Róise and Frank : A Beam In A Sea Of Agony
Written by Alycia (Kru’22)
Grief is always a hard thing to look at, to go through, but is always so easy to mock. After a devastating blow, to stay sane, we as humans do everything we can to make it seem like we’re still going on the right track. Whether that’d be as simple as looking at things in a positive light, getting a new hobby, or pretending that your husband has reincarnated into a dog.
This is what “Róise and Frank’’ try to cover in a comedic light, tackling what it’s like to overcome the loss of a loved one by putting that love elsewhere. We see how Róise, a griefing old lady, stuck in a rut, slowly comes out of her shell and comes back to herself after losing it due to the loss of her husband. This change is catapulted by a strange dog that suddenly came to her house, following her and copying her husband’s mannerisms, bringing hope and life back to Róise. She starts living her life again, with persistence and a slightly bizarre belief that her husband is reincarnated back as this dog. Even though they got separated due to an even more bizarre series of events, after getting her hope back, she lets Frank go to help another person to cope with a similar grief.
My feelings for this movie are mixed. I’ll start with the positives first, the messaging of this film is great. The main point for the directors of this movie is to focus on how animals can truly help with grief in the way that humans can’t. Especially compared to how the humans around her judge and mock Róise, the warmth, loyalty, and the lack of judgment from animals truly make them a safe space for her to turn off her brain and just focus on caring and being loved by another being. Róise leaving Frank in the end is also very touching, and a reminder for us to let go and continue with what we have. It helped me with my own grief a tad, like a warm hug we all need but we never ask for. It’s also worth adding that the nature-focused shots were so pleasing, the fresh and calming outdoors in Waterford was mesmerizing to see, I kinda wanna live there lowkey.
The main issues with this movie are the lack of content, mundane humor, and predictability. Once you know the basic summary of the film, in my opinion, you don’t need to watch it. It is very predictable, and the jokes are rather safe, like basic chit chat you would hear in a get together, and forget right after you hear it. The storyline is also quite basic filler, just elaborating on Frank’s love of hurling and the impact he brings to the current local hurling team. This storyline in my opinion is quite boring and not even the climax brings something shocking or new to the table.
Overall, this movie is a slightly pleasant watch, especially for grieving individuals who need a little boost of happiness. But would I recommend it? Not really.
