accessAtlanta

'Dear Frankie': Well-done milquetoast

A tangled web of deception is at the heart of a slight, but charming film called Dear Frankie.

The title refers to the letters that a 9-year-old lad, deaf and almost mute, receives from his father who is sailing the seas for the merchant marines on a ship known as the Accra.

Miramax 'Dear Frankie' B+ The verdict: A heartfelt tale that somehow avoids sentimentality. Director: Shona Auerbach Starring: Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone, Mary Riggans, Sharon Small Run time: 105 minutes Release date: March 30, 2005 Rating: PG-13 for language. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Only that story is not true. It is a fiction fabricated by Frankie's weary mum, Lizzie (sublime Emily Mortimer of "Lovely & Amazing"), who is trying to keep the reality of his abusive father from the boy and is constantly on the move, staying a few steps ahead of the father.

Lizzie has given Frankie (adorable, but not cloying Jack McElhone) a post office box to send correspondence to his dad, which she then answers and mails back to the boy. The system works well enough, until news arrives that the Accra is about to dock where Lizzie and Frankie have put down temporary roots. Now Lizzie has to find a bloke to impersonate Frankie's father for a day.

Moviegoers with a low tolerance for sentiment have probably turned the page by now. "Dear Frankie" does teeter on the edge of treacle, but never succumbs, thanks to a dry-eyed screenplay by Andrea Gibb, restrained first-time direction from Shona Auerbach and a handful of delicate performances.

Enter a nameless stranger (Gerard Butler), enlisted by Lizzie's helpmate at the nearby fish-and-chips shop. Lizzie is understandably nervous about leaving her son alone with him and Butler projects an air of danger.

But unlike a more bombastic Hollywood version of this tale, the stranger does not turn out to be a psychopath. Nor does a storybook romance blossom between him and Lizzie, although there are hints of that possibility.

Rich in geographic detail, the film displays Auerbach's visual strengths.

Simple and affecting, "Dear Frankie" is the sort of movie that often gets lost in the rush to see more bombastic releases. But it is a gentle story, well told, and worth seeking out.