VEE-REVIEW: Dear Frankie

Dear Frankie | Nectar | The Man Who Met Himself |

The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael

Dear Frankie was first shown at last year's Cannes festival and has just been released on DVD. It's a film about a mother trying to protect her deaf son from the truth about his absent father.

Shona Auerbach with BSL interpreter Howard Hardiman

The boy is played by Jack McElhone – who is not deaf. 'Some asked me at the time why I had not cast a deaf boy,' the director, Shona Auerbach, has said. 'I had no problem with this idea, and did meet deaf children too, but at the end of the day Jack was the best actor for Frankie, and he just had to adapt himself, just like any actor in a role. Having said this, I did not want my deaf advisers to leave my side while we were filming, because it was crucial for me to get it right.'

Dear Frankie is a tearjerker, but you shouldn't need to reach for your sick-bag. The story is deftly handled, well acted, and not without surprises.

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