2019 Directed by Isabel Sandoval
Olivia, an undocumented Filipina immigrant paranoid about deportation works as a caregiver to a Russian-Jewish grandmother in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, NY. When the man she’s secretly paying for a green card marriage backs out, she becomes involved with a slaughterhouse worker who is unaware that she’s a trans woman.
Romulo Aromin Jr. Nicole Cosgrove Gigi Dement R.S. Francisco Sarah Brennan Kolb Vincent R. Nebrida Fernando Ortigas E.A. Rocha Samuel S. Verzosa
Brooklyn Secret, 사랑의 언어, Лингва франка
Italy
Venice Days
South Korea
Busan International Film Festival
India
Jio MAMI Film Festival
USANR
France
USANR
France
India
Italy
South Korea
USA
Written, directed, produced, edited, and starring Isabel Sandoval. Pretty damn impressive. And looks beautiful... shot by Isaac Banks, his first feature narrative DP credit!
Array gets distributor of the year in my book. Acquiring and releasing films that would barely have a chance at distro until now.
Watched on Netflix.
took my breath away. isabel sandoval writes stars directs produces and edits; she commands feeling without demanding it. i always swoon to see a trans woman on a screen do and think and breathe and laugh and make love--it's corny to spell it out, but only because the aforementioned are nearly always weaponized to make me sob or teach me a lesson. sandoval allows these expectations to hover in the air by a thread. her olivia--rather than being done to--simply does
on that note: audrey horne and dark dale cooper's demon son is quite simply the trade of the season
Some years ago, Jennicet Gutierrez called out Obama at an event featuring many LGBTQ citizens. As an undocumented trans woman, she was appalled at his hypocrisy. At the time, over 70 trans women were being held in men's immigrant detention center cells, and Obama had already earned the title deporter-in-chief. Obama scolded Gutierrez for her interruption, and the media latched on and followed suit. But Gutierrez was right to do what she did. Those who knew how to read through the lies of mainstream media saw the truth.
Trump escalated Obama's anti-immigrant rhetoric to openly fascist, white nationalist status, rather than the backdoor kind favored by Democrats. During the early stages of the ongoing pandemic, one of the first people…
"You're safe now. You're here with me."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
We never see trans Filipina women in movies. Netflix is changing that with Lingua Franca— and we👏🏽 love 👏🏽to 👏🏽see 👏🏽it. In the philippines, the concept of trans women in particular almost always portrays them as being “Barbie-types”, “hyper-feminine”, and sometimes quite “flamboyant” and, in Lingua Franca, we see Olivia, a trans women character that’s not just that. You know? That was fully fleshed out and three-dimensional. She’s also a daughter. She’s also a breadwinner. She’s also a caregiver. She’s much more. This slice-of-life indie is an absolutely crushing film, with its atmosphere of anxiety and its characters trapped in cycles. Sandoval is not working in…
isabel sandoval’s touch breathes so much into this, and you can feel how deeply each piece of it belongs to her. but there is also a looming presence that blankets the whole film — in this juxtaposition of olivia taking care of others in a country that is not taking care of her.
hope this film can reach more eyes, because it’s definitely one of the most honest & thoughtful films to come out of this year.
"Please, let me fix this."
I can't properly express the amount of emotions I experienced while watching Isabel Sandoval's latest. I am not speaking hyperbolically when I say that this might be one of the most honest, tender films of the year. At times achingly raw and at others deeply heartbreaking, Sandoval has delivered a personal, beautiful story of love, longing, and desperation.
Every element of this story was very clearly poured over with the utmost care and intention. Shots are delivered in unique sequences that balance bringing us face to face with the reality of our protagonist and grounding us in the background as a silent observer. Exterior shots feel almost like a breath of fresh air, giving us…
It can't really be understated how much love can be felt into telling a story that feels so personal, but if there's anything else that's to be picked up from watching Lingua Franca, it's that Isabel Sandoval is a filmmaker that just about anyone should be looking out for within the future.
But in addition to being the writer and director of this film, Sandoval's own work in front of the camera is just as revelatory. You feel everything she feels coming forth as a result of her character's own living conditions - creating something more evocative and timely. It feels so claustrophobic, but also very empathetic, with the framing of New York City only creating something all the more beautiful forthcoming.
isabel sandoval captures and says so much not only with her acting but with her direction and writing, all in an incredibly subtle and simple way. both her and the film are so wonderful.
I love Isabel Sandoval and the way she sees the world so so so much. When I first watched this film during the pandemic, I was still in the closet, and lemme just say it hits a lot harder after one year on HRT and one year of experiencing life, love, and ~everything else~ as a trans woman. I love that Isabel has total tonal control over the film at all times (as the star, writer, director, producer, and editor) and I think that’s why this is one of the “truest” trans films I’ve ever seen. Her additional authenticity - and avoidance of superficial shock value - allows the rawest emotions of the trans experience to resonate so much more,…
isabel sandoval is an absolute powerhouse!!! this feels so honest and tender and it’s really quite beautiful
I like the message behind this film and the themes that push it forward, they’re just both a little too spoon fed. But, this is a very personal story, and I respect the hell out of the fact this film was made.
There’s some really nice moments in this movie, but they’re spread out between some very overly long scenes that didn’t really enhance the story in any way. A lot of it felt like style over substance.
I love the transgender representation though, very rarely do you get to see that in movies.
I saw this the other day but needed some time to let it marinate...
In Lingua Franca, Isabel Sandoval deftly designed a relevant, beautiful, authentic, straightforward-yet-profound, empathetic, and necessary film about an undocumented trans Filipino caregiver navigating paranoia and would-be suitors to obtain a green card.
What really enhances the material to the point of "greatness" for me is how the narrative is imbued with an unmistakable sense of aplomb unique to Sandoval's incisive vision.
Part and parcel of the aforementioned is a multilayered sociopolitical critique that's clear (admittledly flirting with heavy-handedness) but also subdued in ways that really worked well for me.
I appreciate the fuck out of Sandoval for her brilliant voice, insight, and multi-talented filmmaking prowess - she wrote, directed, edited, produced, and starred in this!
I impatiently wait more from her. I highly recommend checking this out as well as her powerfully sensual, poetic, and hypnotic short Shangri-Li!
