Canadian Premiere
Frank has served nearly 20 years of his life sentence in a US prison. In a self-interested bid to increase his chances of parole, he joins an initiative where long-term prisoners care for aging inmates suffering from dementia. But when he meets Louis — whose rapid deterioration occasionally prevents him from even remembering why he is in prison — it sets Frank’s own predicament into perspective. Though at first tense and guarded, the two gradually find solace in each other’s companionship.
Based on a real-life initiative in a California prison, Frank & Louis is a remarkably moving story of prison care. Eschewing the gritty naturalism of most prison narratives, director Petra Volpe (Late Shift, VIFF 2025) here opts for an almost metaphorical look at incarceration — at the spiritual toll it takes on individuals and at their survival. Grounded in stoic but tender performances from Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan, this is a disarmingly direct drama and one of the most affecting films of the year.
Supported by
Petra Volpe
Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Indira Varma, Rosalind Eleazar
Switzerland/UK
2025
English
At Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
At Fifth Ave
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Credits
Producer
Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi
Screenwriter
Petra Volpe, Esther Bernstorff
Cinematography
Judith Kaufmann
Editor
Hansjörg Weisbrich