Review of Dear Frankie (2004) by Radcliff M — 13 Jul 2008
This is a small, quiet, and often times beautiful little film about love, family, and the deep desire for those things when they're absent in your life. The film follows a young deaf boy and his mother.
He writes letters to a father he's never known and she receives the letters, writes back to him posing as his father, and sends them back to him. Why does she do this? That's summed up in one terrific, heartbreaking, and real line from Emily Mortimer's Lizzie "It's the only time I get to hear his voice.
" But then the ship that Frankie's father is supposedly on docks in Glasgow, the town they live in. Now Lizzie is in a bit of predicament, so she hires a man she doesn't know to play Frankie's father for a day.
This sounds like the set up for a bad lifetime movie. However it exceeds that at every turn. This isn't a weepy tear jerker chic flick. It is a film about people and the lengths they will go to protect those that they love from being let down by the world.
It is about family and a boy's desperation for a father. This is a very poignant, touching and real film. The performances are exceptional all the way around with Emily Mortimer shining in another excellent performance.
Another stand-out is the young Jack McElhone who is the main character yet has only one line. Still we see and feel every emotion on his face as he hits every note of his performance. Another highlight of this film is the scenery.
The Director collaborated with her crew to create a very specific color pallet to represent the beautiful Glasgow. Every shot is breathtaking. This is a phenomenal and beautiful character piece of a film.
This review of Dear Frankie (2004) was written by Radcliff M on 13 Jul 2008.
Dear Frankie has generally received very positive reviews.
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