Frankie & Alice: DVD Review
The remarkable true story of an African American go-go dancer named “Frankie” (Halle Berry) who has dissociative identity disorder (DID). She struggles to retain her true self while fighting against two very unique alter egos; a seven-year old named “Genius” and a Southern white racist woman named “Alice.” In order to stop the multiple voices in her head, Frankie works with a psychotherapist to uncover and overcome the mystery of the inner ghosts that haunt her, and the truth that is locked inside her mind. Written by Cheryl Edwards, Marko King , Mary King, Jonathan Watters , Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse. Directed by Geoffrey Sax.
The Movie: This movie had me entertained from beginning to end. Frankie has always written off her moments of disconnect as just something she has experienced from time to time. She soon realizes that she is battling a lot more than she anticipated. She is given insight into each of her personalities and what each may be trying to achieve. With the help of Dr. Oz, played by Stellan Skarsgård, she learns how to cope with her disorder by visiting all the painful moments that cause her to lose it all in the first place. The character of Frankie had many complexities that Halle was able to achieve perfectly. I can only imagine what it would be like to be told you have a mental disorder. The idea of not being capable of controlling your mental state and losing it at any moment is really frightening. Frankie was on the verge of hurting herself until she was saved by Dr. Oz. With his help she was able to recognize her triggers and understand her reason for going out of control. I really did enjoy watching this film. I had planned to see half before bed, because it was already a late night for me, and ended up staying up the remainder of the night to watch the second half of the film. So definitely something was there to keep my attention. My personal recommendation is to make a movie night with a friend or loved one and watch the film. It’s worth the watch!
My Likes: Halle Berry. Oh and Halle Berry. She is just phenomenal. She was able to turn on each of her multiple personalities with so much ease. She truly is an amazing talent. I also really liked the story in itself. Yes, we have another movie of someone that has a mental disorder, I mean Halle herself was in a film a while back on this very same topic, but I felt that there was more done as far as getting to the root of the disorder. We were given bits and pieces initially but then we finally understood why Frankie had a mental breakdown.
My Dislikes: This film had me going nonstop. My only complaint was perhaps the ending. It was one of those movies that just ended. As in, everything is great, life goes on, and the movie must end. Not to give any spoilers, but I was left with a few questions. Maybe the writers didn’t feel we needed closure in certain aspects, but it did leave me a smidge disappointed. But don’t get me wrong, this one irk of mine doesn’t not take anything major from this film. Overall, the movie id definitely one to watch.
Special Features:
“The Making of Frankie & Alice with Halle Berry” featurette – Always great to see the story behind the story.
