Film Reviews

Franklyn

• Rating:
• Director: Gerald McMorrow
• Starring: Eva Green
• Details: France/UK / 95mins / (16)

Ambitious but deeply flawed, Franklyn is an interesting concept that comes undone by the sheer weight of its own complexity. A contemporary real world is seemingly connected to that of a different dimension, where a masked antihero (Philippe) plans the demise of a character he says has killed a young girl. Back in present day London, a disturbed young woman (Green) is developing a college project where she continually attempts suicide, and films it - in the guise of art. Elsewhere, a middle aged man (Hill) searches for his son, who has gone missing on the eve of his day release from a mental institution; while a young man (Riley) also attempts to get over the ending of a relationship, by reconnecting with a long lost love. It's a jumbled, slightly convoluted narrative that never really takes off the way it should, and is nowhere near as smart as it thinks it is. The fantasy side comes off the strongest, as McMorrow does a good job of creating an edgy ambience, drenched in moody, atmospheric visuals; but even that has more than a hint of Watchmen about it (masked, revenge seeking antihero, narration in gravelly voice, the outfit.) You have to admire the bang for his buck that the director has gotten out of this, but it doesn't have half the depth that it cockily wears on its sleeve and can often come off as pretentious. It desperately wants to say something original and enlightening about mental health, but ultimately lacks the coherence to do so.

Review by Mike Sheridan