''Frankie & Alice'' is a 2010 Canadian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Geoffrey Sax Geoffrey Sax (sometimes credited as Geoff Sax) is a British film and television director, who has worked on a variety of drama productions in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Life and career He began his directing career in the la ...

, starring

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Mis ...

. Filming began in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, in November 2008, and ended in January 2009. To qualify for awards season, the film opened in a limited release on December 10, 2010. It is based on a true story about a popular

go-go Go-go is a music subgenre, subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience Call and response (music), call and response. Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C. area du ...

dancer/stripper in the 1970s who has

dissociative identity disorder Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Berry's performance was widely praised and she received several accolades, including a nomination for the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single aw ...

Plot

Frankie is performing at a Los Angeles club in 1973. She is one of the best strippers at the club, and often attracts the attention of wealthy businessmen. One night, the club's female employees go out for a "Girls Night". As the girls observe all the men at the bar, Frankie gets the attention of a well-known bartender. She agrees to go to his home forl sex. Before the two can engage in any sexual activity, Frankie switches to an alter ego, and cracks the man's head open with a picture frame. Word of Frankie's violent activity spreads to the strip club quickly, and Frankie is fired from the needed job. Similar episodes occur while Frankie is at the laundromat and at a wedding. Frankie starts

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

with Doctor Oz. During a session, Frankie learns that she has two alters: Genius, a seven-year-old child; and Alice, a Southern white racist, whom Frankie struggles to overcome. Through regular sessions with Dr. Oz, Frankie begins to recall the traumatic events that led to the dissociative splits in her personality. She realizes that when she was a teenager she was in love with a white man who died in a car accident while they were on the road. In the same session, she also connects with the memory of the birth of her child. Moments after the birth, Frankie's mother realizes that the child is half-white and kills it, thus triggering Frankie's personality to split. After she watches the taped sessions, and puts everything together, Frankie begins the healing process, taking control of her life and semi-integrating the personalities that Dr. Oz assures her will always be present.

Cast

as Frankie Murdoch/Genius/Alice **

Vanessa Morgan Vanessa Morgan Mziray (born March 23, 1992), known professionally as Vanessa Morgan, is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Beatrix "Bird" Castro in the MTV teen drama series ''Finding Carter'', as Amanda Pierce in the Family teen ...

as 16-year-old Frankie Murdoch ** Michayla McKenzie as 8-year-old Frankie Murdoch *

Stellan Skarsgård Stellan Skarsgård (, ; born 13 June 1951) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his collaborations with director Lars von Trier appearing in ''Breaking the Waves'' (1996), ''Dancer in the Dark'' (2000), ''Dogville'' (2007), ''Melancholia'' (2011 ...

as Dr. Joseph "Oz" Oswald *

Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) (née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and director who is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby S ...

as Edna Murdoch *

Chandra Wilson Chandra Danette Wilson (born August 27, 1969) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC television drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' since 2005, for which she has been nominated for the Emmy ...

as Maxine Murdoch *

Rosalyn Coleman Rosalyn may refer to: * "Rosalyn" (song), song by Pretty Things People * Rosalyn Borden (1932–2003), American actress *Rosalynn Carter, wife of former President of the United States Jimmy Carter * Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (born 1987), American basket ...

as Pearl *

Joanne Baron Joanne Baron (born February 3, 1953) is an American actress and Meisner technique acting coach. She was raised in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Classical and Pawtucket High Schools. She received early acceptance to the University of Conn ...

as Nurse Susan Shaw *

Brian Markinson Brian Markinson (born September 1, 1961) is an American-Canadian actor who has appeared in a wide variety of films and television shows. Some of Markinson's best known roles include a U.S. Attorney General in ''Shooter'', an unscrupulous industr ...

as Dr. Warren Backman *

Matt Frewer Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is an American-Canadian actor, singer and comedian. He portrayed the 1980s icon Max Headroom in the 1985 TV movie and 1987 television series of the same names. He became prominent when playing roles ...

as Dr. Strassfield *

Katharine Isabelle Katharine Isobel Murray (born November 2, 1981), known professionally as Katharine Isabelle, is a Canadian actress. She has been described as a scream queen due to her roles in various horror films. She started her acting career in 1989, playing ...

as Paige Prescott **

Emily Tennant Emily Tennant (born August 9, 1990) is a Canadian actress. She played Ivy Young on the Canadian comedy television series '' Mr. Young''. Life and career Tennant was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2000, she played her first role in the ...

as 16-year-old Paige Prescott **

Megan Charpentier Megan Charpentier (born May 26, 2001) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as the feral child Victoria in the horror film ''Mama'' (2013), as the Red Queen in '' Resident Evil: Retribution'' (2012), and for her role as Gretta Keene ...

as 8-year-old Paige Prescott *

Melanie Papalia Melanie Rose Papalia (born July 11, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She has appeared in films such as '' Postal'' (2007), '' American Pie Presents: The Book of Love'' (2009), '' Frankie and Alice'' (2010), ''Smiley'' (2012), ''The Den'' (2013), and ...

as Tina * Joey Bothwell as Trish *

Scott Lyster Scott Lyster (born January 22, 1987) is a Canadian actor. Career In 2010 he played Randy Jackson, sheriff's son, in '' Psych'' episode ''Dual Spires''. In 2012, he starred as Richie in the indie film ''Locked in a Garage Band'' and in 2016 p ...

as Pete Prescott * Kira Clavell as Wanda *

Anne Marie DeLuise Anne Marie DeLuise () is a Canadian actress. Career DeLuise has had a number of supporting roles in film and television. Her most notable roles are Dr. Greene in ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' and Mrs. Briggs on ''Strange Empire'', a role which won h ...

as White Alice * Xantha Radley as Maria *

James Kirk James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...

as Bobby * Colin Foo as Thin Asian Patient *

Andrew Francis Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, ''Hero 108'' as Lin Chung, ''Lam ...

as Cop #2 *

Adrian Holmes Adrian Holmes (born March 31, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his work on the Bravo television series '' 19-2'', for which he won a Canadian Screen Award in 2017. He is also known for playing the role of Uncle Phil in the ''Fresh Pr ...

as Clifton

Release

It had a limited release in the United States on December 10, 2010, to qualify for awards. The film had a wide theatrical release on April 4, 2014.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 21% based on reviews from 33 critics. The website's critics consensus states: "Halle Berry gives it her all (and then some), but ''Frankie & Alice'' is ultimately too narratively strained and clumsily assembled to do her performance justice." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

it has a score of 47% based on reviews from 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Following a screening at the Cannes Film Festival, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' described the film as "a well-wrought psychological drama that delves into the dark side of one woman's psyche". The review also said Halle Berry was "spellbinding" as Frankie, with "rock-solid" supporting performances.

Accolades

African-American Film Critics Association The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the world's largest group of Black film critics that gives various annual awards for excellence in film and television. It was founded in 2003 in New York City. History The association wa ...

** Nominee, Best Picture ** Winner, Best Actress:

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

** Nominee, Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama:

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

** Winner, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture:

** Winner, Outstanding Independent Motion Picture *

Prism Award The Entertainment Industries Council is a United States non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books. The Council provides guidelines on the depi ...

** Winner, Performance in a Feature Film:

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frankie And Alice 2010 films Films about dissociative identity disorder English-language Canadian films Fictional couples Films shot in Vancouver Films set in Vancouver Canadian drama films Canadian independent films Films about psychiatry Films directed by Geoffrey Sax Films scored by Andrew Lockington Films set in 1973 Lionsgate films Films about striptease 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films