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FRANKLYN Gerald McMorrow Starring Sam Riley Eva Green Ryan Philippe I met Gerald McMorrow about four years ago. He was promoting his little-known dystopian short called Thespian X. I had a chance to briefly talk to him and explained that I liked what he did with it; that it was the sort of short I would probably produce. That was supposed to be a compliment but I don't really know how he took it. Now he's managed to complete his rather ambitious mystery/fantasy piece, Franklyn. The best way I could describe this film would not be to start with the plot but to talk you through a few concepts first (in the same way of detailing Simulacra And Simulation and Ghost In The Shell before seeing The Matrix). Avant-garde cinema is a French artistic concept for the experimental and the innovative. To understand and appreciate avant-garde is one thing, to attempt to interject it into mainstream cinema is an entirely different matter. The second concept is the idea of the art/film student. Most of us know art students in some way, even if it was just that kid back in high school who dressed funny and carried around a large black portfolio covered in stickers. Essentially art students will always over-complicate and over-emphasise a concept to further the project and as such their work is usually a little questionable and somewhat obscure. Got all that? Good. The story kicks off with two parallel tales; the first is set in contemporary London and is broken into three parts, following three characters. First off, we have Emilia [Green], a self-destructive art-student with parental issues and a suicide obsession; the second is young Milo, who has recently had to call off a wedding and the terminal hardship that surrounds his isolation; and finally Peter Esser [Bernard Hill], a father desperately seeking his missing son. The story running parallel to this fairly simple drama-of-events is a surreal fantasy set in the alternate universe of Meanwhile City: a dark, sprawling metropolis of neo-gothic architecture and multi-denominational faiths. The only laws of Meanwhile City appear to be based largely on religion and to turn ones back on faith is to become an outlaw. We open on flashbacks, highlighting the capture of masked miscreant, John Preest [Phillippe] and his subsequent escape - leading to a mystery thriller as he tries to avenge the death of a girl he failed to protect. As the plot develops and unfolds, elements of Meanwhile City begin to subtly and somewhat subliminally emerge in the more familiar London and as all the characters begin to converge on one another everything falls into place, becoming focused and clear. To be honest, other than the Meanwhile City stuff, I couldn't settle into this film for the first forty minutes. It just felt too much like a chore and I became disgruntled and frustrated by the lack of development. But then I slowly found myself falling in love with the film as the various elements began to fit and I started to piece together the whole picture - it was surprisingly rewarding actually. Despite my personal views, this film is a rather disjointed piece and very difficult to get into. It's the kind of movie that challenges the open-minded and frustrates the closed-minded to a degree that it segregates and alienates a large portion of its target audience. Visually, it's stunning, London is well-filmed and Meanwhile City is a stroke of gorgeous genius. Naturally, visuals alone are not enough and with the story's horribly convoluted opening and Eva Green's extravagant art pieces, it can feel like it's operating on a level that's unnecessarily confusing - a good comparison would be either Revolver or Southland Tales. If you enjoy well-executed concept pieces then this film may just be for you but if you're looking for something to relax into, might I strongly suggest something else. Release Date: 27th February 2009 The Scene To Look Out For: It has to be said that anything set in Meanwhile City was astounding. A city fuelled on religion, every bar, every abode seems to be some form of worship to some God, as if you were living in a Cathedral (most people would hate it but I thought everything looked cool). Every costume is inspired, each building beautifully carved. For a low-budget film it was breathtaking. My only complaint was that it wasn't afforded nearly enough screen time. Notable Characters: Ryan Phillippe's a weird one. Every now-and-then he stumbles but I have found that he opts for interesting projects over pay cheques and for that he has my respect. Not wanting to give away a lot, his character has a lot of depth and I imagine on re-watching the film his performance will be doubly rewarding. Highlighted Quote: "If a god is willing to prevent evil but not able, then he is not omnipotent. If he is able but not willing, then he must be malevolent. If he is neither able or willing, then why call him a god?" In A Few Words: "A rather jilted, unhinged piece but thoroughly rewarding for the open-minded" Total Score: 
7/10Matthew Stogdon |
