Status-Q

I’ve just seen a real gem of a film.

Dear Frankie is the story of a woman who has run away from a violent husband, taking her very young son, Frankie, with her. Frankie grows up writing letters to his ‘Da’, whom he believes to be an officer far away on a cargo ship , not knowing that his mother is actually reading the letters and writing the replies to protect him from the truth about his past.

Then one day, Frankie reads that his father’s ship is going to be arriving at the dock in a few days. His mother has to either tell him the truth, or find somebody who will pretend to be his father for a day or two. You can guess what happens. Ah, but can you?

This is Shona Auerbach’s first feature-length film, and what a way to start! Highly recommended.