Fremont
Music Box Films | Release Date: August 25, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJul 18, 2023
Crafted with stillness, empathy, and clever drollness, “Fremont” is so striking it will simply and calmly demand your attention. So seemingly introverted, humble, and unassuming, it’ll force you to lean in, listen and heed all the humorous words of wisdom in its many little moments of providence. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeSep 17, 2023
It’s admirably understated film-making, shot in restrained black and white, with a tight aspect ratio that evokes the walls closing in around Donya during the long insomniac nights. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Roxana HadadiSep 15, 2023
You’ll remember Anaita Wali Zada’s eyes. As Donya, an Afghan refugee in the wry and wistful Fremont, the first-time actor is a steadily building wave, a maelstrom of intention and purpose. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 14, 2023
This is the kind of movie whose amiable directionlessness and romantic gentleness generate a lot of warmth; it’s the kind of independent film which we haven’t seen a lot of lately, endowed with intimacy and a kind of dreamy charm. Read full review
80
Rolling StoneDavid FearSep 1, 2023
Fremont is neither game-changing nor revolutionary. It’s merely a throwback, in the best possible way, to a low-fi aesthetic and low-key way of storytelling you thought had gone the way of the Triceratops. That, in fact, is what makes this deceptively placid, supremely wry movie so damned moving. Read full review
80
VarietyTomris LafflyJul 18, 2023
In its final moments, the potency of Fremont sneaks up on you. You go in reluctant and even skeptical, and come out wondering how and why you’re moved to tears. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMatthew MonagleSep 7, 2023
There are moments where Fremont can lean a bit too far in the direction of Miranda July-esque eccentricity – admittedly, not always its strongest gear – but Wali Zada is always there to anchor these scenes in a genuine, desperate need for interpersonal connection. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 28, 2023
Fremont is a droll comedy about the immigrant experience that only has to hint at the trauma such uprootings often involve, and about how residents of the host country generally don’t have a clue about what this newcomer is dealing with, or how to help. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonAug 25, 2023
It is a stunning mood piece that takes pride in its stillness and slow pace, ultimately delivering a tale of intimacy, searching, and quiet strength. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleZaki HasanAug 24, 2023
Fremont is content to let small moments stay small, threading them together for a compelling tapestry of shared humanity. Read full review
75
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJul 18, 2023
Despite trafficking in a wide array of Sundance tropes — from its modest but ethereal monochrome cinematography by DP Laura Valladao, to Mahmood Schricker’s Sqürl-adjacent guitar score — Fremont is always more delicate than it is precious and mercifully never quite as cute as it sounds. Read full review
75
ColliderMarco Vito OddoJul 17, 2023
Jalali creates a unique dramedy that will be remembered for its solid direction, powerful performances, and eye-popping cinematography. Read full review
70
Screen RantRachel LaBonteSep 15, 2023
Those willing to embark on Fremont's modest, gently heartbreaking journey will find themselves rewarded by what it has to offer. Read full review
70
Little White LiesHannah StrongSep 12, 2023
It’s an intimate dramedy that strikes a delicate balance between melancholy and wryness . . . and while perhaps a little slight in content, Fremont is a stylish, sweet evolution for Jalali, and a poignant reflection on the modern immigrant experience. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBeatrice LoayzaAug 31, 2023
Jalali maintains a mysterious ambiguity, but Wali Zada conveys what matters. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJacob OllerAug 24, 2023
People don’t always want Goldilocks movies, but amid the melodramas and rom-coms, the IP blockbusters and action movies, Fremont’s easy flow and small scope provide the same reassurance (and opportunity for projection) as a small, optimistic piece of paper. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony LaneAug 18, 2023
The movie, photographed by Laura Valladao, is in black-and-white; add the deadpan dialogue and you may be reminded of, say, early Jim Jarmusch. But there’s not a smack of hipness here, and Jalali is not on a quest for cool. Rather, the story is suffused with an uncommon blend of radiance and resignation, nowhere more rapturously than in the final shot. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJul 18, 2023
While it’s a wisp of a movie, almost directionless at times and self-consciously quirky at others, Fremont contains enough poignantly observed interludes to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Read full review
67
The Film StageMichael FrankJul 18, 2023
Gorgeous to watch, with enough sly comedy to maintain levity, Fremont is notable in its decision to be small and intimate. It finds romance in everyday interactions, and in the easy pleasure of opening up a cookie and reading one’s fortune. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeAug 21, 2023
The film has the ethereal feel of a half-remembered, mostly pleasant dream. Read full review
50
Washington PostMark JenkinsSep 12, 2023
Fremont has the demeanor of a kitchen-sink drama but is laced with deadpan absurdism. Read full review
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