Michael Fassbender won our attention as a swaggering cinephile in Inglorious Basterds. He broke our hearts as the dangerous object of desire in Fish Tank, and made them swell as the broken Rochester of Jane Eyre. And of course he made us geek out as Magneto in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past. For his next trick, this German-born stunner is begging us to forget the abs he showed in 300 and that face that's mastered the smolder. For now, he wants us to focus on the music in Frank. Above you can see the latest trailer from this offbeat comedy, or see it in hi-res at Apple.
This trailer is all kinds of weird, but that's precisely its appeal. And if you think that Coca-Cola Kiss Me song is ridiculous, just wait until the memory of it creeps up on you in the shower, playing on an endless, inescapable loop!
Written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, Frank made its world premiere last January at the Sundance Film Festival, where it earned wild praise for Fassbender's fantastic performance. As you can see above, that entails playing an unconventional musician who protects himself from the world by wearing a large, odd paper mache head. That's just Frank. A musical genius whose destined to set the world on fire at the South by Southwest Festival, a venue the film Frank played back in March. Urging this shy performer along the way is a wanna-be musician named Jon (played by Star Wars: Episode VII's Domhnall Gleason), and a shrewd but protective manager (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal).
Frank is the fourth feature film from Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, who has previously helmed Adam & Paul, Garage, and What Richard Did. As you probably don't recognize any of those titles, it won't surprise you to learn this is being eyed as Abrahamson's most promising release yet. Of course, having a star as mesmerizing as Michael Fassbender--big paper mache head or not--does help get international notice.
If the above has you intrigued, check out some more from Frank. First up, a clip explaining why Frank prefers his paper mache head over life without it:
And just in case you want a paper mache head of your own, here's a handy tutorial.
But hey, don't wear your Frank head in the theater. That'd be rude to those sitting behind you.
Frank opens in the U.S. on August 22nd.
