Ross complicates matters a bit with noir tropes (an illicit video, a mystery man, a club orgy that's meant to be the height of decadence), but the film is rooted unquestioningly in masculine propriety. Claire offered her a $400,000 check if Lola were to get an abortion and leave Paris, which she reluctantly agreed to, and moved to Las Vegas, where she then met Frank. Privacy Policy Offers may be subject to change without notice. Shannon is Frank, a talented chef who loses his job at an upper-end Vegas restaurant at just about the time he meets Lola (Imogen Poots), a would-be fashion designer whos also looking for work. Frank ( Michael Shannon) and Lola (Imogen Poots) are fumbling around the fringes of a relationship, two self-diagnosed fuck-ups who wrestle with the fear that they're wounds run too deep to be. "Frank and Lola" starts right in the middle of a frank sex scene between its leads, the fortysomething chef Frank (Michael Shannon) and the recent college graduate and would-be fashion designer Lola (Imogen Poots), and it continues in that vein, dropping us into the middle of moments, relationships and predicaments and expecting us to find our way through them. Mystery & thriller, Just what well-nigh the head? An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The film just plops us into Frank and Lolas relationship. Frustrated to the hilt, Lola quits the job and decides to start her own wine importing company. She cites the resulting mental trauma as reason for her infidelity. Frank has to find some way to discover where the truth lies, and whether his relationship with Lola can be saved. Frank goes to Paris, ostensibly to look into a potentially lucrative chef job set up by Lola's mother (Rosanna Arquette, overdoing the shallow self-regard and sexual voraciousness; when she tells Frank, "I can't wait to taste your food," I expected her to add a cartoon-y meow). While this may sound all too grim for a cinematic representation of romance, Frank & Lola is nothing if not incredibly realistic in the way it captures the exciting and oftentimes consuming state of being in love. As a result, the film exists as an unwavering character piece about a pair of lovers whose complex relationship with love will almost certainly be their undoing. But the job interview is a pretext to confront the would-be patron (played by Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist), the owner of the Las Vegas hotel where Frank would serve as head chef. Shannon and Poots star as the titular couple here. [8] Shortly after, Universal Studios acquired worldwide distribution rights, excluding a few territories, with Paladin co-distributing the film. But we're still left with the nagging feeling that debut writer/director Matthew Ross and his cast never quite got a handle on what draws these two to each other, what would make Lola disclose that devastating story to Frank after years of telling no one (including family), and what demons would compel Frank to fly across the Atlantic and come on like Charles Bronson in khakis. Theyre characters who exist only in cinema, working glamorous jobs that require them to occupy atmospheric sets in repose, looking commanding and sexy. Later, they return to Waratah Station as a happy couple, to celebrate Sams wedding with her girlfriend Heidi. However, for those like me who take become sort of numb to physical allure, information technology makes you lot very skeptical. However, Lola's reflection can be seen in one of the doors, watching Frank, leaving the status of their relationship ambiguous. He cooks for her and while they say the quickest way to a human beings heart is through his breadbasket, the same seems to apply to women too. Ross isnt examining the ugliness of male possessiveness, but reveling in it. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Their honeymoon is endangered, however, by Frank's jealousy. Although Lola is the focal point of the entire plot and its themes, Frank embodies the result of what women actually require instead of white knights riding in violently to supposedly avenge their victimhood. What Frank & Lola does best is provide an affirmation of the capacity of the human soul: to forgive anothers flaws, to overcome those flaws in oneself, to find a way to keep loving despite them, and most of all to endure even after experiencing the worst of human behaviour. Did I enjoy the performances of this picture show? Briony Tallis, 13 years old and enthralled by the power of storytelling ("you had only to . Our team. Impressed that Frank is a "fan", he invites him back to his place for a drink. But when he musters the courage and reveals his true identity to her the next morning, she is dismayed at his lies. So when Lolas past comes back to haunt her, so comes the question if Frank is willing to piece of work with Lola or if her issues are too much for what he makes out to be a lonely but uncomplicated life. In this waste of time, he plays Frank, a neurotic chef in Las Vegas who is sexually involved with a recent college grad and aspiring fashion designer named Lola (Imogen Poots). There are no featured audience reviews for Frank & Lola at this time. Coming Soon. All he has is his piece of work and while he gets invites from his co-workers to go out and hang, that isnt strongly his interest. He carries the same sort of intensity into his moves in the kitchen, where you can feel the mans devotion to his craft as though he were a musician working with his instrument. A young daughter, a higher pupil at the time, named Lola meets this . They seem to be two tortured souls in a jinxed relationship. