REVIEW: Frank

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I decided to watch Frank. I'd seen it around Netflix for a while now and the description was absurd enough to pique my interest. A comedy about a musician who wears a big, papier-mâché mask all the time. Sure, why not? Little did I know that there was a lot more to this indie flick than just its oddball premise.

Frank tells the story of Jon Burroughs (Domhnall Gleeson), an aspiring musician working day to day, struggling to find inspiration. By a stroke of fate, he finds himself as the new keyboard player for Soronprfbs, an experimental rock band led by the enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender), a man who never removes his giant, papier-mâché head. Together, this quite literal band of misfits travel to a cabin in Ireland to record their new album, all while Jon attempts to find his creative voice by way of following his mysterious new mentor.

The first thing that bears mentioning here is the film's sense of humor; those who don't appreciate comedy on the drier side will find little worth laughing about in the escapades of Frank and company. The majority of the comedy here is strictly situational; the whole thing feels at least partially inspired (at least tone-wise) by the films of the Cohen Brothers (one scene in particular seems like a loving homage to the infamous Folger's can eulogy from The Big Lebowski). It's dry, witty, clever, and a little off-the-wall, but I don't know if I'd define Frank as conventionally "funny". However, to focus exclusively on the comedic elements of this film would mean ignoring the dramatic elements, and that is something I simply cannot abide.

One of the driving questions behind this movie is "why does Frank wear the mask?" The more Jon comes to learn about who Frank is, the more he infers that there must have been something special, something haunting, that made Frank into the musical genius that he is. Jon comes from a perfectly average neighborhood. He holds down a boring job and lives with his parents. In his mind, he is wholly unremarkable, and that is the reason that musical inspiration eludes him. Without giving anything away, Frank is a movie which explores the ins and outs of the various masks that we all wear in our day to day lives.

The cast is as small as one would expect from an indie film such as this, the clear standouts being the three actors who receive the most focus; Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal plays Clara, the band's temperamental theremin player, with venomous energy. Only once the film is over do we start to understand what makes her such an aggressively mean person, in particular to Jon. The energy she shares with Gleeson is impressive to say the least. Domhnall Gleeson is a well-rounded protagonist for the audience to latch onto; he's the outsider, the everyman, tailor-made to escort the audience through the madness of the band's ups and downs. However, Michael Fassbender's turn as Frank completely steals the show. The man is unrecognizable throughout the majority of the film, completely disappearing into the character. He always has an air of approachable mystique about him; you never quite know what's going around inside that big, fake head of his, but it's safe to assume it's something worth hearing. Make no mistake, everyone else gives a strong performance and helps to sell the overall theme of this movie, but no one does so better than Fassbender.

Frank is a wholly unique little picture. It honestly took me by surprise at just how thought-provoking it all managed to be. It's a relatable theme relayed by well-rounded characters, all set to a mysteriously endearing soundtrack. Really, "mysteriously endearing" sums up the entire movie. Frank is a reservedly good time that will make you smile and think at the same time and, though its charms may be lost on some, I simply can't not recommend it. Definitely check it out.