What starts as a look at the beginning of a relationship evolves gradually into a rumination on everything, from the effects of sexual assault on relationships to the futility of revenge. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. [6] Frank & Lola was one of two completed featured films selected out the Lab's eight total projects. Above all, Frank & Lolais a raw and honest look at the consequences of sexual assault on a woman. 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. "[3] Ross believes the Vegas setting made for a better film, adding, "Yes, it took eight years to get the film made, but I also got to really refine the script. Regal Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. 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. There is something so explosive about these two people who are drawn to each other but know far better than to be in this relationship due to their own damaged selves. Ross ends the film on a prismatic image that suggests some time spent studying The Immigrant, showing Frank to be trapped within several reflections of himself, with Lola pushed to the sidelines. Frank, a chef in Las Vegas, meets and falls in love with Lola, a mysterious young woman who is new to the city. Heartbroken at his lack of effort, Lola sadly bids goodbye to her friends and returns to Los Angeles. He follows the man outside and beats him in a fit of rage. Moreover, great cinematography and deft editing make the entire experience incredibly beautiful while avoiding the sort of pretentiousness which usually accompanies such efforts. Mystery & thriller, Directed by Stuart McDonald, it revolves around Lola, a dynamic Los Angeles-based wine executive, who travels to the Australian farmlands to meet Hazel Vaughn, a potential client. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. "[3], In February 2014, it was announced Lola Pictures, Killer Films, Parts and Labor, and Preferred Content joined to produce the film, with Jan Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Christine Vachon, Kevin Iwashina, and John Baker to produce the film. 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. Updated December 07, 2016 at 10:07 PM EST, ALL CROPS: FRANK & LOLA, from left: Michael Shannon, Imogen Poots, 2016. ph: Eric Koretz / © Paladin / Courtesy Everett Collection. Privacy Policy 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. Poots sketches Lola vividly, but she remains a relatively opaque presence by comparison to Frank, to whom Shannon brings such deep reserves of suppressed rage that you expect the screen to burst into violence at any moment. As both screenwriter and director, Ross proves he's a filmmaker with not just something to say, but somewhere to take us. With Frank & Lola now in select theaters and available on Digital HD and On Demand, I recently had the pleasure of hopping on the phone with Michael Shannon to talk about his part in the movie . Frank & Lola opens in theaters across the U.S. and will be available on digital HD and On Demand onDecember 9. amzn_assoc_placement="adunit0";amzn_assoc_search_bar="true";amzn_assoc_tracking_id="filminquiry-20";amzn_assoc_ad_mode="manual";amzn_assoc_ad_type="smart";amzn_assoc_marketplace="amazon";amzn_assoc_region="US";amzn_assoc_title="Find on Amazon";amzn_assoc_linkid="011ce6f9d10a0629dba5e73cc9941d84";amzn_assoc_asins="B009L7QJ9O,B006NWFNX8,B001MLCX56,B01BHI4FPO"; Become a Member and support film journalism. 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. To Lolas surprise, Max stops her and convinces her to stay, by praising her never-give-up spirit and sincerity. She cites the resulting mental trauma as reason for her infidelity. Shannon and Poots star as the titular couple here. Ross isnt examining the ugliness of male possessiveness, but reveling in it. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The next day, the pair take the sheep for herding and during the break, Max sneaks her away to a hidden waterfall, which was Sybyllas favorite spot on the farm. It's certainly not a date movie, and all the better for it.[18], Deadline's Anthony DAlessandro: The former Variety reporter and Filmmaker editor has crafted a complex psycho-sexual love story here, with hues of Jacques Audiard's The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation and Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris, among other titles.[19], The Boston Globe included the film in its "Finding Winners at Sundance" wrap-up, with critic Ty Burr saying that: This feature debut from writer-director Matthew Ross teases intriguing interference patterns out of its various genres, moods, and locationsIt's great to see a Vegas movie without a single scene set in a casino, and when Frank & Lola hops the Atlantic to ParisRoss uses the Marais district and the Place des Vosges with a similarly fresh and unnerving eyeRoss is one to keep an eye on. Ross tells a romantic story in Frank & Lolaof two people hurting each other while only try to love the other as best as they know how. When talented chef Frank meets aspiring fashion. Hell need to travel to Paris to prepare a meal for the man, however, if hes to win the post. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. After the trial, Bonnie is standing next to Annalise and is the first to notice Frank was heading towards the Governor. Written and directed by:Matthew Ross 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. In essence, it is a honey story. When Frank (Michael Shannon) and Lola (Imogen Poots) first meet, everything is moody roses. Franks own personal journey into understanding Lola, what happened to her, takes an atypical turn. Not just that, she is surprised at his knowledge of wines and their composition. Alan lives in Paris, and Frank plans to use the trip to confront him. Some may say otherwise, but theres hardly a more attractive and effective poster for any movie being released this year than the one for Frank & Lola, the new noir-soaked romance starring Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots. But "Frank and Lola" ultimately feels like less of a compelling, free-standing work than a promise of better movies to come. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Chris is a B.A.H. . This movie casts a troubling spell.