James Franco's Experimental Film 'Francophrenia' Heads to Tribeca Film Festival (Photos)

2:27 PM PDT 3/12/2012 by Jordan Zakarin

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A bewildering arc on a daytime soap opera helped create the documentary-horror thriller hybrid.

Doug Chamberlain

And you thought James Franco was just appearing on General Hospital for the fun of it?

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With an Oscar nomination and a series of big budget successes under his belt, Franco could be one of Hollywood's most dominant leading men. If he wanted. Instead, he has worked to invert and subvert his celebrity and the greater perception of fame, and while playing a serial killer on an ABC soap opera would be a massive antithetical career move for most stars, he took it one step further.

PHOTOS: 'Francophrenia' Production Stills

Francophrenia is the result of Franco's collaboration with filmmaker Ian Olds on the set of General Hospital, based on dry footage of the star wandering the small backstage area, talking to cast members and crew. Franco, however, narrates with an increasingly psychotic tone, soon creating a sort of meta-thriller that offers three layers of the actor: the character, the man and the confusion of the two.

The film debuted at the Rotterdam Film Festival, and will next play at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. Check out a few photos from Francophenia, and click on the gallery above to see more.