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. Shannon is, as usual, superb, turning Frank into a believably scruffy neo-noir hero with a rough past: he left home when he was just 16 and has been working in kitchens ever since, and there are intimations of abuse in his past, which partly (if not fully) illuminates his Paris crusade. Instead, the filmmaker lards Frank & Lola with red herrings and stock subplots, oscillating between Franks jealousy over Lola, his struggle to land a new stable restaurant gig in the wake of losing a job, and his stalking of one of Lolas past lovers, the rich, powerful, and evilly European Alan (Michael Nyqvist). Lola (Imogen Poots) | Frank (Michael Shannon). Nyqvist (so good in the Swedish Dragon Tattoo films) and Emmanuelle Devos (unforgettable in Read My Lips and Kings & Queen) are deliciously sordid as a kinky European couple with a lax attitude about fidelity. His suspicions grow darker when Keith finds a position for Lola at a posh boutique. Nonetheless, neither of their performances I experience stay with you lot. Lola further refrains from contacting Max, as she is still upset over what he did as well as how little he did to stop her from leaving. The biggest way in which Frank & Lola manages this is by not wasting a great amount of time explaining much of anything regarding plot. The biggest point of Lolas story, albeit told at times through the lens of Frank and his experience, is that this struggle is her struggle; its her pain. Rest assured, our passports are ready.[17], The Film Stage's Ed Frankel: "Frank & Lola, a noirish erotic thriller from journalist-turned-director Matthew Ross, finds leads Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots in top form. Frank realizes shes a girl in danger of causing him constant misery, especially when she rarely comes home at night on time, and sometimes not at all. The mere presence of Michael Shannon in the lead role will be enough for many to check out Frank and Lola, but Matthew Rosss debut film has a goodly number of other things going for it as well. But during one of her wine tasting events, Max suddenly turns up and apologizes for his past behavior. RELATED: How To Get Away With Murder: The 10 Worst Things Annalise Ever Did. Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site. When Frank attempts to blackmail Alan into leaving them alone by sending the surveillance tape to Claire via her email, Alan attacks him. Lola arrives late to the dinner, and is surprised to find that the restaurant is Frank's. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. He becomes so unhinged with jealousy that he flies to Paris to track down Alan and beat him up. A seductive and intense noir romance for our times, FRANK & LOLA is the story of two people locked in a battle of passion and obsession. Franks own personal journey into understanding Lola, what happened to her, takes an atypical turn. She goes to stop him but is too late as Frank shoots at Birkhead, killing her immediately. The acting - of course - is superb with Shannon getting a showcase part that plays to his strengths. I discovered that there's a really cool and exciting, vibrant arts and culture scene there that's just been developing downtown. Their honeymoon is endangered, however, by Franks jealousy. In the end, Ross leaves us with an ambiguitywhich pervades the last shot dominated by a simple reflection in a mirror and he never leads us one way or another to any answers. There is always this appearance of suffering when it comes to Shannon, and that looks is used well here. The films heightened look is incredibly polished by indie film standards, making the proceedings come off as somewhat perversely magical, which is wonderfully at odds with the intensity of the plot. One night, she confesses she's been raped. And for a split second, you almost allow yourself to think how nice it is to finally see this actor more often than not cast as menacing heavies and squinty creeps playing a romantic lead. When she accidentally sprays manure over Hazel one day, she decides to quit out of embarrassment and go back home. As it happens, that suits Frank perfectly, since hes just learned that Lola was once raped by Alan (Michael Nyqvist), the lustful and wealthy one-time boyfriend of her freewheeling mother Patricia (Rosanna Arquette). Thus, after so many months of sincere hard work, her dream of working with Vaughn Family Wines finally comes true. Lola is many years younger than he is, so Frank is anxious. Drama. Its the mode they await at each other, trying to figure out the others thoughts, trying to see if what they are saying will be taken well, rejected, or admired. The story doesnt always follow along that path, but Ross uses the visual aesthetic of the genre to drape his characters and their situations in mystery. Now I couldn't imagine it being anywhere else but Vegas it's kind of the perfect backdrop for these two lonely, damaged characters in the movie. Chuck Bowen's writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Atlantic, The AV Club, Style Weekly, and other publications. [9][10] The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on December 9, 2016. Chris is a B.A.H. A love-sick guy who allows himself to fall for the wrong girl and then gets led down a morally rocky path toward oblivion. The caveman side of masculinity comes between Frank and his better interests. But due to the lack of clientele, she is unable to get her ideas off the ground. Back at Waratah Station, Lola goes for a night out with her new friends at the local pub, but they end up getting into a hilarious bar fight, only to be rescued by Max later. "[20], At JoBlo.com, Chris Bumbray gave Frank & Lola and 8/10 rating, writing that Even if their relationship is toxic, for some strange reason you want them patch things up and live happily ever after. