“I say, tell everyone everything. Why cover anything up, right?” This may seem ironic coming from a man who wears a paper-mâché head to conceal his face for 24 hours a day. That is exactly what Lenny Abrahamson’s 2014 film Frank is: ironic – yet in the best way possible. By utilizing irony, Frank succeeds in establishing a sense of outlandishness unique among typical musical comedies. At first glance, many may see Frank as nothing more than an abstract, quirky movie. Nonetheless, it becomes clear upon viewing the film that Frank is as moving, witty, and thought-provoking as it is eccentric and recondite.

Frank follows the footsteps of Jon, an aspiring songwriter, who seems dissatisfied with his life where his musical potential fails to be recognized. Luckily, Jon catches a break from his dull lifestyle when he gets scouted by Frank, the lead singer of an experimental music group named The Soronprfbs. Jon accompanies the band, as their keyboardist, on a year-long workshop in a remote cabin to record their debut album. After Jon’s secretly uploaded videos of the band’s recording sessions go viral on social media, the band is invited to perform at the music festival South by Southwest. This dream is soon interrupted by escalating disagreements regarding the band’s vision alongside the members’ eventual mental deterioration.

Unorthodox Would Be an Understatement

It is not often that viewers see a film’s main protagonist completely covered neck-up for the near entirety of the film’s running time. This is because wearing a prop entails the risk of prohibiting an actor’s expressions rather than encouraging them. In this sense, Abrahamson made a venturesome decision that solely relied on the actor’s creative taste and skills to deliver the essence of Frank effectively. Fortunately, Abrahamson’s leap of faith was one worth taking as actor Michael Fassbender proved to possess exquisite ingenuity in verbal and physical articulacy in his performance as Frank. Fassbender’s body language succeeds in conveying the mystery and coldness of Frank’s initial appearance, while also portraying his utter clumsiness as the film progresses. Fassbender’s ability to accommodate for Frank’s facial muteness is what ultimately leads to Frank’s magnetism as a character.

In addition to Frank’s essential appearance, the unconventional nature of the film truly shines through its musical production. Considering how Frank is categorized as a musical comedy, it is surprising how vexing the musical performances are throughout the film. Nothing about Frank is mainstream, including its music. At times, Abrahamson even provides satire into the enigmatic, unchained nature of avant-garde music, poking fun at the cult-like features of Frank’s workshop. Nevertheless, the way in which the film depicts the band’s unfiltered passion leaves the audience drawn towards this baffling musical experience instead of being repelled by it.

Dark… Dark Comedy
The overall lightness and sense of indifference the characters embody may not accurately represent the substantive material the film encompasses. For example, one of the main themes repeated throughout Frank is mental illness. The black humor that defines the comedic tone of Frank is made clear within the first few minutes of the film when Jon gets his first opportunity to perform on stage as Frank’s keyboardist. He highlights his qualifications to the band manager while they witness the former keyboardist attempting to drown himself on a beach. Taken at face value, the scene sounds depressing and chaotic. Yet, the cinematography that emphasizes the band members’ nonchalance and Jon’s utter self-centeredness seems to nullify the severity of the event – almost making it nonsensically hysterical. The comicality the band members are instilled with allows the audience to familiarize themselves with characters who would otherwise be outcast as mavericks.

Jon’s introduction scene, in particular, provides an interesting perspective on why Frank is so compelling and hilarious to its audience. The film’s silent, yet effective banter lies in how it limits comedy rather than letting the hilarity loose; nothing seems outwardly or intentionally funny in Frank. Unlike most comedic films, there is no separate punch line or resolution to the jokes delivered throughout the film. This is due to the complete lack of awareness of the characters regarding their comical and charismatic presence. Frank, Jon, and the rest of the band members, despite all being beguiling characters, do not realize the amusing context of their actions.

Genuinely realizing the comedic value of Frank without depreciating the characters is not an easy task. Like many classic tragedies, Frank turns deep-rooted trauma and mental instabilities into entertainment. Thus, appreciating Frank’s comedy assumes that viewers empathize with the painfully awkward and incomprehensible features of its characters. The initial resemblance between the audience and the band members further develops when viewers are challenged with the characters’ problematic aspects, as the band encounters sudden fame. The band members’ apprehensive, selfish ways of dealing with conflict are painful to watch, not simply because the audience feels pity for them, but because the audience relates to these pitiful moments as well. The humility that Frank’s characters are imbued with allows the audience to not only identify the flaws present within the film but also themselves

Frank offers a wonderful cinematic experience that goes beyond the narrative of a musical comedy and reaches the depths of a poignant dramatic film. Frank’s aesthetic, behavioral peculiarities, as off-putting as they seem, accentuate how successful the film is in delivering a story that seems unconventional, yet so distinctly relatable and enticing. Thus, the question of what lingers within the paper-mâché head of Frank is not an inquiry directed towards revealing the identity of the film’s main protagonist, but rather the audience: what they feel about him, what they want from him, and ultimately, what they see in him.

Film Information

Release Date: May 2, 2014 (UK)

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Running Time: 96 minutes

Genre: Comedy, Musical Drama