Frank and Ava (2020)

The steel line of sex and tension is palpable throughout this harrowing and heart-stirring Hollywood romance between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. It's 1949 and Sinatra, the former king of swoon who once enchanted millions of "bobby soxers", is at the downturn of his career as the once golden "Voice" is now compromised by a hemorrhage to his vocal cords while his reputation is lambasted by the press who parade his alleged Mafia connections, liberal sympathies, and extramarital affairs. In the midst of his despair, he falls hard and fast for Gardner, MGM's sultry starlet with whom he shares proclivities for passion, whiskey, obstinacy, and sexual infidelities. Equal to his desire to maintain the interest of the mercurial Gardner, is his almost sacred infatuation aimed at attaining the role of Private Angelo Maggio in Columbia Picture's From Here to Eternity, the sole ray of hope in salvaging his career. An acknowledged long shot due to his questionable acting chops and heretofore box office bombs, Sinatra actively campaigns for the role while divorcing his wife, Nancy, and entering a sexually charged, but suspicion-filled marriage with Gardner that is marked by infidelities, Ava's abortions and Frank's suicide attempts as their hapless romance is parodied by the press who play them off each other. Acclaimed director, Michael Oblowitz, impeccably stylized the film, using locations in Rome, Italy, Hollywood, CA and Sinatra's Palm Springs home to bring Frank and Ava to life. In addition to introducing Rico Simonini and Emily Elicia Low in the title roles, the film also features Eric Roberts, Lukas Haas, Richard Portnow, Domenick Lombardozzi, Neil Sandilands, Jonathan Silverman, Terry Moore and the legendary Harry Dean Stanton; in his last feature film appearance.—Rico Simonini