Fremont - Sundance

Director Babak Jalai crafts a quiet character study of a former translator trying to find her voice. 

Donya is a former U.S. Army Translator who relocated to Fremont, California, following the fall of Kabul. Fremont is home to one of the largest Afghan communities in the United States, but Donya struggles to find a home in her new life. She posses guilt over betraying her country to work with the United States government leading to her escape to find the American Dream. Seeking out unfamiliar American territory, Donya spends her days filling unbaked cookies with messages at a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco.

The monochrome, hazy cinematography allows for a focus on Donya as she navigates an unknown world to find her place. Fremont is presented through Academy ratio as a strange place with the monotonous routines of its quirky inhabitants. Donya’s unfamiliar presence serves as a lens into the untapped curiosity within her setting.  The black and white color palette convey the awkwardness of the immigrant experience. Jalai opts for a stripped-down version of the immigrant experience that feels refreshing. The minimalist approach allows a look into the lives of factory workers to discover the small moments that bring them happiness. Fremont covers a lot of emotional themes but chooses to deliver it through dryness that mysteriously works.

A character-centered story largely depends on the presence of its central character. Anaita Wali Zada maintains a blank expression throughout the film, causing the viewer to pay close attention to attempt a read on her. Zada wears griefand depression as she delivers her little dialogue in a deadpan tone. She offers little insight into herself and the loneliness she exhibits. The shots are slow, with pauses that hang onto every word in the conversations that mirror the observing nature of Donya. 

Fremont remains low wattage throughout the entire runtime, but its depiction of loneliness and fulfillment makes it a gentle gem.