[16], In Consequence of Sound, Michael Roffman wrote: Part drama, part psychosexual thriller, part revenge fantasy, Michael Shannon's latest platform balls up the dark mystery of Polanski, the vivid passion of De Palma, and the razor tension of Hitchcock for a savvy and meticulous 90 minsFrank & Lola is an electric modern noir that thrives from indelible characters and a palatable style. When Frank discovers a one-night stand Lola had in a hotel with an unknown man from out of town, he storms out feeling angry and betrayed. Frank, though not necessarily said to the states, is alone and lone. The Green Mile concerns the 1935-set story of death row prison guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) as he meets and is forever changed by the mild-mannered John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a physically imposing Black man sentenced to death for the rape and murder of two white girls. Frank & Lola (2016) Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller [ USA:Unrated, 1 h 28 min] Michael Shannon, Imogen Poots, Michael Nyqvist, Justin Long. Their honeymoon is endangered, however, by Franks jealousy. So it all really worked out perfectly. The supporting cast is filled with ace character actors and rising stars, including Justin Long as a smarmy younger man who says he wants to help Lola with her fashion career and makes that seem like a euphemism. Alan then shows Frank a sex tape with Lola and another woman, that shows Lola taking sexual orders from Alan. Frank is a brooding Las Vegas chef who has always focused his energy into his culinary talents, until he meets Lola, a young and beautiful enigma. His suspicions grow darker when Keith finds a position for Lola at a posh boutique. 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. This man raped Lola years ago. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Suffice it to say that Frank and Lola is a picture that casts a moody spell as it wends its way through plot convolutions that depend as much on atmosphere as surprise. Ross examines how a woman can be seen outwardly, to the world and to others with whom shes romantically involved with afterwards, and the chaos it wreaks on a womans life in almost every way possible. 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. Lola is many years younger than he is, so Frank is anxious. Yes, after a lot of trials and tribulations, Lola and Max end up together. Trusted Information and Education News Media. Your email address will not be published. The movie follows two drastically different narratives. A few months later, she quits working with Calder and asks Lola for a second chance. The finale sees Frank confront this fact. Unavailable on an ad-supported plan due to licensing restrictions. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from. It turns out theres no rest for the wicked. One night, Frank is hired to cook dinner for Keith, who, impressed with his culinary skills, flies him out to Paris for a trial with a French restauranter. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2016. And Frank must either accept that, or let her go. Seeing her progress, Max allows her to learn sheep shearing firsthand and gifts her a new hat in appreciation. 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. 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). Frank & Lola is their show, and everyone stands back and lets them amaze. Once Lola reveals to Frank a history of sexual abuse by a man in her past, the mystery of the film thickens. Except things arent as clear-cut Lola led him to believe. Plot twists pile up, and a light-footed, psycho-sexual character study becomes something like a film noir revenge thriller. And its almost enough to make it work. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Frank is a talented French chef and Lola is just starting her career as a fashion designer. Manage Settings Luckily, Max guides her through different tasks, such as building wire fences, feeding the sheep, cleaning the pens, and also, scooping sheep manure to make fertilizer. It is this back and forth of never really being able to leave the other person no matter what is said and done for they got a concur on you. Frank & Lola occasionally benefits from the weird energy shared between Shannon and Poots. What could take been a bad moving picture if others were in their roles became something adequate. It just didn't feel real to me, and I wanted these characters to feel real. I discovered that there's a really cool and exciting, vibrant arts and culture scene there that's just been developing downtown. Frank gains the upper hand and beats Alan into submission, finally getting him to leave Las Vegas and Lola alone. says the actress. When she returns to Waratah Station, she reads about Sybylla Vaughn, Hazels great grandmother who founded the sheep farm and managed it on her own. His dark side flashes a bit more often, but before Lola ever comes clean, we realize there is unhappiness in her past. Over the course of the film, directed and written by Frank . After the dinner, Frank and Amy. Meanwhile, the restauranter is impressed with Frank and he gets a job as the head chef in their new Las Vegas restaurant. Sometimes, in the movie business, even a bomb has perks. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. Frank then tracks Alan down again while he is in Las Vegas, hoping to have another encounter with Lola. When Max comes to apologize to Lola later, he gives her another surprise by revealing that he has become an active partner in Vaughn Family Wines and has convinced Hazel to take on Lolas company as their exclusive importer. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. Coming Soon, Regal Welcome to the Quantum Realm. The money is for his gangster boss, who is certain to kill Manni if he doesn't receive it. 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. Moving forcefully between movies and theater, Michael Shannon is a convincing and resourceful actor who is now too established and viable to settle for enigmatic roles in meaningless, throwaway movies with zero possibilities for commercial success like a thing called Frank & Lola. So does Lola finally manage to win the contract as well as his heart? [3] In the original screenplay, instead of Las Vegas the film was set in Brooklyn. 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. Theyre characters who exist only in cinema, working glamorous jobs that require them to occupy atmospheric sets in repose, looking commanding and sexy. