Frank

3 1/2 out of 4 Stars

Frank is a surreal, hilarious, and moving portrait about the struggle for fame and the struggle with reality. Based on Jon Ronson's semi-autobiographical story, Jon Burroughs (Domhnall Gleeson) is an aspiring singer-songriter who is brought in to play keyboards for a band called the Soronprfbs led by Frank (Michael Fassbender), the lead singer who is unseen by all due to a football-sized head he wears over his own head; think of Daft Punk meets Peter Gabriel during his stint with Genesis. After a five minute gig in a Welsh pub, Jon is recruited by Frank to live in a desolate part of Ireland to record the Soronprfbs debut album. The recording process leads Jon to question his own musical talents whilst working with a band that is as hilariously dysfunctional as Spinal Tap.

Acting as mediator to the band and to Frank's introverted state is Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a shrill Theremin player with a voice as hauntingly sedative as Nico from the Velvet Underground's first album (listen to her rendition of a song from "A Clockwork Orange"). As she despises Jon's attempts to get the band play at the South by Southwest music festival (SXSW), Frank cherishes Jon's promises of the band being recognized for their music as opposed to their comical fights on stage. As the Soronprfbs prepare for their album to be finished and their performance at SXSW, a series of mysterious events occur leaving you guessing what's in Frank's head and who is in Frank's head.

Michael Fassbender gives a comically brilliant and heartfelt performance as Frank; even though he's shrouded in plastic throughout most of the film, Fassbender emphasizes the mystery of Frank with his eccentric behavior leading to a stunning conclusion. Domhnall Gleeson gives a great performance as Jon as he blends ambition with journalistic observations of his life revolved around Frank. Maggie Gyllenhaal is hilariously cold as Clara by walking on the tightrope between obsessive control and the compulsive desire for love.

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Adam & Paul, What Richard Did), Frank is a sublime cautionary tale about the quest for fame mixed in with the struggle with self-identity.