In 1931 Seattle, sixteen year old Frances Farmer (Jessica Lange) wins a national essay competition with an anti-God speech. It attracts the attention of political activist Harry York (Sam Shepard). She turns to acting. She gains success but chafes at the studio system. She leaves Hollywood for Broadway but that is no better. She returns to Hollywood to make B-movies. She falls into alcoholism. Her disturbed behavior gets her arrested. The court puts her under the control of her mother (Kim Stanley). She is forced into mental hospitalization where she's abused. There is a lot of over-dramatic fictionalization. It detracts from realism but it also allows Lange to do some amazing acting. She's given a really wild juicy role and eats it right up.
Review of Frances
