Foreigner
Director: Ava Maria Safai
Starring: Rose Dehgan, Chloë Macleod, Talisa Mae Stewart, Cassie Collis, Victoria Wardell, Laurel Bailey, Ashkan Nejati, Jim Maher
In Ava Maria Safai’s debut feature, Foreigner, we follow Yasamin (Dehgan) - also known as Yasi - who has recently moved to Canada from Iran with her father and grandmother. Struggling with the loss of her mother, Yasi also struggles with the societal fear of fitting in at a new school. She quickly assimilates into a Mean Girls-style friend group, and despite being aware of their ignorant comments regarding her race and culture, she doubles down on her efforts to fit in, even bleaching her hair blonde. However, as Yasi forges ahead with creating her new identity and moves away from her roots (literally…), she opens herself to something far more sinister, something that wants to possess her spirit and soul.
"But being a visually visceral horror film isn’t really the point of Foreigner, as it's more psychological than paranormal, and more about inner identity than outer threats."
Though it's packaged as a horror film, the horror in Foreigner stems from Yasi's crisis of identity rather than anything truly supernatural. In trying so hard to fit in with her new friend group, and a new culture which is vastly different to what she’s known, she loses what defines her. It’s a feeling I’m sure we can all relate to, or have done at some point in our lives. It’s more coming-of-age than true horror, but, then, hey, growing up is hell.
Anchoring the film, Rose Dehgan delivers a strong performance as Yasi. She portrays the character's adolescent awkwardness and sense of alienation in a way that feels affable but, also, at times, makes us question her. She clearly loves her family, but in trying to blend into her new life, she keeps her doting father and grandmother at arm's length. We know why she doesn’t want to take her grandmother's cooking for her lunch to school, but it makes us feel less sympathetic to her in those moments. Chloë Macleod sinks her teeth into the role of uber-preppy Rachel, and manages to keep her performance on the right side of OTT - though, it’s hard to argue that the supporting cast as a whole verges on caricature, which may not be to everyone's tastes.
With the film set in 2004, Safai conjures the look of the time delightfully. Wherever you look, there’s a flip phone, the girls are wearing chokers and low-rise jeans, the hair is a mixed bag of great and cringe, but the aesthetic doesn’t take centre stage; it’s just added flavour. There's plenty of pastel colours painted across scenes, but the element of darkness is used well throughout to slice through some of the candy-bright moments.
If you’re expecting a bucketload of horror in Foreigner, you will be disappointed, as the offerings are fairly few and far between. But being a visually visceral horror film isn’t really the point of Foreigner, as it's more psychological than paranormal, and more about inner identity than outer threats. However, an excellently shot levitation scene near the end is both eerie and oddly beautiful, with some of the best makeup and effects I’ve seen in an independent film. Whether the demon or possession element is real is left ambiguous, but the metaphor holds firm nonetheless. The scariest part? The demon might not be real, but the pressure to belong absolutely is.
Safai based the film on her own experiences in moving to Canada, and it's clear that Foreigner is a personal effort that has something to say. There's an earnestness to the story, hidden in plain sight amongst the colour, chaos, and car crashes, and this helps to keep the story as grounded as possible, even in the more supernatural moments. It's less about a demon haunting Yasi; instead, it’s about the cost of becoming someone else. Like Mean Girls possessed by a demon (with a dash of The Babadook), Foreigner is sensitive, fun and sharply self-aware.
August 1st 2025