Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! – Frank (Movie Review)

Frank (UK Rating: 15)

Frank (Michael Fassbender) is the enigmatic and eccentric leader of an avant garde rock band. In a small seaside town, they take on a new keyboard player Jon, (Domhnall Gleeson) who is keen to escape his boring job. Fascinated by Frank and desperate to fit in with the band, he turns them into an overnight sensation on the internet and gets them a gig at a major music festival. He's heading towards taking over the group but faces formidable opposition - not from Frank himself, but the aggressive Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), his fierce protector.

It says a lot for Fassbender's abilities as an actor that he took on a role which robbed him of one his main tools as an actor - his face and his eyes in particular. He has to depend on his voice and body to communicate the complexities of his character and he does it superbly. The giant head offers protection from the world and puts some distance between Frank and other members of the band, although he's more than happy to give bear hugs. It also gives him confidence, so that he can be what he wants to be and, more importantly, bring people together, inspiring them to stretch themselves and try something new.

The fake head almost has a life of its own. Its appearance only changes once, when Frank adds lippy, lashes and rouge before a stage performance. Yet, as the film progresses, its expression appears to alter.  It doesn't. What changes is the audience's attitude to Frank as a person. The massive head doesn't stand out any more and even new characters accept it readily, as if it were the norm. Hidden beneath, though, are vulnerability, fear and fragility.

Billed as an offbeat comedy, Frank has a gentle, almost fragile humour, most of which comes from Frank's appearance and other people's reactions to it. His descriptions of his facial expressions hidden behind that massive head are some of the funniest moments in the film, as are the scenes where the band is creating its own distinctive style of music. The final third has a very different tone altogether, though: the humour disappears and is replaced by anxiety as it looks increasingly likely that Frank's pupil, Jon, is about to become the master. That anxiety is directed towards the Frank underneath the head. How will he cope with the loss of the most important thing in his life?

That change in tone is unsettling. The band's spontaneity and creativity has gone and the world seems a much colder, more dangerous place. But that's how Frank has always seen it and it's why he protects himself in such an individualistic way.

[score=7]Frank twists and turns in all directions, both in terms of its emotions and narrative. It's certainly offbeat and gently funny, although the sudden change in direction of the final third throws it off balance, but nothing can detract from the power and complexity of Fassbender's performance under such challenging circumstances. He's definitely the go-to actor for difficult roles.
 
Frank is screened at Sundance London on Sunday, 27 April and goes on general release around the UK on Friday, 9 May.