Review: Frank and Lola

A moody dissection of male jealousy fronted by a compelling performance by Michael Shannon, Frank and Lola begins in bed as Shannon's Frank and Imogen Poots' Lola are about to make love for the first time. Apprehension and aggression tango in the darkness, their bodies tinged by the lights of Las Vegas.

Honesty is a prized prerequisite for any relationship and whilst the two seem straightforward in their sexual communications - she suggests roughly holding her down as they have sex - honesty does not protect against suspicion. It's understandable why both Frank and Lola are fearful about falling in love. He's a divorced chef, brooding and caught up in the ambitions of his career. She's an aspiring fashion designer just out of university, but perhaps a bit too cunning. Frank is alarmed when he observes her flirting with a too-friendly motormouth (Justin Long) who soon becomes her employer. Yet, this is nothing compared with Frank's reaction when he learns of Lola's infidelity with Alan (Michael Nyqvist), a former lover she claims had been sexually abusing her.

Though Frank obviously loves her, what is done cannot be undone and, like Tom Cruise's character in Eyes Wide Shut, he becomes fixated on Lola's indiscretion. "If I could go back and protect you, we'd be happy," he tells Lola. When Frank finds himself in Paris auditioning for a head chef position in a new Vegas restaurant, he decides to track down Alan to confront him with what he's done to Lola. Except perhaps Lola was lying and deceiving Frank. Or was she?

Director-screenwriter Matthew Ross displays a deft touch at injecting noir elements into what is essentially a relationship drama. He confidently crafts a bewitching spell that expertly conveys how paranoia can thin the line between imagination and reality. The scene between Frank and Alan, as truths are unmasked only to be replaced with another set of deceptions to be untangled, is charged with suspenseful dread.

Poots shines as Lola, but this is an undisputed showcase for Shannon, who exudes a dangerous sex appeal as the brooding Frank. Shannon has always been a riveting combination of tenderness and menace, and Ross exploits that quality to maximum effect. Shannon's delivery of a seemingly innocuous line like "That'd be cool" suddenly turns into a fearsome threat, and his confrontation with Lola after his encounter with Alan is made all the more chilling by how calm the verbal and physical violence is delivered.

Frank and Lola

Directed by: Matthew Ross

Written by: Matthew Ross

Starring: Michael Shannon, Imogen Poots, Justin Long, Rosanna Arquette, Michael Nyqvist, Emmanuelle Devos