Movie review
November 25, 2020 · 95 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A 1973 road trip drama follows literature professor Frank Bledsoe and his teenage niece Beth as they drive from New York to rural South Carolina for his father's funeral. Frank is unexpectedly joined by his long-term male partner Walid. The narrative centers on Frank's hidden gay identity, childhood trauma from family homophobia, and the push for acceptance. The film features prominent gay identity themes and portrays Southern Christian family values as the root of abusive repression.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Uncle Frank.
Woke representation / casting
Central visible LGBTQ+ characters and same-sex relationship as main focus
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue on acceptance versus homophobia and religious judgment
Identity-driven story themes
Narrative structured around gay identity, repression, trauma, and acceptance
Western institutional / cultural critique
Portrays conservative family, father, and Christianity as causes of gay oppression and trauma
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Absence of major woke complaints; backlash is absent or weakly sourced
Creator track record context
Alan Ball has a pattern of LGBTQ+ themed projects and publicly frames this as his most personal gay-themed work
