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The film, vying for Cannes' top Palme d'Or
prize this week, was written with Huppert in mind, and showcases
the actress, who has been recognized at the film festival
several times with acting awards, on very understated form.
"What I think Ira Sachs was requiring for his actors was a kind
of ... great simplicity, to the point that I didn't have the
feeling to do a character, to do a role," Huppert told Reuters
in an interview. "I just had the feeling to just be myself and
say certain things, that is all."
That's as far as the parallels go, however. "Frankie" tells the
story of a woman and her loved ones trying to come to terms with
her impending death, explored over the course of a day as they
clash, comfort each other, and question their own lives and
relationships on their Portuguese vacation.
There are tender moments and also laughs as meddlesome Frankie
tries to sort out her son's love life; and more bittersweet
ones, including discussions about money and inheritance -
inspired, according to Sachs, by his own experience of losing a
good friend to cancer.
"Being part of (the) last three years of her life, I was struck
by how unexpected the experience was for me," Sachs said in an
interview. "I think there is an idea that death will be serious,
and actually, it is like life, whatever it is. It is made up
with a lot of contrasts."
Huppert, who has twice won the best actress award at Cannes,
including for "The Piano Teacher" in 2001, was praised by
critics for her pared-back turn, though some reviewers were less
convinced by the film as a whole.
"It's exquisite around the edges, but where's the beef?" Variety
asked in its write-up, saying the film almost left too much to
be read between the lines.
(Reporting by Sarah White; Editing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian)
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