Scottish screenwriter Andrea Gibb is on a roll with "Dear Frankie," a gem of a picture that, like her Edinburgh Film Festival success "AfterLife," has flinty characters dealing with everyday hardships who are suddenly faced with a predicament of their own making. First-time director Shona Auerbach, a photographer who has been successful making commercials, leaves the slick surfaces of that world behind to craft a deeply felt human drama that she also shot beautifully. With Miramax International at the helm, a film that derives much from a sense of geography and seamanship should travel well.

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