DEAR FRANKIE

Shona Auerbach, makes an auspicious directorial debut with “Dear Frankie,” a less than saccharine tale about a mother who sends letters to her nine year old deaf son, Frankie, signing his father’s name to them. Frankie believes his father is a sailor on a boat that never seems to come back to his native Scotland. The letters fuel his imagination with the wonders of the world described in the missives. In truth, his mother Lizzie got the name of the boat, the HMS Accra, from a postage stamp. When the boat turns out to be real and is about to arrive at the local pier, Lizzie is in a quandary. She can’t tell Frankie the awful truth about his real father and she’s afraid to disappoint him. She decides to hire herself a dad for a day.

Emily Mortimer (“Lovely and Amazing”) is Lizzie, a single mother constantly on the move trying to elude a person or persons unknown who are after her. It could be the law, a stalker, or the tax man. Or it could be something less ominous that cuts closer to the marrow of Lizzie’s  life. After a few false starts, the filmmakers get to the heart of their story - the trials and tribulations of a working class single mother trying to do what’s best for her son. She worries about Frankie’s health and his schooling. She needs a job but can’t seem to plant roots. Her mother helps out but she is one more mouth that has to be fed.

Jake McElhone’s Frankie is a typical kid despite his handicap. He loves his mother, is close to his grandmother (Mary Riggins), and brags about his father. A newfound friend doesn’t believe Frankie has a father so when Frankie discovers that the Accra will come to port some time in the near future, he plots a meeting that neither his mother nor his friend can ignore. Frankie’s  excitement at the prospect of meeting the father he hardly remembers prompts Lizzie to find someone to impersonate the author of her letters. She finally settles on the recommendation of Marie (Sharon Small), one of the few people she has come to trust. Frankie’s ‘father’ arrives in the guise of Gerard Butler.

Butler, best known as the title character in the film version of “Phantom of the Opera” is infinitely more charismatic here exuding more mystery in his short time on screen than the whole of “Phantom.” His great physical presence changes the tone of  “Dear Frankie” The Stranger stirs yearnings in Lizzie that she had all but abandoned in her efforts to protect Frankie. He becomes Frankie’s confidante working to extend his role as father beyond one day and to win Lizzie’s confidence.  He senses that she doesn’t trust her feelings. She refuses to be seduced by his gentle nature yet finds herself attracted to him. Surprisingly, the fear of this Stranger or any stranger being a pedophile is not dealt with overtly. Lizzie does have her misgivings but they are downplayed by her friend who claims to know the Stranger intimately.

The simplicity of “Dear Frankie” is its greatest asset. Feelings are revealed through body language and the expressiveness of its characters. Lizzie is perplexed by the tug of war between her emotions and common sense. The Stranger is likewise surprised by the feelings that rise over the course of his brief masquerade. Butler makes his Stranger appear to know more about Lizzie than she knows about herself. His sympathetic piercing gaze unsettles her. Likewise Frankie’s acceptance of the Stranger seems baffling. After some startling revelations about the origins of Frankie’s hearing loss screenwriter Andrea Gibb saves the best for last.

                                                                                                                      Copyright 2005