Ioana Uricaru’s LEMONADE stars Mălina Manovici as protagonist Mara – a Romanian single mother trying to get a green card and secure the American Dream for herself and her son.

Mara came to the US on a work visa as a nurse. Through her job she meets Daniel, who she marries just before her visa runs out. Until the relationship is put under serious pressure, the portrayal of their marriage is deliberately vague. It’s not a grand romance but there is some warmth to it. LEMONADE is not a success story – it shows the gritty aspects of immigration, such as the rushed medical examination where she gets vaccinated without consultation, and a series of confrontations with a misogynistic immigration officer. A situation that seemed unpleasant but manageable at the start spirals downward.

Mălina Manovici as Mara, and Milan Hurduc as her son Dragos, both give subtle but evocative performances. Mara, who starts out trying to keep her head down and get through the immigration process, finds herself increasingly out of her depth but is unwilling to let go of her chance at the American Dream. Mara struggled in Romania, as a single mother trying to make ends meet, and the film shows that life as an immigrant is just as challenging in its own way.

LEMONADE is a gritty and evocative story about people trying to make their own luck.

LEMONADE screens again at the Cambridge Film Festival Saturday 27th October, 5pm at Arts Picturehouse.