Lingua Franca: Movie Review
Lingua Franca is defined as an adopted language agreed upon by people whose native language is different from one another in order to communicate. The movie “Lingua Franca” perfectly encapsulates this meaning.
The 2019 drama film “Lingua Franca” is directed, produced, and starred in by Isabel Sandoval. It follows a transgender undocumented Filipino woman Oliva (Isabel Sandoval) navigating life in America during the Trump administration. She works as a live-in caregiver to an elderly woman named Olga, played by Lynn Cohen.
Olivia’s main struggle throughout the entire film is the uncertainty of if, and when, ICE is going to arrest and deport her back. There is lightness brought into the film by the introduction of Alex, Olga’s grandson, who is fresh out of rehab and comes to stay with his grandmother. The pair take an interest in one another and start a sort of romance; this adds a small bit of joy to a film littered with heavy topics.
While watching it, the film looked to me as though we—the audience—were just peeking into Olivia’s life for a short period of time. As the film goes on, we get to see her daily routine with Olga, some romance between her and Alex, her outings with friends, etc. Most importantly, we get to see her very real fear and paranoia brought about by the rise in ICE arrests. This fear shown by Olivia is very prominent, and Sandoval does a great job at not only showing us but making us feel that fear as well.
You can easily see how much care Sandoval put into curating this film, not only with her directing, producing, and starring in it, but also with how close the story was to herown experinece as a transgender Filipino woman. She manages to bring together two very different topics in an understated and graceful way.
A big part of the film, apart from Olivia’s internal struggles, is her romance with Alex. She struggles not only with worrying about what he will think when he finds out she’s transgender, but also with trusting him due to the delicacy of her situation. While there is impactful dialogue throughout the movie, the film really shines in its storytelling through the cinematography. Both Isabel Sandoval and Isaac Banks, the cinematographer, do a great job at moving the story along and showing us how the characters feel through different shots.
While I can never know what it is like to be in Olivia’s shoes, the movie was a glimpse into her world and a way to witness the roughness of life for immigrants, especially during Trump’s administration. The film’s rawness yet extreme delicacy, mainly through Olivia’s character, is reason enough to watch it.
The film does end somewhat abruptly, but I saw that as a reflection of how the movie is like a snapshot of Olivia’s life at the moment. It started with a phone call from her mom and Olga and ended with a phone call to her mom and Olga. It doesn’t end with a clear resolution, I think because it’s meant to show that life goes on and nothing is ever certain.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Ashley Ortega — November 21st, 2021
