Review of Frank (2014) by Luke K — 21 Dec 2015

Frank is a very very unusual movie, much more than the quirky comedy it first appears to be. The film begins as an offbeat, light-hearted story about a young wannabe musician (Domhnall Gleeson) joining a grungy, experimental rock-band led by the enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender), a man hiding his face under a large prosthetic head. The premise has the potential to be hilarious, and at times it is. About two acts in, the film morphs into a sad and heartbreaking essay on fame, creativity and greed. And as a whole, I think Frank mostly works. The film has some uniquely funny moments, particularly in the first half. The first scene of Jon performing with the band is the highlight for me. While the film does have a melancholic and gloomy atmosphere from the get go, the sudden turn into a really dark comedy took me very off guard. I found the tonal shift quite jarring, although I can see that there was enough dramatic and character depth in the final act that had been set up in the beginning - enough to justify the change. I don't think this movie would have worked at all if not for Michael Fassbender's incredible performance. Spending 99% of the film underneath the massive fake head, Fassbender conveys so much struggle, anxiety and sadness through his voice and body language alone, and that is amazing. When he does take off the head, his mannerisms match exactly how they did before; showing how he truly embodied the character and was not just playing into a joke. The fact that an A-lister took this role is pretty commendable in itself, and Fassbender did the impossible by making you feel so much for an inanimate, fake head.

Overall, while I respect Frank's deviation into darker themes and territory, I feel it's message got very unclear and I couldn't quite figure out what it was trying to say. Despite this, Frank is still a good, funny and wholly original film, and thanks to an inspiring performance from Michael Fassbender, it is able to transcend its central gimmick and be much much more.