Lingua Franca is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Isabel Sandoval. The film stars Sandoval, Lynn Cohen, Eamon Farren, Lev Gorn, and Ivory Aquino. The plot follows an undocumented Filipina trans woman who works as a caregiver for Olga, an elderly Russian woman in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach. 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. Lingua Franca premiered at the Venice Days sidebar of the 2019 Venice Film Festival. In July 2020, the film was acquired by Ava Duvernay's distribution company ARRAY and was later released on Netflix on August 26. Plot Olivia is a Filipina trans woman who works as a live-in caregiver for the elderly Olga in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach neighborhood. Olga, a Russian-Jewish woman, is in the early stages of dementia and relies on Olivia to confirm her surroundings, which she initially suspects is not her own home. As an undocumented immigrant, Olivia harbors fears of being detained and deported by ICE agents at any moment. Olivia's earnings go towards supporting her family in the Philippines, in addition to installment payments to Matthew, her American-born boyfriend, with the hope of Olivia securing a green card through a marriage of convenience. Olivia's plans are disrupted just as Alex, Olga's adult grandson, arrives to come live with Olga after a stay in rehab. While Olivia is patient with Olga and understands Olga's needs, Alex is hotheaded and doesn't know how to handle his grandmother's care. Alex tries to maintain his sobriety and secures work at his uncle's slaughterhouse. Olivia and Alex form a bond despite their differences, and one night Olivia fantasizes about Alex after he reads his late grandfather's love letters out loud. She confides to him about her undocumented status and how she would need a green card in order to stay in America, which Alex is sympathetic to. The two enter into a romantic relationship, with Alex unaware of Olivia being trans. Alex brings home a drunken male friend, Andrei, who snoops around Olivia's room and steals her money while she is in the shower. Here Andrei discovers Olivia's passport which reveals Olivia's pre-op identity. Andrei shows the passport to Alex, who does not disclose his relationship with Olivia and instead tells Andrei to keep quiet. Alex does not tell Olivia he