You can go to the website of May I Be Frank and read much praise for this film – and I add my voice to that chorus. But in addition to being an inspiring story of personal transformation, May I Be Frank is a lesson in money and filmmaking.
Near the beginning of the film we hear one of the three filmmakers express what appears to the eye as quite obvious: “We’ve never made a movie before.” They’re not using a good camera, and they probably don’t know how to work it very well. There are a few professional shots peppered throughout the film, but the overall visual image is amateurish, sometimes like home movies transferred to digital format.
But all that doesn’t matter. May I Be Frank is a great story about a man who is unhappy with his existence, has his fair share of health problems – and with the help of three dedicated ‘coaches’ goes on a 42-day program of eating right, enduring natural therapies, and undergoing psycho-spiritual work.
There’s no way any of us could make and execute such a commitment without struggle, and there’s no want of that in this film. If a low-budget film made by inexperienced filmmakers is the only way we could have gotten Frank’s inspiring story told, then bless these novice filmmakers and their inexpensive camera. A great story opens our hearts however it’s told.
It’s challenging to find a documentary that’s a ‘feel-good movie of the year,’ but here it is. And I’m just as inspired by the filmmakers’ journey as I am by Frank’s.