Hello, My Name is Frank (2014)

Genre

Comedy | Drama

Director

Dale Peterson

Country

USA

Cast

Garrett M. Brown, Rachel DiPillo, Hayley Kiyoko, Mary Kate Wiles, Travis Caldwell, Tess Harper, Wayne Duvall, Brent Briscoe, Nate Hartley, Ray Xifo, Kitty Swink, James DuMont, Eileen Galindo, Karina Bonnefil, Graham Sibley

Storyline

Frank (Garrett M. Brown), a 59-year old recluse who suffers from Tourette Syndrome, embarks on a road-trip with a group of teenage girls.

Opinion

Making a film on those with diseases isn't the easiest thing to do. Things get even more complicated when adding comedy because chances are the film is going to be offensive. Chances are the film won't be able to be funny and respectful at the same time. That being said, "Hello, My Name is Frank" finds the perfect balance between drama and comedy, and the result is a funny, sensitive and moving road-trip film.

The film mostly focuses on Frank, an elderly man with severe Tourette Syndrome, as he copes with the loss of his caregiver along with her daughter Laura. He has both physical and verbal Tourette, which means he both has ticks and verbal outbursts.

The filmmakers managed to portray Frank as a human being, as a 'normal' person just like me, and showed the person behind the syndrome, a man with dreams like everyone else. Sure, Frank's outbursts can be funny sometimes, but the filmmakers don't emphasise it, on the contrary they move on like nothing happened. 

In addition to Frank, the film features other interesting and well crafted character, in particular three teenage girls: Laura who always puts the others first as a way to distract herself from the pain of the departure of the mother, Alisa who lives everyday like it's her last and Kim who is struggling with her faith, and the future her parents decided for her. This three additional characters makes the film successful as a coming-of-age tale as well.

The acting is arguably the best part of the film. Garrett M. Brown is fantastic as Frank. Actually he owns the role and helps the audience to get inside Frank's head and feel the character. Good performances also come from the younger cast. Rachel DiPillo does a good job portraying Laura and her pain and Mary Kate Wiles makes you sympathize with her character, but the stand out is Hayley Kiyoko and her portrayal of Alisa that is far away from the stereotypical free-spirit girl. 

It released on VOD on May 17th. Definitely worth checking out. 

Once (2007)

Genre

Drama | Music | Romance

Director

John Carney

Country

Ireland

Cast

Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh, Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley, Geoff Minogue, Bill Hodnett, Danuse Ktrestova, Darren Healy, Mal Whyte, Marcella Plunkett, Niall Cleary, Wittold Owski, Krzysztos Tlotka, Tomek Glowacki, Keith Byrne

Storyline

A modern-day musical about a busker (Glen Hansard) and an immigrant (Markéta Irglová) and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.

Opinion

Buried somewhere on my watchlist for a very long time, my interest in this film reborn when Jane at 500 Days Of Film said great things about it. It has been about two months since that happened, and yesterday I finally decided to spend a hour and a half of my time on it, and I'm glad I did it.

An excellent, gorgeous, honest film, "Once" will give you a unique experience and will remind you of why it is worth making and watching independent films.

The story is simple yet it captures your attention with its realism, and the ability to make you empathize with the characters, one way or another. What captives you the most is the romance between the boy and the girl - nope, they don't have names, they would be nothing but superfluous.

The two protagonists are able to mutually give themselves the greatest love possible, to feel good without needing any physical contact, or even a kiss. That contact or that kiss are not necessary for them to touch each other's soul.

The film, as well as the title, poses us a question: in life, it is possible to meet the person that really understands you, and touches your inner-self? If so, what will happen if you cannot spend the rest of your life with this person?

Entirely shot with a hand-held camera, yet the shots are not too shaky, on the streets of Dublin, the film makes you feel like you're there, in Dublin, with those two, and at the same time makes you feel their feelings through their wonderful music - "Falling Slowly" won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are perfect for the roles, and their sweet, and delicate chemistry really stands out. 

The Cake Eaters (2007)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Mary Stuart Masterson

Country

USA

Cast

Kristen Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, Elizabeth Ashley, Jayce Bartok, Miriam Shor, Talia Balsam, Jesse L. Martin, Melissa Leo

Storyline

Starving musician Guy Kimbrough (Jayce Bartok) makes his way back upstate for the first time in three years, and does his best to deal with the recent death of his mother while trying to win his ex-girlfriend Stephanie (Miriam Shor) back. Meanwhile, his shy brother, Beagle (Aaron Stanford), falls in love with Friedreich's Ataxia-stricken high school student Georgia Kaminski (Kristen Stewart), and their father, Easy (Bruce Dern), attempts to rekindle his relationship with Georgia's grandmother Marg (Elizabeth Ashley).