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. Cinemark Maybe not the most memorable, merely a decent way to spend an hour and a half. Upon returning from the camping trip after arguing with Max, Lola sees Calder and Audra at Hazels doorstep. By this time, Frank is so schizophrenic he no longer knows truth from fantasy. Lola flirts with strangers in bars, she refuses to commit, you just cant trust Lola, who is a chip off the block following in the platform-heel footsteps of her oversexed mother (Rosanna Arquette in a role so minor that it consists of only one scene). This never changes the fundamental fact that Frank & Lolas message, if there is one to take away, is that a womans personal tragedy is hers to bear; if she requires anything, its understanding and not a man to take on that tragedy as his own. [24], "Sundance Institute Completes Feature Film Lineup For 2016 Sundance Film Festival", "Berlin: Arclight Launches Robert Halmi-Backed 'Frank And Lola' (EXCLUSIVE)", "Sundance Slates Composers and Filmmakers for Music and Sound Labs", "Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans to Score 'Frank & Lola', "Sundance Premieres Include Films From James Schamus, Spike Lee", "Universal Lands 'Frank And Lola' For $2M+ Sundance", "Michael Shannon & Imogen Poots Romantic Noir 'Frank & Lola' Sets December Date", "Michael Shannon falls for a femme fatale in smoldering Frank & Lola trailer exclusive", "Frank & Lola review Michael Shannon sizzles in twisted romance", "Sundance Review: 'Frank & Lola' Starring Michael Shannon, Imogen Poots, And Michael Nyqvist", "Matthew Ross sends Michael Shannon down a rabbit hole of sex, lies, and depravity", "First Look At 'Frank & Lola' Starring Michael Shannon & Imogen Poots Sundance Video", "25 Filmmakers & Actors That Broke Through At The 2016 Sundance Film Festival", "The 15 Best Films at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival", "Best of Fest: Sundance 2016's Top 10 New Voices", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_%26_Lola&oldid=1137699558, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 00:33. 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. Ross has an insight in recognizing Shannons caged eroticism as a performer, which is wound up intrinsically with his bitter ferocity. None of it makes any sense, and if you think you know how it ends when it fades to black, do send me a postcard. 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). We get it: you like to have control of your own internet experience. 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. The poster features the two acclaimed actors looking dreamily at one another with such captivating and loving looks in a pose that just oozes romance. The romance is put to the side only slightly when the plots thriller aspects show up. Lola gives up on her dream of working with Hazel and gifts her a wine bottle with Sybyllas sketch as a farewell present before leaving. There's something missing here, something big, something that would have tied up all the film's finer qualities into a coherent whole. Lola (Imogen Poots) | Frank (Michael Shannon) Storyline. A short screenplay of his titled "New Woman" is currently being produced, to be shot in 2017; it is a female-led dramatic horror, a period piece set in 1888. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Director and writer Matthew Ross brings his debut feature to the screen with Frank & Lola. Frank is a chef hoping to reclaim lost potential and open up his own restaurant in Las Vegas, while Lola is an aspiring fashion designer who has just been offered a job opportunity most would kill for. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. However, Frank & Lola, for all its focus on the idea of revenge, feels like the perfect antithetical response to an industry bloated with rape-revenge fantasies in the guise of horror and thriller films. Lola is unsure, but Frank asks her to think about it while he goes upstairs to get changed. Their honeymoon is endangered, however, by Frank's jealousy. Running time: 88 mins. Later, we move into gloomy streets covered in the same shadows, although now backlit by the neon lights of Vegas. The first sequence of the movie revolves around Frank taking part in a bizarre quiz show where his various crimes and the punishment he received for them are listed. Frank explains that he made "that psycho" (Alan) leave her alone forever, and attempts to rekindle their relationship. Shannon is too good for this nonsense, and Poots has got to do something about that disastrous name. Featuring shades of Bret Easton Ellis, Charles Bukowski, and Raymond Carver, Frank & Lola proves an enthralling and intoxicating love story from its upfront beginning to and ending which proves a mix of melancholy and hope. What Lola needs is to heal, to be given understanding. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Together, Frank and Lola build an intense relationship that saves them from their mutual despair. The movie is at its best when jealousy is welling up in Frank, and Lola is feeling a combination of shame and resentment at the notion that she's responsible for his anger. [9][10] The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on December 9, 2016. Though she is the best at her job, her boss Calder mistreats her and refuses to acknowledge her hard work. 2016 | Maturity Rating: TV-MA | 1h 27m | Thriller Movies. Frank flies back to Las Vegas, and after having sex with Lola, informs her that he has learned the truth from Alan and announces that he is leaving her. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more. Writer/director Matthew Ross originally wrote the script nearly a decade before the film was shot. Sometime later, Keith's company hosts a dinner at Frank's new restaurant, and Keith congratulates him for his success. [4] In February 2015, Arclight Films announced that it had acquired all international sales rights for the film. So, from bias, strong opinions, and a perspective you may non have thought nigh, youll find that in our reviews. Yes. Shannons intensity is the best thing Frank & Lola has going for it. He also states he has no interest in joining the family business and requests his sister to keep the truth to herself.
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