Newcomer Anaita Wali Zada’s Donya is desperate for a dream, and, like those who know her, by the second act of Babak Jalali’s (Radio Dreams, Frontier Blues) Fremont, you’ll be desperate for her to find one, too.
It’s been a good year for Music Box films with Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon, Certain Women) winning Outstanding Lead Performance at the Gotham Awards for her role in The Unknown Country, whose Blu-ray release I praised just last month. If, like me, you’ve loaded up that film’s excellent menu multiple times, then the trailer from Fremont (2023) is burned into your brain along with a particularly great joke about Jack London’s White Fang being one of the greatest immigrant stories of all time. Y’know, the one about the dog. And boy, does the film deliver on the wry hilarity promised in that trailer.
Anaita Wali Zada as Donya in FREMONT. Photo courtesy of Music Box Films.
Wali Zada’s Donya is an Afghan woman in her early 20s who suffered persecution in Kabul for her work as a translator for what she admits was her enemy, the U.S. Military. A means to an end. All she’s ever wanted is to leave for anywhere, and now she’s landed in Fremont, California, working in a fortune cookie factory and waiting to see a therapist so she can get some pills for her insomnia. The people around her want the best for her, but she doesn’t know what that would be, beyond getting a good night of sleep.
“I don’t know how people feel safe in a place where the stars change so much”
Shot for a song and a prayer in black and white, Fremont is quick, sweet, and sly. The humor is deadpan and witty, full of sharp observations filtered through a strong point of view. Its cast is sparse, but every character is a good journeyman’s portrait. An understandably outsized centerpiece of the marketing compared to his role, Jeremy Allen White (The Bear, The Iron Claw) is a lightning bolt of pathos and chemistry. Gregg Turkington (Ant-Man, On Cinema) is a laugh-riot as Donya’s reluctant psychiatrist. His deadpan delivery matched with the comedic sensibility of Jalali’s editing is a full meal. Hilda Schmelling (Be Right Back, The Ride), whose performance style starts off as the clearest indicator of the film’s low budget, rises to the occasion later on in a scene that cements why “characters sing karaoke” remains one of the best tropes in cinema. What songs one sings in karaoke, whether for fun or for catharsis, is one of the clearest windows to another’s soul available to us in a social setting, and to completely embody that choice when made by a character is truly impressive. Also worth mentioning is another newcomer, Siqqiue Ahmed, whose monologue about the stars is a standout scene of the year. I’ll leave the rest of the characters for you to meet yourself, and I hope you do. Following independent cinema can be a mixed practice, easily an annual valley of poor films on one side, and awards breakouts on the other. Finding a film so pleasant and easy to recommend which still hits the heart where it hurts is rare.
L-R: Anaita Wali Zada as Donya and Gregg Turkington as Dr. Anthony in FREMONT. Photo courtesy of Music Box Films.
As for the Blu-ray release, you’re here for the film, and that’s it. There are no special features beyond the theatrical trailer, but the transfer is very good. The price at $35-ish for the Blu-ray is in my opinion, too high for the average consumer, but as an indie that didn’t make its budget back in theaters, it’s not the worst pricing out there. The box comes in a cheaper than usual standard blue case, not the clear case some vendors advertise in their renders. Unlike most cheap cases, the box remains solid, free of burs. The only sign of corners cut is the silver stickers for the Blu-ray logo itself, which are poorly cut and applied on my copy.
Fremont is a wonderful film about home, desire, and circumstance. At least the Blu-ray exists, and it’s available now.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD December 12th, 2023.
For more information, head to the official Music Box Films Fremont webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
Share this:
Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
Leave a Reply