On the surface, Dear Frankie is about a boy who communicates by letter with his long-lost father. But this sweet, charming film is really a love letter to the relationship between mothers and sons. Ten-year-old Frankie hasn't seen his father in years, and thinks he is away at sea on a merchant ship. Every few weeks, he receives a missive from his father from a different exotic port of call. Unbeknownst to Frankie, his mother Lizzie (a stellar Emily Mortimer, star of Bright Young Things and the soon-to-be-released Young Adam) is really writing the letters, in an effort to give the boy a man in his life. When Frankie learns that the ship on which he believes his father is stationed is coming to town, Lizzie must make a desperate choice: reveal the truth, or set up an elaborate ruse, complete with a pretend father. Shona Auerbach's film is a testament to the power of family love -- how it shapes us, for better and for worse.