Sundance is set to debut one of its most emotionally charged films of the year with Frank & Louis, a deeply human prison drama led by Rob Morgan and Kingsley Ben-Adir. The film, directed and co-written by Petra Biondina Volpe, explores redemption, compassion, and the unexpected ways connection can survive even in the harshest environments.
Set inside a state prison, the story follows Frank (played by Ben-Adir), an inmate serving a life sentence who takes a job caring for elderly prisoners living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
What initially begins as a strategic move to strengthen his chances for parole soon becomes something far more meaningful. Frank is assigned to care for Louis (Morgan), a fellow inmate whose fading memory forces him to confront his past, his humanity, and the limits of forgiveness.
As the men navigate their uneasy dynamic, what forms between them is a raw, transformative bond. Louis’ vulnerability reveals truths about Frank’s own life, while Frank’s reluctant compassion evolves into genuine responsibility and care.
Volpe doesn’t approach prison simply as punishment; it becomes a backdrop for moral reckoning, ethical conflict, and the ways systems often fail aging and vulnerable incarcerated people.
Volpe directs from a script co-written with Esther Bernstorff, with production by Reto Schaerli and Lukas Hobi. The supporting cast includes René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, and Indira Varma.
Frank & Louis premieres at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival as a World Premiere in the Fiction category.
