Frank is more than a Papier Mache head, more than a man, and more than a band.

Rating: 9/10 (18 September 2014)

Having not experienced the comedy of Chris Sievey, I have come into this film based on the jacket cover. I was not disappointed.
This is not a comedy or a drama or an action flick, rather it is a tale being told about a band. Not just any band but the band Soronprfbs, and their quest to make music.
Domhnall Gleeson, the tale's narrator, plays his quirky, awkward, downtrodden character (Jon Burroughs) with ease. A wannabe musician, dreaming of making music. He stumbles upon Soronprfbs who by stroke of chance are short of a keyboard player. After a very quick try-out he is brought along to help in cutting an album. The head of the band is Frank (Michael Fassbender) a charismatic individual who finds inspiration in everything, all experienced from inside a large Papier Mache head. Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) brings depth and colour to everything she is in. She is the anti-hero, the one whose aggressive and threatening view on life provides a great counter balance to Gleeson's cheerful naiveté. The three other important band members are Don, engineer and primary supporter of Jon, Baraque the guitarist and Nana on drums.
For the majority of the film, it centred on just the band, with minor interruptions from external characters, so it made it seem very intimate, getting into their heads.
I found the film to be very captivating. There wasn't much to the story, as it is a simple premise as far as story lines go. But the interaction between characters filled the gaps. They initially appeared wooden and very stereotypically 'alternate', but very quickly the characters breathed life into the film.
The music is not classical, nor rock, nor pop. It is very eclectic, with half the songs in the movie written and performed by the band. I can't get the tune 'I love you all' out of my head.
This is one of my top films for the year.