Review of Frank & Lola (2016) by Spangle — 03 Jan 2017

The directorial debut of Matthew Ross, Frank & Lola is an excellent debut film. While merely an above average film, the film often feels like the debut of a soon-to-be great filmmaker. Showing great intuition when it comes to storytelling and some very cool camera shots along the way, Ross shows that he knows how to direct a film. However, as with all debuts, Frank & Lola merely feels unpolished. If you look closely, you can still see the brush strokes on the canvas. Under the leadership of a more seasoned director, Frank & Lola could have been the best erotic noir thriller in a long time. Under the watch of Ross, however, it is merely a hint at what is to come. This is also the film where I learned that it is Imogen Poots not Imogen Potts. I have no idea why I thought that, but I have even tagged her as Imogen Potts on multiple reviews.

A deeply sexual film, Frank & Lola's greatest tricks are the camera. There are numerous shots that are incredible and shows that Ross has a tremendous eye for visuals. One such shot is of Frank (Michael Shannon) following Alan (Michael Nyqvist) in Paris. Influenced by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, this voyeuristic sequence would certainly be at home in one of his films or one by Brian De Palma. This comparison becomes more apt when considering the voyeurism in the context of the film. Deeply jealous and obsessed, Frank is one half of the "rotten" relationship with Lola (Imogen Poots). Similar to De Palma or Hitchcock, Ross expends a lot of energy exploring Frank's jealousy and obsession. Though Lola gives him plenty of reason to be worried, Frank is deeply obsessed with her and her every move. Him telling her that when he wakes up, he thinks about her is hardly a sign of love. Rather, it is a sign that he is dangerously obsessed with her and could wind up hurting her. Throughout, Frank is shown to be a violent man as he attacks Alan and attacks a man who is beating a girl in a bar. In many ways, it could be argued this anger is facing inward as he fights those who act on his inclinations. He never hurts Lola, but certainly feels possessive and hates to see men who acts this way or who infringe upon his ownership of Lola and her body. This obsession is certainly a theme of Hitchcock and De Palma's work, as is voyeurism, showing that Ross is certainly influenced by both. Though I am hardly calling him the new incarnation of those two, he certainly has the potential and is willing to indulge in similar themes.

Ross also shows an inclination towards mirror shots, which I am always a big fan of. The best one coming at the very end after Frank goes to the kitchen and returns to where Lola is sitting, except she is gone. As he walks to the bar, the camera is standing outside a doorway looking into the room. Adjacent to the door is a mirror where you can see Frank. Next to that, along the door frame, is another mirror where Lola can be seen. The focus then racks to highlight Lola's forlorn look, certainly hinting that things are likely over between her and Frank. This shot is truly incredible and shows that visual skill possessed by Ross.

However, as mentioned before, the film is certainly unpolished. Though visually stylish, the story is pretty scattershot. The themes are good, but the film's plot is unfocused and jumps freely between Las Vegas and Paris. Much of the plot merely feels like an exercise in camera movement and utilizing various lighting and color schemes. While very pretty to look at, the plot is incredibly disposable and hardly engaging. The characters are pretty one-note and, while the themes are interesting, the characters are not terribly well-written. Poots' character is mostly just crazy and Shannon's just broods and tries to control Lola. While the acting is very good here, especially by Shannon, the plot and characters are incredibly underwritten. This leaves the film feeling quite hollow. It does not strike a balance between being stylish over substance as even the most stylish films have great substance via plot and characters, even if minimalist. Frank & Lola's plot is not minimalist, it is non-existent.

The directorial debut of Matthew Ross, Frank & Lola shows that Ross is a man to keep an eye on. Many great directors have an unpolished debut and, personally, I believe this to be Ross's. With terrific camera work via mirrors and voyeurism and themes of obsession, Ross takes a lot of cues from Hitchcock and De Palma in this film. While it is certainly a high bar to achieve, it is clear that he has great potential and I am eagerly anticipating his next work.