Fremont
Understated, dryly comic drama featuring Jeremy Allen White about an Afghan refugee who finds work in a Chinese fortune cookie factory in California, where she desperately longs for her own happiness.
Beautiful and troubled twenty-something Donya, an Afghan translator who used to work with the U.S. government, has trouble sleeping and suffers from survivor’s guilt. 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. As her fortunes are read by strangers throughout the Bay, Donya’s smouldering longing drives her to send a message out to the world, unsure where it will lead.
Shot in black and white, and with warmth and a wry sense of humour, director Babak Jalali has crafted a loving portrait of a young woman haunted by the past but still filled with desire for companionship and connection. Featuring a cast of unforgettable, unique characters, and anchored by a beguiling debut performance from real-life Afghan refugee Anaita Wali Zada, FREMONT is an ode to the curious beauty of trying to build a new life in a strange land.