Fremont
Donya (Zada) is an Afghan refugee who served as a translator for the United States Army during the war. She spends her time working at a fortune cookie factory and struggling to sleep in her tiny twin bed. She forces her way in to see psychiatrist Dr. Anthony (Gregg Turkington) in order to get a prescription for sleeping pills, and through the course of their mostly one-sided conversations (Dr. Anthony would prefer to talk about the many virtues of White Fang), we learn that Donya is struggling with loneliness, unable to open herself up to others due to her survivor's guilt. How can she enjoy a life of love and happiness when her family and so many others still live in a country plagued by war? Even her hopes of bonding with other Afghan refugees in her apartment building are met with difficulties, as many view her as a traitor for working for the U.S. Army. Her life is spent in quiet solitude, going back and forth to work, getting her meals and watching soap operas with a nosy old man who runs a local restaurant, and staring at the ceiling in her apartment, not regretting the move to this strange new country but not quite able to move on either.
This might sound like pretty heavy material, but Jalali tells the story with delightfully droll humor, often approaching what some might consider cutesy, but never wearing out its welcome. Donya doesn't say much, but she seems to serve as a sounding board for a variety of colorful characters that come and go, including the aforementioned psychiatrist and restaurant owner, and Joanna, a young co-worker who is struggling herself to navigate the modern world of dating. Each of these supporting characters come alive as they throw their hopes and dreams against Donya's stoic facade, perhaps oversharing their vulnerabilities from Donya's perspective, but still managing to find common ground, even if Donya isn't doing much of the sharing. A night of drinks and karaoke at Joanna's apartment leads to the movie's finest scene, as Donya watches her co-worker perform a soulful version of British folk singer Vashti Bunyan’s classic “Diamond Day". Joanna is channeling her pain and loneliness into the performance and Donya begins to weep, clearly transported into her own feelings through the music. It's a powerful scene, touching on a deep nerve within all of us, even if we're not exactly sure we could name exactly what it was if we had to.
The movie's final act gives way to some signs of hope for Donya as she gathers up her courage to meet up with a stranger after leaving her phone number inside a fortune cookie. The meeting doesn't go quite as planned, but ultimately results in a meet-cute with a bashful but charming mechanic (Jeremy Allen White) who shares in Donya's loneliness and desire to be understood by another. It's a drastic departure from the tone of the rest of the movie and may be an overly tidy and optimistic bow wrapped on the end of the story for some to handle, but their chemistry is wonderful and at this point the audience is dying for good things to happen for Donya, so I found it very satisfying. It wraps things up on a saccharine note that makes you feel good leaving the theater, and in this day and age, I'll take that when I can get it.
Anaita Wali Zada does well in her debut, effortlessly extracting empathy from everyone around her (including us viewers) without saying more than a handful of words throughout the entire movie. The supporting cast is asked to provide much of the momentum and comedic work, and they are all up to the task, particularly Gregg Turkington as the psychiatrist and Avis See-tho as Donya's incredibly kind fortune cookie boss.
"Fremont" is a quiet mood piece and character study that moves slowly but develops feelings in the viewer like an oncoming front of gentle summer rain. Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and thoughtfully considered. It's one of the year's finest, and catnip to those who are fans of movies like Jim Jarmusch's "Paterson" (2016) and Kogonada's "Columbus" (2017).
