SEATTLE — Alan Ball is the visionary behind the new drama Uncle Frank.
It's about a gay man, Frank Bledsoe, and his 18-year-old niece who take a road trip from New York City to South Carolina for the family patriarch's funeral. They are unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover Walid.
"The genesis of the movie was when I came out of the closet to my mom 30 years ago and she told me I blame your father because I think he may have been that way too; which I don't know if that's true because he was already dead, but later I found out about a young man who was his best friend, who drowned and he accompanied his body on a train to his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. So it just opened this window into my brain of what if this is true," explained Ball.
Paul Bettany, known for his roles in Marvel movies, plays the role of Frank.
"Alan and I both have what-if stories. My father was a closeted gay man who came out in 1963 and had a relationship with a man for nearly 20 years. The man died. My father went back in the closet because of his fear that it was a mortal sin and he wouldn't get into heaven and see my brother who died when I was 16. I had a 'what if' he had gotten right with himself? What if he could have shed all of that shame. about this sexual identity?" shared Bettany.
The movie also stars Judy Greer and Lois Smith. Smith is a 90-year-old working actress and she happens to call Seattle home. She attended the old Lincoln High School and the University of Washington.
Ball said getting a movie like Uncle Frank made is significant.
"These are the movies I respond to that are just about people dealing with issues of being people and trying to be authentic in an inauthentic world," shared Ball.
It's a story about truth, family, and forgiveness, just in time for the holiday season.
Uncle Frank is set to be released on Amazon Prime Nov. 24th.
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