PTSD will be told in a genuine way that doesn't involve cultural misappropriation.

If you are the type of person that likes to slowly wade through mud from one side of a creek to another to find something interesting, then you should go for it...if you find this film on the bank, just realize that its probably there for a reason.

Honsoe

[lata-38121 · 10/10 · 27 January 2023]

A work of art indeed! I loved the film, Anahita Wali Zada brought her own experiences from Afghanistan and performed each scene flawlessly. The film especially speaks to those who are willing to take the time to reflect and immerse themselves in the protagonists joy and pain. Anahita will remain with me for some time.

As an immigrant myself and someone who spent two decades in Fremont, the film resonated with me so much.

Jeremy Allen White was superb too and I was filled with anticipation of his role.

The film being in black and white added so much to the effects.

I could tell from the packed theater and the remarks afterwards that so many were moved by the poignancy and richness of the film. A must see film!

This is how modern comedy is done right

[Karamakate · 10/10 · 28 January 2024]

Attended this screening at Gothenburg Film Festival and did go in with very low expectations but was completely blown away! The plot, the acting, the comedic timing and tone, it's a true masterpiece!

The ensemble has chemistry and Anaita is an incredible newcomer so hope to see more of her in the future.

The script is pure and essential in it's true meaning, no pointless filler scenes at all. My favourite scene is when the fortune cookie factory owner shows Donya the world globe, spinning it and talk about their immigrant backgrounds and what borders means to humans. That is incredible writing alongside visually stunning.

Jarmusch and Kaurismaki would be proud.

[MOscarbradley · 9/10 · 12 March 2024]

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.

Likeable and well-made, but nothing too special

[knoxfan2008 · 5/10 · 7 May 2024]

This story is pretty unique, from a perspective we don't see nearly enough in US cinema, so that's a big plus. Unfortunately, it's not as good as the sum of its' parts. I think it's fair to categorise this as a mumblecore movie, and in that respect, it's not the best, but definitely not the worst by a long shot. The cinematography was nice without being exceptional, and the sparse soundscape worked well in my opinion.

The acting ranges from pretty good, to undeniably bad. The main actress was decent, and there was something inherently likeable and charming about her, but her best friend's actress looked like they were just reading the script out loud for the first time. All the other no-name actors fit in between. Jeremy Allen White was really good in his small part.

Even though the film is slow, I wasn't really bored, until there was about 20 minutes to go, then I felt the length drag a bit. It was nowhere near as gripping as other slow dramas like "The Assistant" or "Paterson", but it had its moments. I was smiling quite a bit towards the end, which I thought was rather satisfying. The phone number plot was very fun, but I wish it had been introduced much earlier. The first act of this movie felt twice as long as it needed to be.

It was hilarious to see Gregg Turkington play the exact character you'd expect him to play. He does a great job, and he weirdly has a lot of chemistry with the main actress, despite them never sharing a frame together. I kept wondering if this movie is going to be folded into the "On Cinema At The Cinema" universe, and it would certainly fit.

It's not a deep film by any means, and it won't be remembered as a classic anytime soon, but I genuinely felt a sense of empathy for the protagonist's loneliness. I feel like a small group of people are really gonna love this flick, and I wish them all the best 🙂

Lovely little film

[jurquhart-24429 · 8/10 · 9 May 2024]

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.