Frank and Percy, starring LGBTQ+ icon Sir Ian McKellen and award-winning fellow thespian Roger Allam, tells a heartwarming story about discovering love later in life and realising it is never too late to find it.
During their dog walks on Hampstead Heath, Frank (Allam) and Percy (McKellen) grow ever closer, their casual pleasantries turning into something much more meaningful. Despite the two being an unlikely pair at first, Percy being an openly gay man in his 80s and Frank being a straight widower in his 70s, a romance begins to blossom.
Boasting some of the UK’s best-known acting talent as co-stars, alongside Ian McKellen, many cast members are openly queer. The cast includes Jessica Gunning, Ncuti Gatwa, Hugh Skinner and Stephen Fry.
Based on the West End play of the same name by Ben Weatherill, the story has been brought to the big screen by director Sean Mathias.
Mathias, an openly gay man, has a long-standing connection to queer storytelling, having directed the 1997 film adaptation of Martin Sherman’s play Bent, which explores the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany. The film starred McKellen and Clive Owen.
Bringing Frank and Percy to the screen sees McKellen and Allam reprise their stage roles during its original 2023 run.
The original play was a smash hit, resonating with queer and straight audiences alike. “What’s interesting, having played it for seven weeks in Windsor, two in Bath, is that a perfectly straight audience is happy to take on the joy of watching two old guys make fools of themselves and fall in love,” McKellen told Attitude in 2023.
He added, “They love it. Even 10 years ago, you couldn’t have expected that. The world’s moved on. Of course, I do think theatre audiences are probably the vanguard of social change.”
Challenging expectations around love, sexuality, and growing older, the film explores the possibility of finding companionship later in life. Stories centred on older LGBTQ+ characters and their romantic relationships remain relatively rare on screen, making Frank and Percy a welcome addition to queer cinema.
Frank and Percy will premiere on Tuesday, October 13, at the BFI London Film Festival. Check out the trailer below.
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