May I Be Frank?: A Review and Giveaway

Frank Ferrante

Let's be honest. Or, in this case, frank. As much I love my deep-fried tofu and Tofutti Cuties, I know that whole, raw vegan foods in their purest forms are the best bet for good health. And for people who are trying to turn their lives around after years of abusing their bodies through unhealthy meaty diets, smoking, boozing, and drugs, a healthy, mostly raw diet is probably the best way to go. At least for a cleansing period.

That's what happened with Frank Ferrante, the star of documentary May I Be Frank? It's the story of a 54-year-old overweight guy with Sicilian roots, bad habits, and failing health. But Frank makes a major change in his life path when some dudes at the famous high-raw vegan restaurant, Cafe Gratitude, take Frank under their wings and feed him wheatgrass, raw food, daily affirmations, and all that hippie stuff for 42 days.

I won't give away the ending, but as one would imagine, Frank's health takes a turn for the better as the film progresses. Throughout the film, we get a glimpse into Frank's life — his marital problems, his family issues, his former heroin habit, his health problems, and perhaps best of all, his humanity. Throughout the cleanse, Frank has his good days. And he has his really, really bad days. Oh, and we get, um, pretty damn up-close-and-personal with Frank. We're talkin' deep discussions about pooping and plenty of colonics. But hey, when you're workin' on what goes in, you gotta check out what's coming out too.

That being said, the one thing missing from this film was the "what goes in" — the food! Other than a reading of a one-day menu of Cafe Gratitude meals Frank must eat and shots of Frank tipping back wheatgrass now and again, we never see him eat! There's much more attention paid to colonics and self-discovery, which is all fine and good. But I wish I could have seen a few of Frank's breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

But despite that one flaw, May I Be Frank? is a magnificent look at transformation and the amazing power of human will. The film has been around for some time, and it's made a name for itself in vegan circles. But I'm blogging about it now because it was recently released on DVD, so anyone can watch it outside of the film fest circuit.

You can buy a copy here. But you can also enter to win one of two copies (courtesy of Cinema Libre Studio) by leaving me a comment about your favorite raw food dish. Be sure and leave an email address if you don't have one linked to a Blogger or Wordpress profile. I'll randomly pick two winners on Monday (May 6th) night. Good luck!

Oh, and here's the trailer.
May I Be Frank Trailer from Cinema Libre Studio on Vimeo.