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A transgender migrant and a recovering alcoholic form a link in the drama of this modest worker.
By Jeannette Catsoulis
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A discreet combination of romance and immigration drama, “Lingua Franca” follows Olivia (Isabel Sandoval, who also wrote and directed), an undocumented Filipino transgender woman living in Brighton Beach.
Desperate for legal residency, Olivia works as a caretaker for an elderly Russian expat named Olga (Lynn Cohen). Aware of her declining intellectual burden, Olivia eagerly saves the money she wants to give back to a man who has promised to marry her. It has already been abandoned; but, in the absence of an original relationship, he sees no choice. He then meets Alex (Eamon Farren), Olga’s troubled grandson, and acknowledges that his immigration prestige might not be his greatest fear after all.
Critically addressing primary disorders (privacy, non-public freedom, sexual satisfaction), Sandoval, based on a concept that shaped its own gender transition, silently contemplates lives under pressure. In the context of ICE raids and anti-immigrant comments, Olivia navigates the green card setbacks as Alex juggles addiction issues, a suspicious circle of relatives and harmful new work.
While Alex discovers tenderness in his connection and an escape from judgment, Farren warms the role to which the film instinctively tilts. Sandoval’s directing is human and empathetic, however, his game has a distance that would possibly leave Olivia unattended, an emotional question mark. The environment is meditative, the patient camera; However, the film is too timid and narratively gracious to be moved.
“You’re sure now,” Alex promises Olivia in a moment. However, curiously, it is he who nevertheless results in peace.
Lingua Franca Unscored. In English, Tagalog and Russian, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. Watch it on Netflix.
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