FRANK

I've said it before and I'm happy to say it again; Lenny Abrahamson is one of world cinema's most prodigious and least known talents. His first two films "Adam and Paul" and "Garage" are small masterpieces of human interaction and observation. His third film, "What Richard Did", while very fine, is less engaging despite being, or perhaps because of being, based on a real incident. His new film "Frank" is not based on fact but is, rather, 'inspired' by real people. I'm not quite sure if the events, however, are inspired by real events.

The clue lies in the names. Frank, the lead singer in the band with the unpronounceable name of Soronprfbs, wears a giant, paper-mache head which he never takes off. His character is inspired by that of Chris Sievey who created a similar character whom he called Frank Sidebottom. The film itself is based on an article written by Jon Ronson, who co-wrote the script with Peter Straughan, and Jon is the name of the film's other central character who joins the band as a keyboard player and whose machinations lead to a moment of temporary internet fame and quite a lot of heartbreak. Again, I'm not sure if the 'Jon' in the film and the Jon who wrote it are meant to be exactly the same person but it's telling that Ronson, too, was a member of Sidebottom's band.

After what I consider the momentary blip of "What Richard Did", "Frank" sees Abrahamson return to the same tragic-comic bleakness of his first two films and although Abrahamson doesn't actually write his own material he brings to it something of the sensibility of Samuel Beckett but in images rather than in words. In the hands of anyone else "Frank" might just have been another eccentric comedy but Abrahamson makes it much darker. One character commits suicide and all of them are emotionally damaged in some way, even Jon.

Some people have criticised the film's ending as sentimental, as going against what came before but I didn't think it sentimental at all. Rather I found it redemptive and very moving, much more so than the bleak endings of "Adam and Paul" and "Garage" and like all of Abrahamson's films "Frank" is beautifully acted. Domhnall Gleeson is superb as Jon, an innocent abroad who learns to grow up and grown up fast by his close proximity to the damaged souls around him. As the vituperative Clara, another band member, Maggie Gyllenhaal is brazenly unsympathetic yet very real. But ultimately this is Michael Fassbender's movie; as Frank, his face hidden for the most part in his giant head, he's like a child in an adult's body or like some unreal, animated character brought to life but as the film progresses we realise that Frank is very real indeed and is no child but a man with his own set of problems which only he can sort out and this is probably the best thing Fassbender has done to date. As for Abrahamson, until now he hasn't made much of a mark outside his native Ireland but perhaps this brilliant film with its 'name' cast will alter that. It won't be to everyone's taste and is unlikely to appeal to a mass audience but discerning viewers will find much here to savour.


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