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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
DEAR FRANKIE
How far would a mother go to protect her child is
the question at hand in Dear Frankie. In this
emotionally charged drama, Lizzie Morrison (Emily Mortimer), a single
mother, secretly writes letters
to her son Frankie, a nine-year-old deaf mute. She
pretends to be his father, a merchant
shipman on a long stint at sea. Lizzie keeps this secret from Frankie at a great sacrifice to
herself. She has essentially stopped living -
guarding her feelings, afraid to trust or to stay
in one place for too long. Her son is used to
packing up and leaving whenever she decides it’s time to move - which is often.
Lizzie's mother advises her that, "Frankie doesn't
need lies in a letter, he needs a flesh and blood
mom." Lizzie replies that reading
Frankie's letters to his "dad" is the only way to
"hear his voice." She even goes so far as to
hire a stranger (the handsome Gerard Butler) to
impersonate the dad after Frankie
discovers that his "father's ship" is coming into
port.
Jack McElhone is simply fantastic as the bright and
inquisitive Frankie. Mortimer’s performance is subtle
and restrained, adding gravity to what could
have been a maudlin tale. The film is all the more poignant - and heart-wrenching - for it.
As the mysterious stranger,
Butler conveys much with a simple glance.
And director Shona Auerbach effectively juxtaposes the
vivid colors of the Scottish hillside and sea with
the muted tones of Frankie's home life.
The
film is more sentimental than others in
this year's growing list of familial-ruse dramas
(Good Bye, Lenin! and Since Otar
Left...). With a moving screenplay by Andrea Gibb and
wonderful performances by
all principal cast members, Dear Frankie is a love
letter that will draw you in.
Tanya Chesterfield
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