In Theaters: January 21, 2005 (US)
Rating: PG-13 / 105 Minutes
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director: Shona Auerbach
Synopsis:
Lizzie is the Scottish mother of Frankie , a deaf and highly intelligent 9-year-old. Constantly uprooting themselves and relocating from town to town, Lizzie and Frankie are on the run from the latter’s abusive father, a fact unknown to the boy, who believes his dad is a busy seaman sending letters full of adventure and love. In fact, Lizzie is writing those missives, but she is faced with a challenge when Frankie discovers his father’s ship will dock nearby. Lizzie hires a kind, handsome stranger to play Frankie’s dad, creating an odd situation in which ever-growing lies become a conduit for love, and Lizzie’s repressed desires come to the fore with a man posing as her husband. The moral tangles are of interest in director Shona Auerbach’s charmingly paced, quietly insightful drama-comedy, but so is the glorious feeling of watching these characters come fully alive.
Emily Mortimer as Lizzie
Jack McElhone as Frankie
Gerry Butler as The Stranger
Mary Riggans as Nell
Sharon Small as Marie
Jayd Johnson as Catriona
Sean Brown as Ricky Monroe