Opinion

I love independent films, so when a few months ago I was gently asked to review this title, I did my best to get my hands on it. After finally watching it last night, I can say it was a pleasing surprised by Mary Stuart Masterson's directorial debut.

With a bright performance by Kristen Stewart, The Cake Eaters is a simple, subtle and feel-good drama with characters full of humanity.

This is the kind of film in which not much happens but the interesting characters draw you into their world. Each character has their own story to tell, they are interesting and well developed considering the quite short running time. Unfortunately some of their stories lack of something, and the one that is at the center of the film, Stewart and Stanford's, ends with a dry cut.

Despite that small lack, screenwriter and actor Jayce Bartok offered heartfelt dialogue, and director Masterson was able to guide the cast so not to make those lines sound pathetic.

The cast is able to convey depth in their dramatic roles without being unnecessarily melodramatic. Kristen Stewart does a very good job as Georgia. When playing characters with diseases of any kind, there's always a tendency to overact, but she is completely believable. Aaron Stanford - who I saw in the X-Men series and The Hills Have Eyes - has the chance to showcase his acting abilities, and does a fine job in the role of Beagle. The rest of the cast, especially Bruce Dern, provides a good support.

Little Pieces (2014)

Genre

Drama

Director

Adam Nelson

Country

UK

Cast

Finnian Nainby-Luxmoore, Matt Jones, Isabelle Glinn, Graham Cawte, Peter Oliver

Storyline

Little Pieces is the story of Michael (Finnian Nainby-Luxmoore) and Eric (Matt Jones), two young men on a collision course with the world around them. As they race violently towards each other their world comes crashing down, changing their lives forever.

Opinion

In a nutshell? I loved Little Pieces, and I'm very glad I had the chance to see this gem. If only all indies were this good!

Micro-budget first feature from director Adam Nelson, Little Pieces is a brilliant and emotional drama that deals with family, love, abuse and anger.

The story unfolds in a nonlinear way - the title should have rang a bell -, starting from the climax, then putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, and closing with a surprisingly emotional ending. It challenges your intellect, keeps you wondering for the whole time, and it does pay off well. I hope I won't cross the line by saying the result is very close to Iñárritu's. The script is well written, with characters that feel real, and makes you root for them.

The whole thing is laced up with a great direction, beautiful cinematography, and a musical score, composed by Imraan Husain, that fits the story and enhance the emotions.

The actors all do a great job. The young leading trio, Finnian Nainby-Luxmoore, Matt Jones, and Isabelle Glinn, all give solid performances. Nainby-Luxmoore and Glinn have a good chemistry, not one of those you usually see in movies, but a real-life chemistry. Peter Oliver does a good job as Jerry, but Graham Cawte is outstanding, and wonderfully portrays Michael and Eric's alcoholic father.

I highly recommend Little Pieces to anyone. You can find out more about the film on their Facebook and Twitter. 

Rivalries (2015)

Genre

Thriller

Director

Philip Stainsby

Country

UK

Cast

Patrick Doyle, Mark Manning

Plot

The film sees a man, an employee (Patrick Doyle), try to come to terms with this mega city while trying to deliver a document to his employer (Mark Manning), along the way he becomes increasingly at odds with himself in a reflection of sorts of Freudian ideas of the psyche.

Opinion

I do like indies because they prove no big amounts of money are needed to make something good, and Rivalries is a good example of that.

At his feature length debut, director and writer Philip Stainsby manages to bring the audience into the state of consciousness of the protagonist, creating a continuous and increasing tension, partially enhanced by the spectacular and pulsating music, composed by Andrew Mobbs.

Beautifully shot, the chaotic city of Shanghai has an important role in the story. The employee/Doyle's inner monologue, which provides most of the film's dialogue, is very interesting.

As Neil Hopkins did in Detour, Patrick Doyle is able to carry the film through until the end alone, delivering a fantastic performance.

Quotes

The employee: Apparently too much fast food can... oh, like I give a fuck. Gotta other things to worry about.

For more infos check out Rivalries website.