It is groundbreaking, erotic, and bold–Isabel Salvosa took a swipe at incumbent President Donald Trump in her latest film Lingua Franca. The 2019 film has been on the radar of every film enthusiast especially after it was released on Netflix US. The story follows Olivia, an undocumented trans caregiver in America during the reign of Trump. 

Olivia, who secretly pays an American man for a “green card marriage”, fears deportation after the man suddenly backed out. She then felt a romantic connection with Alex (Eamon Farren), a slaughterhouse worker who is unaware of her sexuality. 

From homophobic quotes and unnecessary orders such as banning transgenders inside the US military, It is no secret that the Trump administration waged an incessant onslaught against the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

The film Lingua Franca delves deeper into the agony of transgendered immigrants in the US. 

“My previous feature before making Lingua Franca was called Apparition, and it was actually set in the early ’70s in the Philippines on the eve of the declaration of martial law, which was a period of extreme oppression and suppression of the freedom of expression, especially by artists, political dissidents,” Salvosa shares in her interview with BBC World. 

“I was not born during that period of Martial Law. I felt like I was reliving that same history this time, but instead of the Philippines, here in the U.S. And it’s just so unsettling, especially to me, who–I would joke to my friends that I’m a gold star minority,” she continues. 

Lingua Franca has received critical acclaim from international audiences. It has reached the pages of Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and more. 

The movie also made waves in North America and was hailed in various film festivals such as the BFI London Film Festival and Melbourne Queer Film Festival. 

Lingua Franca can now be streamed in the Philippines through Cinema ‘76 at Home.

Access to the film is priced at P250.