Franklyn

Preest: Somebody once said that religion was deemed by the commoners as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. The only thing I believe is that my name is Jonathan Preest. And tonight, I'm gonna kill a man.

Franklyn is a low budget British film directed by independent filmmaker Gerald McMorrow and stars Eva Green, Ryan Phillppe, Sam Riley and Bernard Hill. Split between London and the gloomy metropolis that is Meanwhile City, the plot revolves around an art student obsessed with death, a young man recently left at the altar who is in search of true love, a masked vigilante who stalks Meanwhile City in pursuit of the enigmatic Individual and a father searching for his missing son. As the film progresses, these seemingly unconnected tales are tied together as Preest closes in on his objective.

Not to be confused with Franklin the Turtle.

Tropes used in Franklyn include:

Angel Unaware: Both Sally and the janitor at the hospital are implied to be this, seeing as they each appear to the protagonists to guide and impart wisdom, and no never interact with anyone but the protagonist they are talking to in that scene.
- This trope is only enforced by the fact that the only other character they each interact with, besides their respective protagonists, is each other at the end.
Badass Longcoat: Preest has one.
Badass Normal: Vigilante Johnathan Preest possesses no actual powers and instead relies on basic combat skills
Dark World: Meanwhile City exists as a dark and imaginary manifestation of London.
Expy: Preest is a gruff, masked loner in a Badass Longcoat who defies the society he views as corrupt, wandering the streets at night monologuing to himself while engaging in vigilante activities. Sound familiar?
- Arguable. Rorschach is driven by a fundamentalist belief in Objectivism. Preest comes across as a mix of nihilism and humanism.
Imaginary Friend: Milo's childhood friend Sally turns out to be one of these.
Mad Artist: Emilia, a suicidal artist, creates videos of her suicide attempts and the efforts of the ambulance crew to resuscitate her.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Obviously, a lot of what the characters experience especially Preest is revealed to be the imaginary product of a disturbed mind, but there are an awful lot of coincidences...
- This theory is supported by the fact that the Janitor and Sally, both supposedly figments of two separate imaginations, can see each other
Only Sane Man: Preest sees himself as this.
Religion Is Wrong: The main contention of Johnathan Preest, the only atheist in the faith-dominated Meanwhile City.
Sinister Minister: The Individual, head of the shadowly Duplex Ride cult.
Through the Eyes of Madness:Preest is actually a former solidier driven mad by the death of his sister, for which he holds his father responsible
Sunglasses at Night
Title Drop: The title becomes a significant plot point in the final act of the film.
Villainous Fashion Sense: The villainous Mooks Dress in Tophats, Dark Glasses, long black jackets, and really tight black pants.
White Mask of Doom