Surrounded by believable performances, a great story, and characters that you will not want to look away from, "Frank" is an immersive little indie film that is not easy to resist. Domnhall Gleeson leads this wacky picture, as he is recruited by a band who makes terrible music, as they are in their mindset of making their first album. Going off to a secluded cabin to record, many new group memebers are met. Namely, Frank, a man who refuses to take off this weirdly shaped mask, and the story that unfolds to that story is not all that surprising, but more appreciative. I loved every minute of this film, from it's great cinematography to the fact that the terrible music they played through the film could be passed as decent. Although I think the film ends on an easy note, it is the best way to quietly end the film. This picture is the perfect length for the story it is trying to convey, and it is a very easy watch. I highly recommend "Frank," it's terrific.

A fledgling songwriter befriends an EDM/sound effect band led by a disturbed yet brilliant man who is never seen without a papier-mache head on. There's that peculiar Irish humor and that awkward Irish sweetness, but the story moves like a juggernaut without motivation. Because the "music" is so weird yet clearly "genius" in the world of the movie, it's unclear whether Jon's adulation and plans for fame are genuine or sinister (perhaps with the intention of outing the group as a freakshow). Frank's own weirdness or genius also clouds his trust in and encouragement of Jon. Does he truly want fame, or is he just yanking Jon's chain for yuks? If we are to take both these characters at face value, then it's just weak characterization. Jon must have lived under a cyber-rock to believe tens of thousands of views on YouTube is worth a damn, and Frank is much too offbeat an oddball to actually crave outside validation. Then to have his idiosyncracy boiled down to mental illness is just another lazy resolution.