I Recommend : Dear Frankie

Frankie is a nine-year-old boy (Jack McElhone) with one great joy in his life: corresponding with his father, a naval petty officer. The letters have defined and improved his life. Deaf, he barely speaks. In his letters he reads in a gentle, confident Scottish brogue. He devours books on marine life; a large map of his father’s travels dominates his bedroom; and he declines fish with his chips. Though he’s sick of moving, this town is different. It’s by the sea.

In truth, Frankie’s father is in Scotland, gravely ill. His life at sea was concocted by Frankie’s mother, Lizzie (Emily Mortimer), to keep the real, landlocked father out of their lives. We don’t know much about Frankie’s dad, only that he caused the boy’s deafness and is so despicable that Lizzie, her mother, and Frankie raise stakes frequently to maintain their distance.

Lizzie’s web of lies is meant to comfort her, as well as Frankie. “It’s the only time I get to hear his voice,” Lizzie says of Frankie’s letters, every one of which she answers. The facade looks certain to crumble when Frankie’s father’ s alleged ship -- Lizzie chose the boat from a stamp -- actually makes a visit to their town. Desperate to keep the dream alive for her son, Lizzie finds a rugged stranger (Gerard Butler) to play the role of Frankie’s dad for a weekend.

It's hard to imagine this story actually happening, but it's also hard to imagine it being told with such sensitivity and lack of mawkishness, thanks to director Shona Auberbach. Yes, she does lard the soundtrack with too many marginal pop songs, but she gets tender, sometimes surprising performances out of her leads. The pretty Mortimer and the rough, yet tender Butler navigate their character's shaky waters. Questions of why this stranger would accept such an odd job is answered not by the eventual revealing of his identity, but by Butler 's dewy charm, as if he enjoys having a son, even for one day. Mortimer gives us a mother who is doing the best she can under less-than-ideal parental circumstances, so not only don't we blame her, we sympathize with what she's awkwardly trying to achieve. Even when the real father briefly enters the picture, at an extremely schematic moment, we still buy it. In fact, despite the overly plotted nature of the entire story, we buy all of it. Because it's told with intelligence, humor and tenderness. Dear Frankie , a winner at the Los Angeles Film Festival, avoids big, Hollywood emotions and tells its small tale in a small way. It's a poignant film well worth a look.

Rating : 8/10
Running Time: 100 mins
Trailer Link: Dear Frankie