The New Keyboardist

I love films. I like how they make me feel a certain feeling. I like how they make sense of little things and speak it even more sensibly. Frank is one of those films that give me that kind of feeling.

Frank (2014)
A film by Lenny Abrahamson
Written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan

Frank tells the story of a young struggling songwriter, Jon (Domnhall Gleeson), as he joins an eccentric band, Soronprfbs, led by Frank (Michael Fassbender), an enigmatic musician who wears a large fake head.

The film, though troubling, was very engaging; especially the characters. With their quirks and peculiarities, at first they could easily be thought of as amusing, and even cool, as to how they uniquely express themselves through music. But Frank (the film) refused to give its viewers' expectations of the conventional tale of another soul-searching musical journey despite its common portrayal of an unconventional band.

When Jon, a newcomer and in awe of Frank's talent, started to push the band to lead a path for fame, the story also started to reveal a more darker side, unraveling the damages of each of the characters. Though the film did not exactly scrutinize the real and serious dangers of having mental illness, it still managed to open eyes about today's general idiosyncrasy. Furthermore, the empathetic ending gave a satisfying resolution. Also, Michael Fassbender, even on a very different light, was brilliant as always

Frank, indeed, is an uplifting story about creativity, insanity and judgment; sharing a wry sense of humor, poignant moments, and sincere learning. It is a rare reminder not to neglect a person's true character just because of his/her eccentricities, because there is definitely more to a person than meets the eye.