Uncle Frank

If we had to select only one film from the official selection of the Deauville American Film Festival, it would certainly be Uncle Frank, written and directed by Alan Ball. Amazon Studios was present this year at the American Film Festival with Sound of metal by Darius Marder. This video-on-demand service that American independent cinema is able to impose itself as a cinema with a strong voice and above all to mark or consecrate the emergence of future great directors.

Brilliant screenwriter, we owe him notably the screenplay of American Beauty (1999) and Towelhead (2007), Uncle Franck imposes himself as a masterful first film and consecrates his director certainly as one of the strong voices of the recognition of the rights of homosexuals too often confined to caricature roles in Hollywood American cinema (with the exception of a few films like Philadelphia (1983)). It is easy to understand that this very personal film for director Alan Ball is a way to exorcise his own inner demons and to make people understand that being gay is not a capital crime as the father of the main character might think, and even less an offense to God.

The story of the film Uncle Frank takes place in 1973 and we discover young Beth (Sophia Lillis) who is admitted to the prestigious New York University where the most educated man in her family, her Uncle Frank is a professor of literature as well known and appreciated. She learns that he kept his homosexuality a secret and his long relationship with his companion Wally even if it means introducing one of his friends to his parents as his companion. When her uncle's father dies, Frank is forced to go to the funeral of the man who has always rejected and hurt him. A drama from Frank's adolescence also explains the conflictual relationship between the two men. An intense and memorable road movie announces itself by showing the departure on the small American roads of Frank, Beth and Wally .

The reason Uncle Frank reaches such a high emotional level is that the director has filled his film with true love, bringing in parts of his past, his emotions and his feelings. He takes care not only of his staging but also of the numerous dialogues and takes special care with his cinematographer Khalid Mohtaseb to make this film a memorable and unforgettable first film. In the main role, he benefits from the presence of actor Paul Bettany, who gives his best part in this film. Moving away from his character of Vission in the Marvel Studios film saga, he testifies that he is one of the best actors today capable of being so impeccable in thrillers and dramas such as Firewall (2006), Margin call (2011), Creation (2009)... The success of this film is partly due to him as he brings to his character a real fragility and a rare courage. The presence of the young actress Sophia Lillis (It (2017), It chapter Two (2019, and also the HBO series Sharp Objects) is equally appreciated.

By addressing the themes of homosexuality, the family, but also the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and by relying on a perfect cast, Uncle Frank is certainly betting on the best films of this year. A film that makes us reflect on our courage, on being true to ourselves but also on being open-minded. Uncle Frank certainly gives Paul Bettany an Oscar-winning role and confirms once again that Sophia Lillis is indeed part of the new generation of Hollywood stars we haven't heard the last of.

Uncle Frank
Written and Directed by Alan Ball
Produced by Alan Ball, Peter Macdissi, Michael Costigan, Jay Van Hoy, Stephanie Meurer, Bill Block
Starring Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer
Music by Nathan Barr
Cinematography: Khalid Mohtaseb
Edited by Jonathan Alberts
Production company: Your Face Goes Here Entertainment, Byblos Entertainment, Cota Films, Parts & Labor, Miramax
Distributed by Amazon Studios
Release date: January 25, 2020 (Sundance)
Running time : 95mns

Seen on September 7, 2020 at the Casino Cinema (Deauville)

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