Ian McKellen and Roger Allam are taking a walk on the romantic side in Frank and Percy, a new film about two older men who discover that love can arrive when they least expect it. The film has unveiled a new trailer ahead of its world premiere at this year’s BFI London Film Festival.
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Ian McKellen and Roger Allam Make a Match on Hampstead Heath
In Frank and Percy, Allam plays Frank, a kind-hearted widower who enjoys walking his beloved dog, Toffee, while McKellen stars as Percy, a witty, flamboyant bachelor with a dog of his own, Bruno.
The two men meet on Hampstead Heath during a warm spring, striking up a casual conversation about heatwaves and life in London. What begins as a simple exchange between fellow dog owners gradually becomes a meaningful friendship, opening the door to something neither man necessarily expected: romance.
As their connection deepens, Frank and Percy must decide whether they’re willing to take a chance on love. And if their dogs have already helped them meet, perhaps the pups deserve a little credit for their matchmaking skills.
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The story explores the possibility of discovering a new side of yourself later in life, when experience and familiarity might suggest that the big surprises are already behind you. Frank and Percy have other ideas.
A Queer Love Story With Plenty of Heart
The film’s appeal lies in its gentle approach to romance between older men. Rather than treating love as something reserved for the young, Frank and Percy explores intimacy, companionship, and sexual discovery at an age when people are too often overlooked in conversations about dating and desire.
Frank, in particular, finds himself questioning what his growing attraction to Percy means. His experience challenges the neat labels people sometimes use to understand sexuality, suggesting that the person who captures your heart can surprise you in ways you never anticipated.
The film also makes room for the humor that comes with navigating relationships later in life. Between awkward romantic revelations, complicated former partners, and the sobering realization that funerals have become regular social engagements, Frank and Percy find plenty of reasons to laugh even as they confront loneliness and the passage of time.
One of the film’s most poignant moments comes when Frank’s sister-in-law, Belinda, played by Joanna Lumley, tells him during a moment of lucidity: “How lucky you are to have a broken heart at 77!”
It’s a reminder that heartbreak, for all its misery, means you’ve found something worth feeling deeply about. And it’s never too late to discover that.
An All-Star Cast Joins the Romance
Directed by Sean Mathias, whose credits include The Lost Language of Cranes, Hamlet, and the award-winning Bent, Frank and Percy brings together a formidable British cast.
Stephen Fry plays Percy’s former partner, while Lumley appears as Belinda, whose experience with early-onset dementia adds a bittersweet dimension to the story. The supporting cast also includes Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Ncuti Gatwa, Hugh Skinner, and Rob Brydon.
Screenwriter Martin Sherman adapted the film from Ben Weatherill’s two-hander stage play, which originally starred McKellen and Allam under Mathias’s direction. The film reunites the three creatives for an expanded version of the story.
The result promises a mix of affectionate comedy and more reflective moments, with the supporting characters adding complications and color to the central romance.
Why ‘Frank and Percy’ Deserves a Spot on Your Watchlist
At its heart, Frank and Percy is about the possibility of beginning again. Frank and Percy have lived entire lives before meeting each other, carrying memories, disappointments, and expectations about what the future might hold. Their relationship challenges the assumption that growing older means settling for less excitement, less intimacy, or less love.
For LGBTQ+ audiences, the story offers a chance to see older gay men portrayed as people whose romantic lives remain complicated, funny, and full of possibility. Their desires don’t disappear with age, and neither does their capacity to surprise themselves.
Until then, the new trailer offers a first glimpse of McKellen and Allam bringing this unlikely romance to the screen. And if Frank and Percy teaches us anything, it’s that a good dog walk can lead to far more than a little fresh air. Sometimes, it leads to a second chance at love.
Source: The Guardian and John Gore Studios
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Fry, Lumley, McKellen – 3 👑!