Sean Baker just really understands how to make you care. His mastery of empathy is exquisitely obvious. His films make me feel SO SO human. Wow.

This one got under my skin just like they all have. I know I will think about it a lot.

❤️

Claiming this as a San Francisco movie

Soft-spoken, observant , gorgeously photographed, and Anaita Wali Zada is fantastic

Felt like a combination of a Jim Jarmusch and a Wes Anderson movie. It’s kind, contemplative, with some funny moments. You can tell this was made with a lot of love and care.

The first time Gregg Turkington appeared on-screen an elderly lady in my theatre went “oh here we go.” 

Imagine having that kind of power as an actor.

saw at IFC with director Q&A after!

one might expect this to be a tale rife with trauma, which it certainly integrates, but Fremont provides a poignant and humorous look at the immigrant experience. major props to the writers for giving the protagonist the arc of finding joy and romance in her life, vs struggling consistently for resources.

having grown up in Chinatown, it was really touching to see all my haunts be immortalized on screen. plus seeing BART and Caltrain ...

I could write a long review about all the elements I loved about this movie—the stylized b/w cinematography, the stoic gaze of the Donya, the winning cast of costars—but I’ll just say that, if for nothing else, you should watch this film for the excellent, poignant, comic scenes set in the therapist’s office.