Movie Review: Frankie & Alice
What caught my eye tonight was Frankie and Alice (2010), starring Halle Berry (Oscar winner: Monsters Ball) as Frankie and Stella Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting, Exorcist) as Dr. Oz. Set in 1970s Los Angeles. Early on Frankie has a blackout. She’s brought to the ER and discharged. Losing her job, unaware of why or who she’s writing checks to, her former coworker thinks she needs help, her mother thinks she’s doing very well working for the telephone company.
Later she’s arrested and calls Dr. Oz regarding her arrest. He gets her released under his psychiatric care and she’s brought into the hospital as an outpatient.
After multiple psychotherapy sessions, Frankie is diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder by Dr. Oz.
Dissociative identity disorder is a rare condition where the person develops alters. These are different personalities that are randomly triggered. DID was previously known as multiple personality disorder and in the psychiatry field it is highly debated whether or not it is true to its claim by the patients diagnosed with it. I’m not a psychiatrist nor a psychologist just passing the information out to. “Alice and Frankie” is based on a true story.
Skarsgård’s performance, and his character; Dr. Oz dedicates to care, attention and solving this mystery. It is an honest, believable, and honorable performance. Halle Berry is the one that steals all the jewels with her enchanting performances.
If you’re in the mood for some mystery, thriller, can’t wait for what happens next then this one’s for you.
MY RATING SCALE: DON’T WATCH. TRY TO WATCH. SHOULD WATCH. MUST WATCH.
Yes, it’s a Must Watch. For all the reasons I’ve described above and for educational reasons, as well.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think and feel after watching? Comment below and let’s get a discussion going!
Frankie and Alice is Available on DVD on Amazon with special features and commentary and On Demand in high definition, the Blu-ray unavailable because of the movie’s many production delays and mishaps. I would recommend adding the DVD to your library as it has a behind-the-scenes feature, a digital copy-and if you’re like me and like to have a physical copy of an original feature favorite in your library I’d go ahead and spend the $10 or so to get it.
