Lingua Franca

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…

Sean Baker

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…

Hari Nef

"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…

airwreckuh

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…

Laura

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~…

zoë rose bryant

"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…

claira curtis

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…

Jaime Rebanal 🇵🇸

isabel sandoval is an absolute powerhouse!!! this feels so honest and tender and it’s really quite beautiful

˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗

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.

Muriel