Franklyn follows the troubled lives of four chief characters set in two completely different but parallel realities of modern day London and a futuristic semip-medieval metropolis named Meanwhile City.
The story revolves around Emilia, a troubled and inexplicably suicidal art student who struggles to cope with her past and her destructive methods of artistry, Milo, a heartbroken young man recently abandoned by his fiancé, Peter, a religious man looking for his son in London and Jonathan Preest, a masked and godless vigilante who lives in the metropolis of Meanwhile City trying to extract his revenge on a religious leader named The Individual.
Through their troubles the four characters enter an emotional journey soon finding that their fates are somehow interwoven connecting each character to one another by the end of the film. The film is Director and Writer Gerald McMurrow’s debut feature length film while Academy Award Winning Producer Jeremy Thomas is behind its production.
Casino Royale bombshell Eva Green plays the complex character of Emilia who’s deviant and rebellious ways lead her to film herself attempting suicide multiple times as a part of her art projects.
Green was tasked with a very difficult character to portray without being over dramatic. Her performance was great in parts but the emotional draw her character constantly demanded was ignored at times. Sam Riley who played Milo was subdued throughout the film and his contribution to the story’s irony was minute and far-fetched but ultimately poetic. Bernard Hill is a well recognized and highly respected veteran actor and he plays Peter. Hill’s was probably the most memorable of the performances in the film but his character didn’t demand any outstanding effort to portray.
Phillippe however was awful as Jonathan Preest, the only atheist in Meanwhile City. His performance lacked any finesse or grace and for the most part was a little strained, shining as a true testament to how poor casting can ruin a film’s impact. Within its predominantly character-driven plot the film deals with themes surrounding faith, religion, life and love while exploring different and unconventional outlooks on these common subjects.
The film’s setting is very engaging and manages to pull the audience into a different and often scarier world especially when the scenes cut to the futuristic Meanwhile City. For a relatively low budget of 6 million pounds the film looked sufficiently dark and satisfyingly gritty. The Directorial work is not too shabby for a debut film either but with such an enthralling plotline on hand the script was terribly drab and uninteresting including some incredibly monotonous narrating by Phillippe himself.
The story hence takes one or two weak turns and takes some time to start but for those who can stomach a good one hour of being thoroughly confused this film can provide some mild entertainment while triggering some deep thought. With the major blockbusters and comic to film conversions hitting the big screen this year, it is refreshing to strip yourself of any expectations and watch a thought-provoking melodrama in the way of Franklyn.
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