Fremont
Directed by Babak JalaliDonya works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military, 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.
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025The movie follows Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), an Afghan immigrant residing in Fremont, CA. Donya writes fortunes for a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Although she has good relationships with her coworkers, neighbors, and employers, she finds it hard to form meaningful social connections. Struggling with severe insomnia, she seeks help from a therapist, played by Gregg Turkington. It quickly becomes evident that Donya's sleep struggles stem not from her social difficulties but from a deeper place, particularly from survivor's guilt. Donya bravely served as a translator for the American troops in Kabul, and she escaped Afghanistan via her work post and emigrated to the US. However, she grapples with survivor's guilt with many of her friends and family still remaining in Afghanistan. She's conflicted about yearning for personal happiness when so many people she knows still live in tumult. Zada, an Afghan refugee herself, delivers an impressive performance, perfectly balancing Donya's reserved demeanor while simultaneously conveying a wide-eyed, almost hopeful gaze. The script is surprisingly funny, albeit with primarily deadpan humor. But it's a quietly moving immigrant story, with Zada winning me over with an incredibly endearing performance. I simply could not help but want for Donya to not only find happiness but to realize that she is deserving of it.
Fremont Trivia
Fremont was released on September 14, 2023.
Fremont was directed by Babak Jalali.
Fremont has a runtime of 1h 31m.
Fremont was produced by Rachael Fung, Chris Martin, Marjaneh Moghimi, George Rush, Sudnya Shroff, Laura Wagner.
Donya works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military, 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.
The key characters in Fremont are Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), Daniel (Jeremy Allen White), Dr. Anthony (Gregg Turkington).
Fremont is rated Not Rated.
Fremont is a Drama, Comedy film.
Fremont has an audience rating of 8.4 out of 10.
Fremont had a budget of $3M.
Fremont has made $602K at the box office.