Hero in Lunatic Fringe

Franklyn (2008)
Director- Gerald McMorrow
Starring- Eva Green, Ryan Phillipe, Sam Riley

The lives of three strangers become intertwined and deeply affected by a masked vigilante in an alternate world.  Emilia (Green) is an artist who struggles with her mother's detached nature and attempts suicide once a month as part of an art project.  Milo (Riley) was dumped before his wedding, and returns to pursuing a childhood sweetheart.  Peter (played by Bernard Hill) searches the streets for his son who escaped a mental hospital.  Last, but by far not least, Jonathan Preest (Phillipe) wears a mask and battles religious oppression in the darkened Meanwhile City while searching for a girl abducted by the cult-leader named The Individual. 

While none of these lives seem related to one another, it becomes apparent that they are connected not only through some personal interactions but also because of the level of suffering and apparent mental instability involved. 

Emilia not only suffered mother's neglect, but father's abuse.  Milo's childhood sweetheart was not what he thought she was, nor is what he thinks she is, forcing him to deal with reality on terms not his own.  Peter, perhaps the most sane in the group, comes close to finding his son, but at tremendous cost.  And Preest?  He comes to realize his reality is flickering as it becomes more difficult to focus on enacting vengeance on The Individual. 

The acting was a bit over-the-top at times, though it seemed well-fitting in with the surreal nature of some of the scenes of the movie.  Transitions between one world and the other were smooth; realities were not confused with one another, but also the switch was not jarring to the viewer. 

Special Effects were great in this movie.  It played well as a superhero/fantasy movie, but switched gears into mental-illness drama with no weird incongruence in how the effects were utilized.  The costume, though somewhat basic and reminiscent of the Watchmen's Rorshach, was still pretty cool. 

The lives of these four come together at last toward the end in a dramatic, bittersweet finale.  All in all, it was a weird movie that dealt with mental illness in a way I haven't seen done much in cinema, but very much liked.

Rating:  4/5 Bonedaddies.