This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Fremont, directed and co-written by Iranian-British director Babak Jalali, follows Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), a recent immigrant from Afghanistan, as she works at a Chinese fortune cookie factory in Fremont, California and adjusts to life in America. Donya begins to see a psychiatrist (Gregg Turkington), Dr. Anthony, in order to acquire pills to help her sleep, and makes some wonderful personal discoveries along the way. Fremont explores feelings of isolation and loneliness as well as what life looks like for some who immigrate to today’s America.

The first half of the film depicts Donya’s life as one that is sadly all too familiar to people all across the country. She wakes up. She has light small talk with her neighbor. She goes to work and engages with only a handful of people. She goes out to eat at one restaurant. And it all gets repeated day after day. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this life. She has a job, somewhere to live, small opportunities for human connection. Yet it’s clear that something is missing in her life.

Anaita Wali Zada and Gregg Turkington in FREMONT. Courtesy of
Music Box Films.

Fremont truly shows the realities of how far American isolationism has reached into different parts of life. Donya has some small interactions with people, but none of them are truly meaningful, and she’s completely disconnected from her family in Afghanistan. She’s sleepwalking through life functionally on her own. Dr. Anthony, in one of their first appointments together, asks her what she thinks about what she’s experienced. She responds honestly with, “I don’t spend much time thinking.” Once she starts having regular appointments with the White Fang-obsessed psychiatrist, she actually starts contemplating her situation and wondering if she might want more.

This film shows just how mundane everyday life can be, and the cinematography decisions reflect this. Cinematographer Laura Valladeo establishes the tone for Fremont in both the muted black-and-white color and 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The color takes away any signs of beauty and life that might brighten one’s day, and the tight square created by the framing creates a heightened sense of the exile Donya feels throughout the film. In moments where she is opening up, the camera is zoomed out or at a looser angle.

Anaita Wali Zada and Jeremy Allen White in FREMONT. Courtesy of
Music Box Films.

The paramount performances from Anaita Wali Zada and Gregg Turkington are wonderful in their own special ways. Wali Zada portrays the quiet, stoic Donya with such precision that it’s truly surprising in moments when she displays emotion and openness. Turkington’s performance is also quaint, but has a little bit more comedic flair. Fans of his work in On Cinema at the Cinema may be looking for a joke in every line, but many of the questions that define the film come from serious deliveries from him. In addition to these performances, Jeremy Allen White injects some much needed emotion into the film as Daniel.

The most impressive aspect of Fremont is its ability to stay small. This isn’t a sprawling epic that takes place over years or across continents. Director Babak Jalali shows his clear command of the reins in this film by not overdramatizing any one moment or decision. Although Donya’s major revelation is nothing profound that will change the world, or even her community, it does change her mentality and allow her to finally happen to her life instead of letting life happen to her. This is a real life story, something that could happen to anyone. This is the type of film that inspires us to yearn for more in relationships and the community around us.

Anaita Wali Zada in FREMONT. Courtesy of Music Box Films.

Fremont is a quiet, low-key film, yet this is not to its detriment. This is its greatest strength. Co-writers Jalali and Carolina Cavalli (writer-director of Amanda) touch on difficult themes of loneliness, isolation, and the immigrant experience that so many in the world can relate to. When you look up “slice of life films” in the movie dictionary, the poster for Fremont should be what shows up.

Fremont will debut in San Francisco at the Roxie Cinema on August 25, 2023 courtesy of Music Box Films. The film will expand to New York and Los Angeles on September 1st, and additional markets in the following weeks.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu8CzVfik-4]