A bright Southern black woman raised in the 1950s, Frankie Murdoch saw her psyche split after a teenage trauma resulting in her sharing her mental space with a bigoted white woman. Appearing as a go-go dancer in a seedy Los Angeles strip club, Frankie’s erratic behavior blends right in. “Good moves, great tits, but pure psycho” states the club manager. His assessment, however, is far too simplistic to explain Frankie’s frequent mood swings and memory lapses. As Frankie' condition goes untreated, her disorder becomes a danger to herself and others.

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STELLAN'S PERFORMANCE:

"Both clinically and dramatically, it's an engaging titillation despite a somewhat flat last half-hour. Throughout, its exhibitionist proclivities are evened-out under director Geoffrey Sax's astute guidance and the intelligent, nuanced performances of Berry and Skarsgård. In addition, the supporting performances are rock-solid, particularly Phylicia Rashad's steadfast portrayal of Frankie's supportive but enabling mother. Scoped in a hard-noir style, with mean-streets Canada standing in for Los Angeles, "Frankie & Alice " is a technically well-balanced entertainment."   ...Hollywood Reporter

"Although Berry's personality shifts are sometimes clumsily handled, her depiction of Frankie is strong and steady, but with a guarded vulnerability. Skarsgård, the arthouse-movie workhorse, bridges the gap between awkward intellectual and compassionate caretaker with an ease that makes his doctor-to-the-rescue archetype more human than the predictable script otherwise dictates."   ...Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel

"Halle Berry is wonderful in this emotionally charged role, Stellan Skarsgård radiates care and empathy and Phylicia Rashad is superb as Frankie’s concerned and loving mom. Unfortunately the film, skillfully directed by Geoffrey Sax and written by six credited writers, lacks freshness."   ...Starcam.com

"It helps that Skarsgård and Phylicia Rashad, as Frankie's mother, offer stalwart support."  ...Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"Seasoned actors Rashad and Skarsgård portray their characters flawlessly and with little effort."  ...Cocoacritic.net

"Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Oswalt, delivers his usual solid performance, expertly countering Berry’s hysteria with a soothing sobriety."  ...Jordan Riefe, Critics Choice

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