All my creative friends are different. The more creative, the more outside the norm they are. The most focused ones create a life that becomes a work of art. Nowhere do these ideals come into sharper focus than with films like Dale Frank Nobody’s Sweetie. The Australian artist has an amazing body of work and an existence that has become art itself.
The film gives you snapshots of his life. His move to Europe and his artistic output then that coincided with the Punk movement in England during the Thatcher years. His slow integration into the upper echelon of the Australian art world, the socioeconomic realities of the eighties and a late-in-life diagnosis of Autism that was a major revelation.
Throughout it all he just kept creating art. The film includes an amazing selection of his works as still images and a small critique must be stated, the still shoots don’t last long enough with the level of detail in a lot of his work. When this film makes its way to the home video market, the pause button will get a workout. As it is now in the cinema world, it’s great to see these images take up an entire wall!
The cliche of the artist having to be a bad boy (or girl) to be relevant in the public’s eye gets a mention or two but this is easily tuned out by the sheer expansive body of his work. Being a dedicated outcast takes more time and effort than Dale would allow as his work takes precedence. All the facts that are revealed about his life are interesting. Some are sad, some shocking, some horrific and others very revealing. Dale’s life, artistic output and this film are all worthy of your investigation.
Rob Hudson
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