Olivia, an undocumented Filipino transwoman, works as a caregiver to Olga, an elderly Russian woman, in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. When Olivia runs out of options to attain legal status in the US, she becomes romantically involved with Alex, Olga’s adult grandson, in the pursuit of a marriage-based green card.
Isabel Sandoval debuts her third major filmography with “Lingua Franca,” capturing the narrative of a transgender Filipina in Brooklyn struggling to find stable roots during a time of ICE raids and xenophobia in the United States. Sandoval also stars as the main character, Olivia, to explore how finding both love and legal immigration paperwork can create heavy internal conflict in such a delicate situation.
“Lingua Franca” does not start with much background context to Olivia’s journey. There is no clarity in how she ended up in the United States nor when she decided to undergo gender transformation surgery. In fact, her transgender identity is not left to be dissected, but respected as a singular aspect of her character as a whole. There was more exploration in Olivia’s struggle to remain unseen and unheard by institutions like ICE that may threaten her ability to accomplish the modern American Dream.
Olivia’s plan to gain a green card through a fraudulent marriage in the United States is not one that is new or innovative. She is paying off a man to be her spouse when she loses his cooperation because he finds his own true love. Once again, Olivia is left to repeat her cycle of finding another partner to become her spouse or risk being deported back to the Philippines.
Her story reflects the story of many others, where no loophole will be left unexplored if it means accomplishing the necessary legal paperwork for security. Her Filipina background and her role as a caretaker can come across as a stereotype, but it is a reflection of the very reality that permeates the story of immigration. If there is something that “Lingua Franca” does, it is to show the reality and infiltrate the privilege that leaves these stories untold and hidden.
With a wrench in Olivia’s plan, she continues to be burdened by the costs of supporting her family back in the Philippines alongside the fear of being discovered by ICE. However, she may have found a saving grace in Alex, the grandson of the senior that Olivia is caretaking. Alex, played by Eamon Farren, does not have many attractive qualities, but he captures the romantic attention of Olivia. However, Olivia’s desire and her need for love may also become the crutch that will diverge her from her original plan into something more that she is not ready for.
“Lingua Franca” is about the choices we make when we are trapped between conflicts and how even the subtlest decisions have the potential to create a cascade of consequences that will change the trajectory of life. The film tells the story of immigration trauma in a raw and delicate form without overwhelming the audience, but also without underselling the potential of how much scarier it could be to be different and out of place.
Available to stream on Netflix August 26th
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