Lingua Franca | Rotten Tomatoes

Lingua Franca

2019

1 hr. 29 min.

Drama

TRAILER

for Lingua Franca: Trailer 1

List

87%

55 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

An undocumented trans Filipino caregiver pursues a marriage to obtain a green card.

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Critics Consensus

Lingua Franca brings warmth and humanity to its social issue-driven plot with sensitive performances and writer-director Isabel Sandoval's gently empathetic touch.

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Audience Member

Absolutely incredible. Pacing is slow but I never felt impatient with any of the moments. Compelling and true to life. Also if you are trans, watch this, it's well done.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

brent m

While this story of an undocumented transgender Filipino care giver seeking to find a way to legally remain stateside stems from a potentially engaging premise, it never goes anywhere once launched. The film's slight, underdeveloped narrative, with its many story threads that never fully pan out, yields a picture that flails about in search of focus. That's unfortunate, because writer-director Isabel Sandoval's latest has a rich vein of material to draw from if only it were given the development needed to make it flourish cinematically. What viewers are left with is a meandering piece with lots of long, lingering, gorgeously photographed shots that add little to a story that doesn't know where it ultimately wants to go.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A dramatic, yet soft romantic story with implicit overtones built on the traumatic intersection of transsexualism and illegal immigration. A quiet movie with a message that is best felt rather than explained.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

georgan g

Moved a bit too slowly, but watching the relationship dance was interesting. As was the ICE dance.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dave d

Isabel Sandoval wrote, directed, produced and starred in a film about an undocumented trans Filipino caregiver who pursues a marriage to obtain a green card. First off, can we all be thankful that movies from diverse voices are being given a platform more and more frequently? As much as that means to me, it doesn't excuse the filmmaker from being sloppy and leaving wide gaps in the story that don't make the film feel authentic. There are several great ideas here, but mixed together they work as well as oil and water. People are too reactionary which defies logic considering how quickly and forced these conflicts and resolutions are. While we have to accept the fact that this is a first-time filmaker, we can't just forgive the movie's faults out of sympathy. This is a story that needs to be SPOT on and not only engaging, but lose the viewer. Instead, I was left wondering why certain characters after being developed, just vanished. A trans woman who takes care of an elderly woman with dementia, combined with a romance of her grandson combined with that evil character who just seems drawn to scale. I hope Sandoval gets another chance because she shows so much promise. I just wish there had been another pass or two at a largely invisible script. Trans voices are a necessity in film and this is worthy of a watch for the sole fact it treats the typically voiceless with dignity and respect. I just wish it was a better film. Finally, I caught this on Netflix and may I suggest how to watch? There are two ways and considering there are three languages used, I strongly suggest using captions. Now, this is going to be annoying because there's no way just to caption the two foreign languages to the English speakers and instead you get captioned EVERY word that's said and EVERY move that's heard. Considering the movie starts and ends in a language other than English.. you're just gonna have to show a little bit of trust. The scene at the beginning is integral to the film. Final Score: 5.8/10

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very, very slow movie. Don't bother.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

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Isabel Sandoval

Director

Eamon Farren

Alex

Lev Gorn

Murray

Mark Nelson

Roman

Lynn Cohen

Olga

Shiloh Verrico

Maggie

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Lingua Franca: Trailer 1

1:28

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

This story has never been told before, communicated in this way or created by such an astute and perceptive writer/director/actor like Isabel Sandoval.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 18, 2020

Full Review

David Fear

Rolling Stone

The expression here is one of shared humanity regardless of background, gender identity, race or creed. The common language being used here is cinema.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 10, 2020

Full Review

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

Ms. Sandoval is a confident storyteller with a fondness for the quirks and surprises of character -- any character who comes into view.

Aug 28, 2020

Full Review

Jennifer Merin

AWFJ.org

Olivia is a very compelling and complex character who's dealing with timeless yet very timely issues. Isabel Sandoval wrote, directed and stars in the deeply affecting film.

Dec 1, 2021

Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

AWFJ.org

Isabel Sandoval's deeply poignant and clearly very personal story is a marvel, bringing a lyrical intimacy and a sensuality to the grit of a social-justice drama.

Dec 1, 2021

Full Review

Leslie Combemale

AWFJ.org

Isabel Sandoval has created a subtle, sensual story that goes beyond the trans narratives released by largely white, male, cis-gendered mainstream directors of today.

Dec 1, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

An undocumented trans Filipino caregiver pursues a marriage to obtain a green card.

Director: Isabel Sandoval
Screenwriter: Isabel Sandoval
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2020