Fremont
Fremont

Fremont

2023Movie92 minEnglish

Donya, a lonely Afghan refugee and former translator, spends her twenties drifting through a meager existence in Fremont, California. Shuttling between her job writing fortunes for a fortune cookie factory and sessions with her eccentric therapist, Donya suffers from insomnia and survivor's guilt over those still left behind in Kabul as she desperately searches for love.

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Insights

IMDb6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes89%
Metacritic75/100
Google Users83%
Director: Babak JalaliGenres: Comedy-Drama

Plot Summary

A poignant comedy-drama, Fremont follows Donya, a young Afghan refugee in California, who works at a novelty fortune cookie factory. Haunted by memories of her past and the translator who saved her life, she finds herself in a quiet emotional crisis. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets a lonely psychiatrist and begins a tentative connection with him.

Critical Reception

Fremont garnered positive reviews for its gentle humor, understated performances, and unique perspective on the immigrant experience. Critics praised its subtle exploration of loneliness, connection, and the search for meaning in a new land, particularly highlighting Jalali's distinct directorial style.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its quiet, observational style and gentle humor.
  • Appreciated for its sensitive portrayal of immigrant experiences and loneliness.
  • Anaita Kalergis's lead performance was frequently cited as a standout.

Google audience: Audience reviews generally highlight the film's unique and thoughtful approach to relatable themes of isolation and connection. Many viewers found the film to be moving and memorable, appreciating its subtle storytelling and character development.

Awards & Accolades

Screened at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive attention.

Fun Fact

The unique setting of a fortune cookie factory was chosen to explore themes of fate, hope, and the everyday surrealism of immigrant life.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

3 reviews
badelf

badelf

Fremont: A Cinematic Tone Poem of Displacement and Possibility In Babak Jalali's Fremont, cinema becomes poetry — a delicate cartography of human longing mapped across monochrome landscapes. Sahar, an Afghan refugee working in a fortune ...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

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 fro...
Brent Marchant

Brent Marchant

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 ...