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May 5, 2016 at 2:45 PM PT
Alamo Drafthouse
Calendar SFFILM Festival

Frank & Lola

Directed by Matthew Ross  |  USA  |  88 min

In this moody evocation of a troubled relationship, Frank (Michael Shannon), a gifted chef who hasn’t gotten his due, seduces Lola (Imogen Poots), a budding young designer, with a perfect omelet, but fear, jealousy and dark secrets from the past soon threaten their burgeoning closeness. Shannon, who has no peer when it comes to playing complex dark characters, owns virtually every scene.
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Description

Frank (Michael Shannon) is a struggling Las Vegas chef and Lola (Imogen Poots) is an aspiring fashion designer. Despite a noticeable age difference, love between them blossoms—until Frank becomes aware of other men in Lola’s life, including a charming, rich entrepreneur (Justin Long) and a mysterious Swedish author (Michael Nyqvist) living in Paris. Taking a page from Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, Frank & Lola explores the darkest corners of male jealousy. What begins as an introspective romance spins slowly out of control into a nerve-wracking psychosexual neo-noir. Matthew Ross’s debut feature succeeds in capturing a palpable atmosphere filled with complex and nuanced characters, enhanced by cinematographer Eric Koretz’s evocative images and fine performances. Shannon, in particular, delivers a powerful performance, his glances and subtle mannerisms richly conveying Frank’s vulnerability. Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans’ (The One I Love, SFIFF 2015) atmospheric score further heightens the tension in a film that engages viewers from the opening frame to its closing images. —Chad Liffmann

Trailer

//player.vimeo.com/video/159130466?autoplay=1

Biographies

Director Matthew Ross

Writer-director Matthew Ross has been an entertainment journalist and a staff writer and editor at such publications as Filmmaker and Variety, a story consultant for Curb Your Enthusiasm, and he’s made a number of short films, including Curtis & Clover (2001), Lola (2006), Red Angel (2007) and Inspired by Bret Easton Ellis (2010). Ross says the inspiration for his debut feature Frank & Lola came from “a couple of personal experiences mixed with a real love of French thrillers.”