Melissa Leo stars as Francine in Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s up-close study of the tribulations of regaining one’s freedom. Leo is an actress who has the effortless ability to successfully straddle mainstream features, independent projects and even high profile television (the HBO drama TREME). Whether she’s winning Academy Awards for THE FIGHTER or gracing modestly budgeted films such as Courtney Hunt’s FROZEN RIVER with her spiky presence, Leo brings a searing and thoughtfully mapped out pathos to any given role.

Francine is a 40-something woman getting to grips with her life after being discharged from prison for an unspecified crime (though there are allusions to her being quite the thief). Softly spoken, and blunted by her incarceration, Francine moves into a small cottage in a rural town. Here she takes a job at a wholesale pet store, and attends local community church gatherings where she befriends a handful of people and catches the eye of a kindly stable hand.

… her tortured mental state begins to radiate, old habits angrily bubbling under an uneasy surface …

What begins as a comfortable, even affable depiction of Francine’s social rehabilitation quickly falls askew as her tortured mental state begins to radiate, old habits angrily bubbling under an uneasy surface. Taking in a variety of stray animals and alienating those around her who are desperate to reach out, Francine starts to put her health and mental stability at risk by using her passionate devotion to the animals in her charge as a buffer to protect herself and her general, diminishing wellbeing.

Flowing and mysterious, whilst never lowering itself to cliché or offering easy answers to its protagonist’s reintegration with life and love, FRANCINE excels by doing very little. The minimal dialogue, scripted by the two directors, teases out a slim story with understated dexterity, especially when lingering on Leo’s haggard and expressionistic face. It will be quite a hard sell to general audiences: the reflective, naturalistic approach betrays Cassidy and Shatzky’s background in documentary; yet FRANCINE is an audacious and powerful piece of American independent cinema with expertly paced storytelling, and raw, grounded performances from a committed cast.

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