A film that should be character-centered, but gets by on true moments of companionship and emotions

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2014)

Lenny Abrahamson's Frank concerns Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), an aspiring singer-songwriter who has a head full of ideas but no conception of how to execute them. One day, he witnesses a man trying to drown himself at a beach before being rushed to the hospital. Jon is informed by Don (Scoot McNairy) that the man was a keyboardist for an experimental, new-age band by the name of The Soronprbs, which he manages. Learning that Jon plays keyboards, Don signs him to perform for the band one night, much to the dismay of everyone in the band except for the band's leader, a mysterious, enigmatic soul who wears an oversized, paper-mâché detailed to look like a cartoonish face and goes by "Frank" (Michael Fassbender). When Frank signs Jon to be a full-time band member, Jon becomes the bane of Clara's (Maggie Gyllenhaal) existence, as she, the band's theremin-player, becomes increasingly jealous of the relationship that Frank and Jon have with one another.
Jon sees Frank in a different light than everyone else. Rather than viewing him as some larger-than-life figure, he sees past his large mask and tries to cut into him deep as a person. Clearly, Frank has unresolved and deep-rooted mental issues, and the members of The Soronprbs often tell Jon in private to recognize these and go along with his behavior naturally. Jon, however, needs no schooling in how to handle Frank; there's an instant connection between the two and it's one that Clara or anyone else in the band couldn't provide him, which is undoubtedly what Frank saw the second he met Jon.
There's a wonderful theme of companionship and connection rooted in Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan's screenplay, and it's not one rooted in fabricated answers or cheap, gift-wrapped justifications. It's a connection that exists and simply is, withstanding clear differences and wavelengths in the best possible way. Part of Frank's success is the way Fassbender portrays his character, in a way that shows he's a man of actions and feelings.
Frank's biggest issue, however, is the way Ronson and Straughan write the film's characters. Undoubtedly, Frank is the most intriguing person in the film for more reasons than just his large, unique skull, but this is only more apparent when the supporting characters are just not written as eloquently or as interestingly as the titular one. The remaining characters in the film, and even their performances to some degree, carry a weighty coldness in a manner that makes it difficult to understand the motivations of the characters and, in turn, side with them. The film itself doesn't lack personality, but its characters leave a lot more to be desired than what we expect, given the film has such an intriguing premise.
Abrahamson has made a film that is contemplative in themes and focus, but not one that looks at character enough. It mistakes moments of silence and long, awkward pauses between sentences as contemplative drama, when Frank is a film that should have character-centeredness written all over it. However, despite all this, the film manages to have real moments of emotional honesty and remains an enjoyable film on the basis it takes a quirky, and somewhat subversive idea, and runs with it to the point where something, be it strange emotions or even mixed ones, resonates.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Scoot McNairy. Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson.