Leanne Waters
My Mother Frank (1999)

 

 

Runtime: 95 mins Rated: M

Written and Directed by.......Mark Lamprell

Category...............................Australian Feature Film/Drama

Genre...................................Comedy/Drama

Production Company...........Intrepid Films Pty Ltd

Producers.............................Phaedon Vass

                                             Susan Vass

                                             John Winter

Cinematographer.................Brian Breheny

Costume Designer................Edie Kurzer

Distributors...........................Beyond Films (Australia) and

Channel Four Films (Film Four International: United Kingdom)

Film Information

This film is about a recently windowed 51year old mother and grandmother called Frank. Her two children have grown up, and for the first time Frank finds that she has no real purpose in life. She eventually decides to attend university as a mature age student. The university is the same one attended by her son David. This becomes problematic for him, as he already feels smothered by his mother at home, and now finds his own territory being invaded. Subsequently, mother and son have to find a new way of relating and communicating.

Cast

 

 

 

Sinead Cusack......................Frank

(Frances Regina Aileen Nano Kennedy)

Sam Neill..............................Professor Mortlock

Mathew Newton...................David Kennedy

Rose Byrne...........................Jenny

Sacha Horler.........................Margaret Kennedy

Celia Ireland.........................Peggy

Lynette Curran......................Jean

Melissa Jaffer........................Sister Sebastian

Joan Lord...............................Sister Bernadette

Nicholas Bishop.....................Mick

Deborah Kennedy...................Receptionist

Haley McElhinney..................Francine

Annie Byron...........................Eunice

Pamela Hawken......................Marcia

Brendan Higgins.....................Doctor
 

The Director:

My Mother Frank (2000) is Mark Lamprell‰s first feature film. Lamprell has worked on major film productions such as Babe (1995) and Contact (1997).
 

Release Date:   17 August 2000

Video Release:    7 February 2001

Festivals: 2000

Berlin Film Festival: Organisers selected the film to be shown. Calling it ëa film that hugs you‰.

Brisbane Film Festival: Voted Best Film

Sydney Film Festival: Closing Film

Montreal Film Festival

Temecula Film Festival

Melbourne Film Festival: Voted Best Film

General Information

My Mother Frank was filmed in Sydney, NSW. The house used as Frank‰s home in the film was, up until 1939, the German Consulate. The former grand mansion became the central location for the film, and can be found in the upmarket waterside suburb of Elizabeth Bay. The other main location for the film was the University of Sydney.

Finance

Australian Film Finance Corporation,

Showtime Australia (Cable TV) and Channel 4 UK

Box Office

Despite My Mother Frank‰s relative success at film festivals, it was not successful at the Box Office. The film only appeared for two weeks in the top twenty most popular films for this period. In the opening week the film entered at number eighteen, earning $64,582. In the second week it came in at number seventeen, earning $45,655, before disappearing from the charts. Besides being up against the traditional Hollywood genre films, it was also in ëcompetition‰ with the Australian made film Chopper (2000), which remained in fourth spot during this same two week period.

(Urban Cinefile: Bums on Seats, 21 and 28 August 2000)

External Reviews

Some examples of the mixed reviews the film received.

ëMark Lamprell‰s debut film My Mother Frank is a welcome addition to this select group of successful comedies (Muriel‰s Wedding, The Castle, The Road to Nhill, and Love Serenade), borrowing a little from them all, and turning out something refreshing and original...‰

...ëMark Lamprell creates a likeable film rich in humour and compassion that pleases in an easy, generous way.‰

Mark Freeman, 2000ëCritical Eye‰, www.imdb.com, (accessed 13 April, 2002)

ëThis is pretty slim material, more the stuff of a telemovie than a feature. The misleading title promises something sexually kinky, but instead we get a rather bland tale of an over-protective mother‰s decision to enrol in the same university as her son....The ‹disease of the weekŠ plot is risible.‰

David Stratton, 2000, www.sbs.com.au/movieshow_set.html (accessed 14 April, 2002)

ë...My Mother Frank is full of delightful surprises. It‰s quirky and offbeat, with characters so vivid, they simply jump from the screen....It‰s biting, funny, poignant and moving all at once.‰

Louise Keller, 2000, ëMovie Reviews‰,
www.urbancinefile.com (accessed 13 April, 2002)
 

ëMy Mother Frank doesn‰t quite achieve the mix of comedy and pathos it strives for but there‰s just enough here to warrant a look.‰

Richard Kuipers, 2000, ëMovie Reviews‰,
www.unbancinefile.com (accessed 13 April, 2002)

ëMark Lamprell‰s film is a little like a cappuccino-frothy on the surface, but with stronger stuff underneath. Its one of those gentle comedies we Aussies do so well (think Proof and Death in Brunswick)...My Mother Frank is an invigorating addition to this year‰s crop of Australian films.‰

David Edwards, 2000, ëMovie Reviews‰
www.urbancinefile.com (accessed 13 April, 2002)

Bibliographical Details

There is plenty of incidental information available about this film online. But as a minor Australian film, and relatively new, there does not appear to be any journal articles or general articles written about it. The majority of information came from the following sources:

Cinema Papers, August/September 2000, Vol 134

http://www.mymotherfrank.com

http://www.imdb.com

http://www.urbancinefile.com

http://www.sbsmovieshow.com

http://www.afc.gov.au

http://www.movieguide.com.au

Critical Review

The Australian feature film My Mother Frank was produced in 2000. The lead character is a fifty-one year old, white, widowed, middle age, middle-class, Catholic, female called Frank (Sinead Cusack). The plot revolves around her decision to start university. As the mother of two grown children, she has arrived at the stage of her life where she feels she is redundant. However, she does continue to play an active role in the Catholic Church, by attending and doing charity work. But she increasingly finds this offers very little challenge or satisfaction. Although she still has one child living at home she has ended up becoming ëoverprotective‰ and ëinterfering‰. So when her son David (Matthew Newton) tells her to leave him alone and get her own life, she eventually does just that. This situation provides the momentum for the story to unfold, as she ends up attending the same university as her son. This situation becomes the main storyline, as these two characters must find a new way of interacting and communicating with each other.

Several other main themes/storylines interact in the plot and contribute to the outcome of the film. David‰s romantic life is an important theme in the film. Throughout the film, David is having romantic feelings and fantasies about his best friend‰s under appreciated girlfriend Jenny (Rose Byrne). The film examines the problems that arise concerning love and loyalty between friends and lovers. Although David does eventually succeed in ëgetting the girl‰. This outcome is only as a result of the help and advice that his mother has given him.

Frank‰s experience as a mature age student is also one of the main themes of the film, as she finds adjusting to university life and the new expectations placed on her to be problematic. She also comes into conflict with her lecturer/tutor Professor Mortlock (Sam Neill). Again the narrative examines the problems that a mature age woman might encounter returning to education after a significant time away. Problems that are resolved by the end of the film, as Frank eventually makes new friends and settles into her new life.

Of a more dramatic nature, and is debatable as to its significance in the plot, is when Frank is diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Although this essentially is only a minor issue in the film, it does contribute to David appreciating and communicating with his mother on a more successful and rewarding level. However, Frank being diagnosed with Alzheimer‰s disease, is not something that the film deals with on a social problematization level. It is left nearly entirely as an issue that Frank will have to deal with in the future.

Overall, this quite unique Australian film seems to have been underrated and overlooked, despite receiving some positive reviews. Perhaps having a disease associated with it put many people off viewing the film. But, as I have suggested, the fact that Frank is diagnosed with Alzheimer‰s is only a quite minor theme in the film. It is about so much more. For example, it deals with the mid-life crisis of a female, the growing pains of a teenager, young love, and the generational gap. It has some very funny scenes, many that are entirely unexpected and ëoriginal‰. At the same time the film still manages to deal convincingly, although superficially, with serious modern issues, such as single parenting, health issues, the role of religion in contemporary society, adult education, and cultural diversity.

The director of the film Mark Lamprell also wrote the script. This film was his directorial debut. Lamprell originally came up with the idea for script about ten years before the film was actually made. This was due to the problems associated with securing the finance to produce the film. The producers of the film argue that this delay had a positive outcome, in that it enabled Lamprell to continually make improvements on the script. This resulted in Lamprell having a clear vision about the film, and the end result. They suggest that the delay also encouraged and contributed to the film‰s extensive character development.1 As a writer, Lamprell was strongly influenced by his Irish Catholic background. He suggests that this background provided him with a ëfertile ground to find and tell stories‰.2

But what makes this film somewhat exceptional, in comparison to other Australian films, is not so much the plot, which I will suggest is, at times, fairly ordinary. Rather it is the way the film‰s stylistic approach becomes a very important aspect in the development of the narrative. My Mother Frank is somewhat unusual because of the imaginative way Lamprell, and cinematographer Brian Breheny, have used bright and bold colours to communicate meaning throughout the film. For example, to convey a sense of kinship, the main characters were required to dye their hair red, while other characters and support cast wore distinct clothing, which distinguishes their part in the narrative. A further example, is the representation of students attending the University. They were required to wear bright colourful costumes (costume designer Edie Kurzer) that were then contrasted with the old dark buildings of the university. Furthermore, the students themselves are represented as being racially diverse, which also adds ëcolour‰, and thus creates a contrasting background to the white cast. Lamprell argues that he wanted to create a film that was ëattentive to detail but slightly above time and space with a mythical tone and feel to it...a story about archetypes resonating through time and culture.‰3 The film does succeed in achieving a somewhat mythical and magical look about it. This is why the film is so much more than the narrative would at first suggest.

The critical reception of this film varied, quite considerably. But overall, the limited reviews for this film were generally quite positive. For example, Richard Kuipers argues the film ëdoesn‰t quite achieve the mix of comedy and pathos it strives for but there‰s just enough here to warrant a look.‰4 And Louise Keller suggests the film ë...is full of delightful surprises. It‰s quirky and offbeat with characters so vivid they simply jump from the screen.‰5 Alternatively, one of Australia‰s arguably more influential critics, David Stratton from the Movie Show on SBS, seemingly could not get past the fact a disease was a theme in the film. He suggested that My Mother Frank resembled a made for TV ë disease of the week‰ film, rather than a feature film, calling it a ëbland tale‰.6 A review by Sarah Thomas in Cinema Papers perhaps sums up the general reception of the film from a critical and audience point of view. She argues, My Mother Frank ëis a quaintly original but ultimately insignificant piece of film‰.7 Thomas suggests that the narrative is somewhat chaotic, but, if the audience can ignore ëthe distractions...My Mother Frank morphs into a pleasantly enjoyable film...‰8 One critic at the time compared the plot to the film Educating Rita. While some thought My Mother Frank was comparable to other successful Australian films such as Muriel‰s Wedding and Strictly Ballroom, in that it had the same mixture of comedy and drama, and interesting characters.9 But, despite these generally positive reviews, the film failed to make much of an impact at the time of its release.

I am unable to find or locate the production budget for My Mother Frank, or the overall box office figures. To give some idea of its impact at the box office: the film was listed in the top twenty films (17th and 18th) for the following two weeks after its release. It took in slightly over $100,000 in box office receipts during this period. The film was up against another Australian film Chopper (2000), in a list otherwise made up entirely of Hollywood films. Chopper, over the same period did exceptionally well, as comparisons show: it took nearly one million dollars during the same time frame.10

This would have been quite disappointing for the film‰s producers, as earlier critical success at several film festivals was followed by the lack of general attendance or interest by audiences in Australia. The film was shown at the Sydney Film Festival, also at the Melbourne and Brisbane Film Festivals where it was voted 'Best Film' by the audience. It was also selected by festival organisers to be shown at the Berlin International Film Festival: the film received positive reviews.11

My Mother Frank was financed jointly by the Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Showtime Australia (Cable TV) and Channel 4 (United Kingdom). The criteria (and objective of AFFC) for AFFC finance is as followed: ë to recognise and support originality and creative risk taking in the development and production of outstanding Australian film....‰.12 The film clearly meets these guidelines, probably more so for it‰s stylistic approach rather than the storyline, although the AFFC did not agree to invest in the film until after the producers had acquired some positive interest from Showtime, Channel 4 and the distributor Beyond Films.13 While the figures are not available for the film‰s financial budget, producer Phaedon Vass acknowledges that with ëproductions in our budget range, we don‰t have a lot of resources to throw at problems and we worked really hard to achieve a big screen look‰.14 This suggests the film had a relatively low budget when compared to Australian ëblockbuster‰ film financing.

Despite the disappointing performance and reception of the film itself, there was some quite positive critical feedback on the director and the main stars of the film. Overall there seems to be a certain amount of agreement that for Mark Lamprell‰s first feature film, My Mother Frank was a success. As Sarah Thomas from Cinema Papers argues, ë...for an attempt at a first feature My Mother Frank is indeed impressive. We wait with hopeful anticipation for Lamprell‰s next offering‰.15 This seems to confirm that Lamprell has a promising future as an Australian feature film director.

Lamprell‰s choice of Irish actress Sinead Cusack to star in an Australian film is indicative of international film funding. Lamprell auditioned for an actress to play Frank in London. He says the moment he saw Cusack he knew she was the right person to play the lead role of Frank.16 Cusack began her career as a Shakespearian and theatre actress. Some of her previous and most recent film roles have included the Hollywood films Stealing Beauty (1996), Passion of Mind (2000) and the British film French and Saunders Live (2000).17 Lamprell also considered that he was extremely lucky to get Sam Neill to agree to play the part of Professor Mortlock. Neill‰s previous and very extensive film career has included Australian made films such as Dead Calm, (1989), The Piano (1993, AFC Financed)18, Sirens (1994) and more recently The Dish (2001). His Hollywood career has included the films Jurassic Park (1993), Bicentennial Man (1999) and Jurassic Park 3 (2001).19 Despite the presence of these two internationally known actors, the film still failed to draw in audience.

