Frank & Lola (2016)

[The Great Owl]

I'm trying to drum up more interest for this fine movie that flew under the radar last year, since it was one of my top five films of 2016.

Frank & Lola

Synopsis: A seductive and intense noir romance for our times, Frank & Lola is the story of two people locked in a battle of passion and obsession. When talented chef Frank meets aspiring fashion designer Lola, he is instantly and violently in love. As the secrets of Lola's dark past are revealed, the lovers are drawn into a web of sex, jealousy and revenge. With outstanding performances from Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots, Frank & Lola is a haunting examination of love, obsession and domination that weaves a twisted yet irresistible spell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgVwXbz1YmI

Here is my own review of Frank & Lola from a couple of months ago...

Frank & Lola premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and several critics have compared it to classic film noir cinema. Since film noir is my favorite movie genre, my decision to check out this neo-noir at the theater down the street today was an easy one. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, Man of Steel) plays Frank, a short-tempered and taciturn chef who is working high-end restaurants in Las Vegas when he falls in love with Lola, an aspiring fashion designer played by the remarkably beautiful Imogen Poots (Green Room, Fright Night, Roadies television series). Frank's insecurities about the age gap in their relationship come to a head when Lola reveals that she cheated on him and that she was sexually abused while she was living in France. When Frank travels to Paris to audition for a prestigious chef position, he investigates Lola's past and risks danger by tracking down her ex-lover, who is portrayed with an uneasy menace by Michael Nyqvist (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). This movie throws a few unpredictable and disturbing curveballs, but the dark aspects of the story come not from the violence, but from the notion that we can often never really know the people who walk into our lives. I was reminded several times of the 1950 Humphrey Bogart film noir, In a Lonely Place, mainly because Michael Shannon's volatile screen presence is similar to that of Bogart's. Imogen Poots, in turn, makes for quite a femme fatale. Frank & Lola is not for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed how it plays out in a quietly unnerving way.