Frank Film Club with Maisie Williams Rapt

Wear an extra pair of socks because this film will knock them right off. This week we discuss Femme, the Neo-noir thriller and debut feature from directing duo Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping. 
In Femme, we see Jules targeted in a horrific homophobic attack, destroying his life and career. Some time after that, he encounters one of his attackers in a gay sauna and wants revenge.
We discuss the inspiring journey of this film getting made, from short to feature, plus a whole new cast, with the support of Agile films. You go Agile films! We discuss the simply astounding performances from Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George MacKay. We give serious props to the shoestring budget, the unbelievable 3 week actor prep time, and the quality of the scriptwriting. 
TW: this film features a lot of sexual violence. 
Femme (2023) is available to stream on Netflix.
A full transcript of this episode can be found here.
Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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This week we watch Maestro, a film where Bradley Cooper convincingly ages before your eyes across four decades. We address his biographical film about American conductor Leonard Bernstein. In this episode, we learn a lot about Cooper’s career and directing techniques. We finally learn what a conductor actually does. We discuss whether the apparent 6 years of prep goes unnoticed as far as the performances are concerned. And we recoil in horror at Carey Mulligans lack of ageing.
Maestro (2023) follows Leonard Bernstein as he begins a tumultuous relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre, upturning both of their lives. It stars Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman. It is available to stream on Netflix.
A full transcript of this episode can be found here.
Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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This week we watch The Holdovers to finally see what all the awards fuss was all about. A film that has so much heart, it follows Paul Giamatti as an unlikeable teacher at a boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go over Christmas. Convincingly set in the 70s, the film was committed right down to the old school trailer. None of us expected to connect with it as much as we did, but we were won over by the people - from character actor Paul Giamatti in a role so different from the Paul from our childhoods, to newcomer Dominic Sessa. Let’s just say we had a very excited Casting Director in the room for this recording.
The Holdovers (2023) is an American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne and written by David Hemingson. 
A full transcript of this episode can be found here.
Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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Talking about Jonathan Glazer’s Auschwitz-set film The Zone of Interest this week was both really hard and in many ways very easy. Easy because it’s a masterclass in sound design and unusual cinematography choices. Obviously film students should be studying this for years to come. But this is no easy watch - it's a film that leaves you questioning humanity and resonates harder now than ever. We discuss the effect the film had on us, how Glazer pulled it off and the incredible reception its had. 
The Zone of Interest (2023) was directed by Jonathan Glazer and stars Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller.
A full transcript of this episode can be found here.
Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub

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For two of us, this film was deeply inspiring. For one of us, this film was simply not it. Nyad is a 2023 American biographical sports drama about swimmer Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida, starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. In this episode we address the controversy of the athlete’s cheating and conclude that people need to GET A LIFE. We give serious props to the filmmakers who are legends in the world of sports documentary. But despite their credentials, we question some of their filmmaking choices. Is it too cheesy? Letterboxd hate it, Rotten Tomatoes love it. We’re the same - it’s a hung jury. 
Keep up to date with us on Instagram, TikTok, Letterboxd and YouTube: @frankfilmclub
A full transcript of this episode can be found here.

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We visited you lovely lot in Everyman Bristol to watch the sweatiest film of recent years- Challengers (2024)- and record a live podcast with you all. We discuss love triangles, obsession, competition, painfully obvious branding in films, CGI tennis balls in your face, the power of Zendaya’s onscreen presence and the thrilling score. We have a group discussion with our gorgeous audience on who is “the bad guy” and if there was actually any love at all in this “love triangle” film?
Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, Challengers is the high-stakes love triangle tennis drama from Luca Guadagnino.
Thanks to the Everyman cinema for hosting us.

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