Frank & Lola

Frank & Lola
Directed by	Matthew Ross
Produced by	Jay Van Hoy John Baker Christopher Ramirez Christine Vachon Lars Knudsen
Written by	Matthew Ross
Starring	Michael Shannon Imogen Poots Michael Nyqvist Justin Long Rosanna Arquette Emmanuelle Devos
Music by	Daniel Bensi Saunder Jurriaans
Cinematography	Eric Koretz
Edited by	Jennifer Lilly Rebecca Rodriguez
Production company	Parts and Labor Killer Films Lola Pictures FullDawa Films Great Point Media
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release dates	January 27, 2016 (2016-01-27) (Sundance Film Festival)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Frank & Lola is a 2016 noir love story written and directed by Matthew Ross and starring Michael Shannon, Imogen Poots, Michael Nyqvist, Justin Long, Emmanuelle Devos and Rosanna Arquette.

Frank & Lola had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Universal Studios.

Synposis

The film tells the story Frank (Michael Shannon), a chef in Las Vegas, who meets and falls in love with Lola (Imogen Poots), a mysterious young woman who's new to the city. Betrayal, then forgiveness, soon follow, but the damage has been done. Consumed by obsession, Frank soon finds himself in Paris, intent on exacting revenge on a man from Lola's past.

Cast

• Michael Shannon as Frank
• Imogen Poots as Lola
• Michael Nyqvist as Alan
• Justin Long as Keith
• Emmanuelle Devos as Claire
• Rosanna Arquette as Patricia
• David Atrakchi as Charles
• Carlos Moreno Jr. as Javier
• Stella Schnabel as Hazel
• Patrick Rocca as Henri Ricard
• Narcisse Mame as Khalil
• Maynor Alvarado as Luis
• Amy Lawhorn Argyle as Rachel
• Elisha Yaffe as Will
• Sophie Meister as Isobel

Production

On February 5, 2014, it was announced that Las Vegas-based Lola Pictures had signed on produce the film, alongside Parts and Labor's Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen, Killer Films' Christine Vachon, Preferred Content's Kevin Iwashina, and producer John Baker. After securing financing from Great Point Media, production began in Las Vegas in December, 2014 and wrapped in Paris in early 2015. On February 5, 2015, Arclight Films announced that it had acquired all international sales rights for the film.

In July 2015, the Sundance Institute selected Frank & Lola and director Matthew Ross to take part in its Feature Film Program's annual Music and Sound Design Labs at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch. Frank & Lola was one of two completed featured films selected. Later that month, the composing team of Danny Bensi and Saunder Juuriaans signed on to score the film.

On December 7, 2015, it was announced that Frank & Lola had been accepted to the 2016 Sundance Film Festival for its world premiere.

On January 29, 2016, two days after its world premiere at Sundance, Universal Studios secured worldwide rights for the film (with the exception of a few minor territories) for over $2 million, with a theatrical release planned for later that year.

Critical Reaction

Critical reaction for the film has been overwhelmingly positive.

In a 4-star review for The Guardian, writer Nigel Smith wrote: “Dark and sexy, Frank & Lola is always one step ahead of its audience, to deliver a haunting examination of male obsession and domination, that also serves as a weird sort of love story...Shannon is superb, investing Frank with a surprising amount of tenderness even as he grows increasingly irate with Lola and her profusion of untruths. He’s an alluring and dangerous lead, perfectly paired with Poots, who more than holds her own to finally deliver on all the promise she’s shown in films less worthy of her talents.”

Indiewire’s Rodrigo Perez reviewed the film, writing, “There’s a bewitching and intensely intoxicating quality to the opening act of Frank & Lola, a seductive, romantic noir turned psychosexual drama from assured first-time feature director Matthew Ross…Ross is a major talent worth watching. He’s got an eye, a strong p.o.v, and the movie has many perceptive observations about the self-destructive perils of possessiveness, ownership and holding on too tight.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Stephen Farber called Frank & Lola a “haunting dissection of male jealousy…Other films have focused on sexual jealousy, but Ross and Shannon probe deeper than most into the poisonous, compulsive nature of male suspicion…Ross has described Frank & Lola as a neo-noir, and it does deserve comparison with similarly dark character studies (such as Nicholas Ray’s In a Lonely Place) from Hollywood’s golden age of noir. This movie casts a troubling spell.”

