Fremont

A film by Babak Jalali, this US production premiered at Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Best Director Award at Karlovy Vary, as well as the Jury Prize at Deauville Film Festival. It was screened, among others, at South by Southwest, Edinburgh, Zurich, Rome FF etc. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film Award at BFI and won the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, where it was also nominated for the Best Breakthrough Performance Award (Anaita Wali Zada), and the Producer’s Award (Rachael Fung). In Greece, the film premiered at Athens IFF in the presence of the director.

Fremont is the fourth feature film by Iran-born Babak Jalali following his debut Frontier Blues (2009 – Fipresci Award, Seattle Festival), Radio Dreams (2016 – Tiger Award, Rotterdam FF), and Land (2019 – Panorama Berlin Festival).

Donya works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, she struggles to put her life back in order. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message in a cookie.

Fremont, near San Francisco, is not only one of the largest Afghan communities in the US, but oddly a decisive part of the silent film industry. The film’s exquisite cinematography, shot in an almost-square screen format, directed by Babak Jalali embraces both of the city’s traditions in the most unexpected and creative ways. Perhaps because this is one of the least American cities in the heart of America. Unlike any other film we have seen so far with an immigrant playing the lead, Fremont bears the nostalgia of homeland, as well as the difficulty of adjusting to the American dream. At the same time, however, it bears that guilt-free need for a new life, liberated from the burden of tradition and trauma, where Jim Jarmusch’s narrative austerity meets Jack London’s White Fang, perhaps the most bizarre story of immigration, with a dog, or rather a wolf, playing the lead.

Featuring an astonishing breakthrough by Anaita Wali Zada and Jeremy Allen White (The Bear).

Film reviews:
“The fourth film from Iranian-American director Babak Jalali is an utter delight: a wry, Jarmuschian musing on the human connections and possibilities that spark in the most unexpected places”. The Observer

“An Afghan refugee finds a new path as a fortune-cookie writer in this deadpan indie comedy […] with the film’s narrative feeling close to the mumblecore comedy of Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig. Babak Jalali’s handsomely shot film uses the zany trappings of a quarter-life crisis movie to create an original migrant drama”. Sight and Sound

“A charming little Jarmuschian number, Balak Jalali’s intimate dramedy strikes a delicate balance between melancholy and wryness in its reflection on the migrant experience”. Little White Lies

“Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali has crafted this droll, ruminative, engaging indie picture in luminous black-and-white featuring deadpan, dead-slow dialogue exchanges. Hints of early Jim Jarmusch in Babak Jalali’s dreamy fourth feature, with fine supporting turns from The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White and Gregg Turkington”. The Guardian

“Fremont might play its cards close to its chest, but the film knows when it’s got an ace in the hole and just when to play it. In the final act, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White appears as Daniel, an awkward auto mechanic who’s every bit as isolated as Donya but a little more forthcoming about his feelings. There’s no sudden gear change to turn this into a swooningly romantic finale, and their brief conversation takes place in the same muted tone as the rest of the film’s dialogue. But Donya and Daniel’s bone-dry exchanges produce an undeniable spark all the same. It’s just enough to leave Fremont and Donya feeling as if they’re looking toward the future.” Slant

Rialto Cinema @SEK Parking Place

All films will be screened in their original language with Greek and English subtitles.

Duration: 91'

Tickets: €8