Uncle Frank (2020)
Coming Out at November 25, 2020 on Prime Video.
Drama
In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Macdissi) — an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank’s father (Beth’s grandfather) Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from.
Writer-director Alan Ball’s heartfelt and hilarious road movie travels from the bohemian scene of post-Stonewall New York City to rural South Carolina, following Frank’s painful journey from hitting rock bottom to acceptance and forgiveness and, finally, reintegration into his family and into life itself. Bettany reveals Frank’s fragile core by peeling away the layers of Frank’s sophisticated but guarded persona. Sophia Lillis plays Beth as a naive but observant young woman whose eyes are opened to a world she could never have imagined. Peter Macdissi also has a standout performance as Wally, a man whose capacity for compassion runs deeper than he even knows. Ball also elicits strong turns from his superb supporting cast, including Stephen Root, Margo Martindale, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer and Lois Smith.
Director: Alan Ball
Writer: Alan Ball
Stars: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Margo Martindale, Stephen Root, Lois Smith
►Cast
| Paul Bettany | → | Frank Bledsoe |
| Sophia Lillis | → | Beth Bledsoe |
| Peter Macdissi | → | Walid ‘Wally’ |
| Steve Zahn | → | Mike Bledsoe |
| Judy Greer | → | Kitty Bledsoe |
| Margo Martindale | → | Mammaw Bledsoe |
| Stephen Root | → | Daddy Mac |
| Lois Smith | → | Aunt Butch |
| Jane McNeill | → | Neva |
| Caity Brewer | → | Marcia |
| Hannah Black | → | Janis Bledsoe |
| Michael Banks Repeta | → | 11-Year-Old Bullet |
| Isabella Pambianchi | → | 8-Year-Old Mae Ray |
| Burgess Jenkins | → | Beau |
| Zach Strum | → | Tee Dub |
| Colton Ryan | → | Bruce |
| Britt Rentschler | → | Charlotte |
| Alan Campbell | → | Bernard |
| Christopher Speed | → | Man at Party |
| Emily Dixon | → | Woman at Party |
| Cole Doman | → | Young Frank |
| Michael Perez | → | 16-Year-Old Sam |
| Priscilla Smith | → | Hummingbird Motel Clerk |
| Voltaire Colin Council | → | Mechanic |
| Dave Hager | → | Green Mountain Motel Clerk |
| Maha Awad | → | Wally’s Mom |
| Michael Harding | → | Preacher |
| Dave Blamy | → | Lawyer |
| Carson Holmes | → | 15-Year-Old Bullet |
| Rochelle Aycoth | → | Katerina |
| Ron Blake | → | Funeral Mourner |
| Townsend Fallica | → | Young Cody |
| David Pascua | → | Party Guest |
| Orchid Ra | → | Fried Chicken Lady at Funeral |
| Sherri Robinson | → | Diner Patron |
| Theresa Shively | → | Funeral mourner |
| Mark E Walters | → | Party guest |