The younger actors Matthew Newton and Rose Byrne were essentially newcomers to the film business. Both received positive reviews for their portrayal of David and Jenny. Newton has only been in one previous Australian film, Looking for Alibrandi (2000), while Byrne has had roles in the Australian television series Heartbreak High and the Australian film Two Hands (2000). More recently she has had parts in The Goddess of 1967 (2001)and the Hollywood blockbuster Star Wars: Episode Two(2002).20

Cinematographer on the film, Brian Breheny (aka Brian J Breheny) has previously worked on several Australian films: Siam Sunset (1999), Dear Claudia (1998). Plus the internationally acclaimed film The Adventures of Pricilla: Queen of the Desert (1994), for which he won an AFI award for ëBest Achievement in Cinematographyë.21 Unfortunately little other information seems to be available on Breheny. However, since his work on My Mother Frank he has been involved in the production of the Otherside of Heaven (2001) and Hard Word (2002).22

Overall, this film is a good example of Australians producing a high quality film within a conservative budget range. Despite its ëpoor‰ performance at the box-office, arguably because of competition with the dominant Hollywood film industry, this is not necessary a reflection of the film itself. This film, like most other Australian films with a modest budget, found it virtually impossible to compete with bigger advertising budgets of Hollywood films. It has therefore had to rely on local and international sales to be seen, and to make a profit. Hence the importance of film festival screenings as a way to exhibit the film to potential buyers. In Australia the film as been bought by Network Ten for television viewing. And because of the production investment from Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, the film will be accessible for viewing to a wider international audience. Also, through the distributor Beyond Films, My Mother Frank has been sold to Spain, Portugal, South Korea, Italy, Iceland and the Czech Republic.23 Investment from Showtime in the production of the film will no doubt ensure its release on cable television. Adding to these outlets, is the video market (distributor: Buena Vista), which will also create opportunities for the film to reach a quite extensive audience. Arguably, much more than was ever achieved at the cinema release of the film.

My Mother Frank is indicative of Australian films made since the early 1990s. Whereby, international finance arrangements, and subsequent overseas sales are necessary for the survival and production of Australian films. Due to these factors, film texts are developed that are accessible to an international audience.24 And based on the sales information, (for this particular film) this does not exclude non-English speaking countries. Although My Mother Frank uses Australian locations, an Australian director and production crew, the narrative is universal in many ways. As many of the issues that are developed in this film are not culturally exclusive. Australians making Australian films is important, not only locally, but because it encourages an international recognition of the commonality of experiences with other cultures.25 Importantly, it also challenges the international domination of Hollywood. Arguably, this would have been an important consideration for well known actor Sam Neill, where his participation in My Mother Frank, would have, no doubt, been far less financially rewarding than appearing in a Hollywood film. But despite the film not being a ëbox office hit‰, it will nevertheless still reach a wide audience. Therefore, this film should been seen as a quality contribution to an Australian cinematic landscape, not as a failed feature film.

References:

1. My Mother Frank Website http://mymotherfrank.com.au (21/4/02)
2. Andrew Urban, Critique of My Mother Frank, 'Urban Cinefile' www.urbancinefile.com (24/4/02)
3. My Mother Frank Website
4. Urban Cinefile, Movie Reviews (13/4/02)
5. ibid
6. David Stratton, 'Movieshow', MMF Review, www.sbs.com.au
7. Sarah Thomas, 'Cinema Papers', Aug/Sept 2000, p34
8. ibid
9. Mark Freeman, 'Critical Eye', External Reviews, www.imdb.com.au (21/4/02)
10. Bums on Seats, 'Urban Cinefile', Archives 21 and 28 August 2000
11. David Pearce, Review of My Mother Frank, www.movieguide.com.au (21/4/02)
     My Mother Frank Website for information on Berlin Film Festival (21/4/02)
12. Australian Film Commission Resources, http://www.afc.gov.au (5/4/02)
13. Andrew Urban
14. My Mother Frank Website
15. Sarah Thomas
16. Andrew Urban
17. ShowbizIreland, Biographies, www.showbizireland.com (1/5/02)
18. Tom O'Regan, Australian Cinema, A National Cinema', Chapter 3, p73
19. EOnline, www.eonline.com (1/5/02)
20. ibid
21. www.ausfilms.com.au 'Brian J Breheny' (13/5/02)
22. www.imdb.com 'Brian Breheny' (13/5/02)
23. AFFC, www.affc.com.au (24/4/02)
24. Tom O'Regan, 'Australian Cinema in the 1990s' in Peter Tapp (ed) and James Sabine (ass.ed) Australian Feature Films,
      Melbourne: Informit, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the Australian Catalogue of New Films and Video Ltd. Cited in
      H231 Unit Reader, p.1
25. ibid p.5