Frankie Starlight

Saw this film on TV last night, and was blown away by the performances of Alan Pentony and Corban Walker, as the child and adult Frankie. When I read the credits and saw an Acting Coach listed for them, I guessed they were first-time actors. This was confirmed by the Showcase movie host after the film, and makes their achievements even more impressive. Kudos to director Michael Lindsay-Hogg!

Gabriel Byrne was also wonderful - charming and tender - the farewell scene in the park was heartbreaking in its understated simplicity. I'm not a big fan of Anne Parillaud - I saw her in "La Femme Nikita" and an amusing American vampire/cop comedy whose title I can't recall - and the charm of that doe-eyed silent gaze wears off after you've seen it a few times. Still, she conveys the mysterious allure necessary for this role, and it's easy to see why these men fall for her.

Overall, "Frankie Starlight" is a lovely movie, and it's a shame it didn't do better at the box office. Anyone who loves the music of an Irish accent, as I do, will be charmed by that, even if nothing else in this beautiful story (which has a happy ending, by the way!) catches your fancy. Plus, the score under the closing credits was a gorgeous piano and cello combination which kept the mood to the end.

"Frankie Starlight" is a sensitive, plaintive, wistful and sometimes ethereal drama about the life of a man and his struggle with dwarfism. The film brings together an solid cosmopolitan cast as it tells the story of Frankie as both a man and a boy with scenes of each interleaved. Though the film is not evocative or compelling, it is mildly entertaining and well shot, directed, and acted. Good easy going stuff with little to fault.

"Frankie Starlight" will delight most viewers, and those who love the stars, who appreciate their magic and mystery, will especially like this work. I've just begun to read the novel it's based on, "The Dork of Cork" by Chet Raymo. Neither the film nor the novel are based on a true story. They're fiction. So my comments about it being "true" -- are untrue. There's much "of truth" in the story -- but it must be appreciated for what it is. Corban Walker as Frankie gives an outstanding performance. And there's no question as to Walker's reality. I was correct in writing that "My Left Foot" was based on a true story. The error was linking these two films in memory too closely -- plus a little wishful thinking, perhaps. Readers' comments on another site about the novel "Dork of Cork" include some, evidently people from Cork or who have travelled there, who were disappointed more about Ireland or Cork wasn't in the book. I don't wish to similarly mis-direct people who like biographical films -- or "historical re-creations" -- to "Frankie Starlight." See it and enjoy it, as many will, as a grand, lyrical creation of art. Rewatching recently, I also realized the story was richer than I'd remembered, more complex. It moves through many times and places, across seas and continents. Tales of love and tragedy interweave masterfully. The themes of being exiled and of seeking a place to belong to run throughout. Frankie and his mom each make such a search -- for a true home, both in the cosmos and in the heart.

Corban Walker and Alan Pentony are both wonderful (would love to see more performances by both) and give the nuanced portrayals that give the title character life and depth that linger past the end of the movie. Gabriel Byrne also is particularly good as one of the two "fathers" that give Frankie all the love and acceptance of which they are capable; the flaws of these men show their compassion that much more clearly. The central figure of Frankie's mother remains elusive (purposefully) and one of her chief motivations is let drop mid-way through the film; but the resolutions of the film are perfect and the astronomy theme provides a setting for most of the actors to portray greater depth for their characters.

A wonderful story about human triumph over adversity, about good things happening to good people, (after a period of sufficient suffering to make the reward that much sweeter), transcending superficiality and the stupidity of the masses, glimpses into human weakness and vulnerability, super steamy sex, all issues related to growing up: growing up strange, love: real love demonstrated, between strangers, and between family, between lovers, also GREAT acting, historical accuracy, great screenplay, great casting, beautiful camera work, plot pacing, well rewarded suspense, and beautiful people. One of the best aspects of the film is how the general history of WW II was interwoven with the personal experiences of the characters. Highly recommended overall.