Film: Franklyn (2008)

I’ve just seen this excellent film at this week’s movie night and felt inspired to write a review. But since images speak louder than words, I have attached the trailer to whet your appetite.

This trailer is a little misleading, as it weaves some elements of the story together in a different order/with a different significance, but it should give a good flavour of the feeling and style of the film. Don’t pay too much attention to any plot suggestions the trailer makes.

This film passed me by, I hadn’t even heard of it, and yet it’s exactly the sort of film I love most, films that keep you guessing as to the story you see unfolding, films that twist reality(ies) in interesting ways. I’m very glad to have been introduced to it, and I can thoroughly recommend it. If you enjoyed Sliding Doors, Fight Club, Total Recall or Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind I think you’ll like this film.

Like many of my favourite films it’s hard to describe without giving too much away, but I’ll take a stab at it. The film is four parallel storylines and you will be intrigued and kept guessing for much of the film as you try and figure out how the story lines connect. The structure reminds me of the sci-fi novel Feersum Endjiin by Iain M. Banks which also has four characters whose lives become intertwined. I’m sure there have been others too…

But back to Franklyn; There are four key characters:

The first character is a masked assassin in a fantastical city of religious obsession called Meanwhile City. If you imagine the obsessive faith society of Ben Elton’s “Blind Faith” but with the religious imagery from the Da Vinci Code and the gothic architecture from The Dark Knight you won’t go far wrong. The assassin is determined to get vengeance for a young girl’s death, but the authorities are onto him…

In contemporary London (like all of the remaining three characters) the next is Emilia, a suicidal arts & media student with an overbearing mother who is searching for some meaning in her life or some closure to her past…

Then there is Milo, a young man whose wedding plans fall through and while taking stock of his life, keeps seeing his childhood sweetheart out of the corner of his eyes and in the distance, and is compelled to follow her…

And finally there is a elderly man, looking for his son and concerned for his safety, wanting to bring him home…

It has the makings of a great mystery and I am sure you will not be disappointed. It’s straight into my top ten. After you watch it, you may want to read more on IMDB. The relative unknown writer/director Gerald McMorrow has done a great job. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.