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Whoever heard of a movie star named Poots? When he does, however, Alan, a suave fellow who has an open marriage with his rich wife Claire (Emmanuelle Devos), offers an alternative account that suggests Lola has been deceiving him. In that Lola, the victim in question, doesnt need anybody to do away with her abuser, nor does she even need him driven forever from her presence. At the same time, Calder loses Hazels contract due to his poor work ethic, but Lola decides to not go after her and looks for fresh clients. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! Thats a perfect fit for Shannon, who is able with near-minimalist gestures to convey the inner distress of a man obsessed with a woman and bent on sweeping away all doubt about her fidelity. Ian McEwan's 2001 novel Atonement opens with a description of what it's like to invent a world. Yes. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Once Lola reveals to Frank a history of sexual abuse by a man in her past, the mystery of the film thickens. They excel as lovers in this tightly-wound psychosexual love story that has elements of the best of Eyes Wide ShutFrank & Lola has some of that film's noir-esque aesthetic, too, with hints of Michael Mann's night-time city lookCarried by two accomplished performances, and despite a tight 87-minute running time, this is a rich saga, bathed in atmosphere that disturbs as much as it engrosses. Amazed at how much he knows about her and the Vaughns, Lola asks him about his past, but he strangely evades her questions and just shares how he was a rather rebellious youth who mended his ways after his mothers death. Is Waratah Station a Real Sheep Ranch. Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson Feted at SBIFF 2023, Revisiting Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Tragically Common: Jamie Dack, Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker on Palm Trees and Power Lines. FRANK & LOLA is the Year's Most Truthfully Brutal Love Story | by Frank Calvillo | Cinapse Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. The most frustrating thing about realizing it is that it's impossible to know exactly what could have been done to create the spark this movie needed to combust. And if I'd made it earlier, it wouldn't have been as tight as it was when we shot it. B-, Credit: Eric Koretz; Paladin; Courtesy Everett Collection. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards. A snippet of conversation. But its Shannon whose wildcard intensity turns Frank & Lola into something more than the scripts collection of hardboiled implausibilities. Frank explains that he made "that psycho" (Alan) leave her alone forever, and attempts to rekindle their relationship. Ultimately the film speaks to the question of truly wanting to trust the person you are in love with and that very something that keeps you from fully being able to. He tracks Alan down using information he gathered online, and follows him to a local bistro. Ross complicates matters a bit with noir tropes (an illicit video, a mystery man, a club orgy thats meant to be the height of decadence), but the film is rooted unquestioningly in masculine propriety. Alan invites Frank to the club where he has a one-night stand with a wealthy Parisian woman and her friend. Copyright Fandango. A young girl falls for an older man, a stable human, and she tries to adapt to such a life after living with instability for years. Instead, the film just quietly jumps right into its characters lives in an extremely refreshing way. This is obviously a modestly-budgeted film, but production designer Gerald Sullivan and cinematographer Eric Koretz have collaborated to give it a glossily seedy look, while editors Rebecca Rodriguez and Jennifer Lilly maintain a deliberate pace without sacrificing tension and Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans have confected a properly unsettling score. Alan lives in Paris, and Frank plans to use the trip to confront him. After the dinner, Frank and Amy. Cinemark All rights reserved. Drinking alone in a bar, he sees a man abusing his girlfriend. Theres an almost labyrinthine quality to the screenplay, weaving us back and forth from Lola to Frank, not always sure if the truth is really truth, or if its an illusion. While the character of Lola in particular calls to mind the women of Alfred Hitchcocks mysteries, or someone Raymond Chandler would writeopposite Philip Marlowe, its the visuals which ground us in a world of modern noir. . Danny Bensi and Saunder Juuriaans composed the film's score. And Poots emits precisely this aura of remote privilege against which Shannon is usually used as a tonal counterbalance, only without the superstardom to fulfill it, which might explain why she so rarely connects with her co-stars or the audience. In typical rape-revenge scenarios starting all the way back withCharles Bronson in Death Wish, Sam Peckinpahs Straw Dogs, Wes CravensThe Last House on the Left and its recent remake, most times a man is a central part of the eventual revenge which takes place. Is it part of the case yall build to say these two are maybe underrated? A Perfect Pairing Ending: Do Lola and Max End Up Together? Otherwise, you may ane day exist going through their IMDB filmography and question if yall saw this movie and merely realize you did one time you read the synopsis or after rewatching the outset few minutes. [3] In the original screenplay, instead of Las Vegas the film was set in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the restauranter is impressed with Frank and he gets a job as the head chef in their new Las Vegas restaurant. But Ross isnt Wong Kar-wai. Realizing her mistakes, Audra apologizes to Lola, who forgives her and walks away. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The love story between the two main characters drives so much of the films intentions, as they work to stay together even after so much hurt. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. , she is unable to Get her ideas off the ground flies to to... 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