In Consequence of Sound, Michael Roffman wrote: “Part drama, part psychosexual thriller, part revenge fantasy, Michael Shannon’s latest platform balls up the dark mystery of Polanski, the vivid passion of De Palma, and the razor tension of Hitchcock for a savvy and meticulous 90 mins…Frank & Lola is an electric modern noir that thrives from indelible characters and a palatable style. As both screenwriter and director, Ross proves he’s a filmmaker with not just something to say, but somewhere to take us. Rest assured, our passports are ready.”

The Film Stage’s Ed Frankel: “Frank & Lola, a noirish erotic thriller from journalist-turned-director Matthew Ross, finds leads Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots in top form. They excel as lovers in this tightly-wound psychosexual love story that has elements of the best of Eyes Wide Shut…Frank & Lola has some of that film’s noir-esque aesthetic, too, with hints of Michael Mann’s night-time city look…Carried by two accomplished performances, and despite a tight 87-minute running time, this is a rich saga, bathed in atmosphere that disturbs as much as it engrosses. It’s certainly not a date movie, and all the better for it.”

Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro: “The former Variety reporter and Filmmaker editor has crafted a complex psycho-sexual love story here, with hues of Jacques Audiard’s The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris, among other titles.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Stephen Farber called Frank & Lola “A haunting dissection of male jealousy…Other films have focused on sexual jealousy, but Ross and Shannon probe deeper than most into the poisonous, compulsive nature of male suspicion…Ross has described Frank & Lola as a neo-noir, and it does deserve comparison with similarly dark character studies (such as Nicholas Ray’s In a Lonely Place) from Hollywood’s golden age of noir. This movie casts a troubling spell.”

The Boston Globe included the film in its “Finding Winners at Sundance” wrap-up, with writer Ty Burr saying that: “This feature debut from writer-director Matthew Ross teases intriguing interference patterns out of its various genres, moods, and locations…It’s great to see a Vegas movie without a single scene set in a casino, and when Frank & Lola hops the Atlantic to Paris…Ross uses the Marais district and the Place des Vosges with a similarly fresh and unnerving eye…Ross is one to keep an eye on.”

At JoBlo.com, Chris Bumbray gave Frank & Lola and 8/10 rating, writing that “Even if their relationship is toxic, for some strange reason you want them patch things up and live happily ever after. This is nuts considering how crazy they both are, but Ross makes it work…One thing that’s significant about Frank & Lola is that it’s a legitimately serious film about sex, something that’s increasingly rare these days…Ross has a really sharp eye, with it having a rich, sophisticated look that gives the film studio-level production values. The acting - of course - is superb with Shannon getting a showcase part that plays to his strengths. Poots is similarly good… It’s a sexy, adult thriller that doesn’t pander and never feels artificial. This one will likely find an appreciative audience and makes for a promising debut for writer/director Ross.”

Ross and Frank & Lola were also included on a number of "Best of Sundance" roundups. Indiewire listed Ross as #3 on its list of “25 Filmmakers and Actors Who Rocked Sundance,” saying that “Michael Shannon is in almost literally a dozen movies this year, but we wonder if he’ll get a better showcase across the rest of 2016 as he does in Sundance movie Frank & Lola, and the man responsible, Matthew Ross, should get a ton of attention as a result. A former film journalist, Ross made a number of acclaimed shorts including Lola and Inspired by Bret Easton Ellis, but makes a striking debut with this feature.” Additionally, The Film Stage named Frank & Lola as one of 15 best films of the festival, and Ioncinema included Ross on its list "Top 10 New Voices" at Sundance 2016.

As of May 8, 2016, Frank & Lola had a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

External links

• Frank & Lola at IMDb
• Frank & Lola official website
• Frank & Lola press notes